What caused the fall of the (Western) Roman Empire?

Hi Max, We don't always--if usually-- have reliable stats. I suggest an army is more effective if it achieves its objectives against a foe of about the same capability.

Without reliable stats, we can't tell anything about the capability either.
 
I don't think it happened right after the defeat in the east which occurred 252 whereas Gallus was ousted in 253--right after a victorious general of is was raised to the purple by his men.

Yeah but with don’t really know the exact dates, it surely wasn’t a full year between the defeat and the usurpation, plus we have to take into account that news took a while to travel in the ancient world. The soldiers saw their emperor was a general who didn’t win, and they weren’t willing to die for a loser so once they saw a winning general, Aemilianus was raised to the purple.
 
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Yeah but with don’t really know the exact dates, it surely wasn’t a full year between the defeat and the usurpation, plus we have to take into account that news took a while to travel in the ancient world. The soldiers saw their emperor was a general who didn’t win, and they weren’t willing to die for a loser so once they saw a winning general, Aemilianus was raised to the purple.

I don't know if the eastern setback was the one that turned the troops against Gallus, since there was a major raid on Asia Minor after the peace of 251, and Gallus apparently did nothing but stay in Rome.
 
I don't know if the eastern setback was the one that turned the troops against Gallus, since there was a major raid on Asia Minor after the peace of 251, and Gallus apparently did nothing but stay in Rome.

I don’t know either, but by 253 it must have become clear that Gallus wasn’t going to lead any of his troops to victory, and this my have prompted his usurpation and murder. No winning emperor ever got usurped after all, they were all murdered by their officers if anything.
 
I don’t know either, but by 253 it must have become clear that Gallus wasn’t going to lead any of his troops to victory, and this my have prompted his usurpation and murder. No winning emperor ever got usurped after all, they were all murdered by their officers if anything.


Right, by 253 all the troops needed was someone who seemed much better--on the battlefield.
 
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