The People did not love The Roman Empire. 

It was an imperializing force that terrorized the people. Ben Hur depicts this beautifully. 

People lived in fear of it. And the Ceasars, especially since Nero and on, where tyranical dictator consumed by greed and consumption, drunk on power.

There are three characteristics that stood out to me when study the Psychology of the Roman Empire: 

1 – Their obsession with the Power-Profit Exchange. They implemented this every chance they got. Blood money. Bribe. Between Monarchs and Popes, Priests, and Emperors. Money for Authority that never belonged to them. Becket is a fantastic example of this.

2 – The People vs. The Power. Every time the Governing Body abuses the people, the People fight back. In every case, the Governing Body is abusive, negligent, or clueless. It doesn’t matter. All three always results in the People fighting back and the Governing Body resists because they want the power without the responsibility. 

3 – The Next Governing Body, always ALWAYS writes new laws to prevent the next uprising.

At this point, after the People took down The Western Roman Empire, the acts of The Eastern Roman Empire 100% appear strategically vengeance driven to take down and shackle the People so that another uprising does not happen again.

And the easiest place to hit The People? Their Education. An Uneducated Person can’t fight back. 

This is Slaves were not allowed to read. 

Education makes or breaks The People. So, the very first thing Rome did was rebrand itself “The Holy Roman Empire,” start a rumor that “it had fallen” and then they wiped out 100% of the Educational System. 

Within 100 years, the Dark Ages had started. 

Another 100 years later, Popes and Pontiffs and Priests believed it was a sin for anyone to learn. That “the devil was in Education” and that the People were too impure to handle knowledge. 

It would take centuries to piece back together what little remnants they could find of Education.