AskHistorians

Theodosius I signs Edict of Thessalonica in 380 CE, making Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire.

In 395, after winning two destructive civil wars, Theodosius I died. He left a collapsing field army, and the Empire divided between the warring ministers of his two incapable sons. Goths and other non-Romans became a force that could challenge either part of the Empire. Further barbarian groups crossed the Rhine and other frontiers. The armed forces of the Western Empire became few and ineffective, and despite brief recoveries under able leaders, central rule was never again effectively consolidated.

Wikipedia - Fall of the Roman Empire

So my question is this - there's only 15 years between the acceptance of Christianity as the state religion and the collapse of the state. What were the effects of forced conversion in the late western Roman empire, and did it accelerate or delay the fall of the empire?

Besides Signs. Even if there are signs why there, how did they figure it out? How did we or they know where the Roman Empire began and ended at the height of power? What about the Mongols too?

How did Columbus and his crew not give up after a while with no sight of land?

I'm currently reading a book about Arthurian myth, and it claims that pages in the time period could be both male and female. Of course, it is fictional, but this specific claim is presented entirely as a fact.

The specific definition used for a page in the book is: "young boys or girls between the ages of ten and fifteen who are learning the ways of courtly life by observing their elders and doing those tasks assigned to them"

Under this specific definition, were there "page girls" in 5th century Britain?

!iran@lemmy.world