The fall of the Western Roman Empire is the process by which central imperial authority in the western provinces disappeared during the fifth century. It is traditionally dated to 476, when the Germanic general Odoacer deposed the teenage emperor Romulus Augustulus and sent the imperial regalia to the eastern emperor Zeno in Constantinople. By then, Visigoths, Vandals, Franks and others had carved out kingdoms inside Roman territory, and the empire in the West had lost control of its revenues and army. Historians continue to debate the causes, from military pressure and political instability to economic strain, and whether the change was a sudden collapse or a gradual transformation. The Eastern, or Byzantine, Empire survived for another thousand years.
Before and after
- 476 CEBirth of Aryabhata
- from 476 CE to 1492Middle Ages
- from 476 CE to 718 CEVisigothic Kingdom
- from 476 CE to 900 CEEarly Middle Ages
- 476 CEFall of the western Roman Empire
- 480 CEBirth of Boethius
- 3 March 480 CEBirth of Benedict of Nursia
- from 481 CE to 843 CEFranciaf
- c. 482 CEOrigins of Kyiv
More in Wars, politics & history
- c. 510 BCEThe Roman Republic is founded
- from 74 BCE to 72 BCEThe slave revolt of Spartacus
- from 73 BCE to 71 BCEThird Servile War
- from 58 BCE to 51 BCEGallic War
- 49 BCECaesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus
- 451 CEAetius and Theodoric stop Attila at the Catalaunian Plains
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century.