The Roman Empire Ended When a Barbarian Deposed a 16-Year-Old Emperor

Описание: The Western Roman Empire officially ended on September 4, 476 AD, not by battle, but by forced resignation.

The last Western Emperor, Romulus Augustulus (nicknamed "Little Augustus"), was a 16-year-old figurehead installed by his father, Orestes, and controlled only central Italy. The Empire was bankrupt, relied on barbarian mercenaries (foederati), and had lost its provinces.

In 476 AD, the barbarian soldiers (Heruli, Scirians, Rugians) demanded land in Italy. When Orestes refused, they revolted, led by the general Odoacer. Orestes was killed on August 23, 476. Odoacer captured the Western capital, Ravenna, on September 4, 476, and forced Romulus Augustulus to abdicate. Odoacer spared the boy, granting him a pension.

The Roman Senate sent the imperial insignia to the Eastern Emperor Zeno in Constantinople, stating they no longer needed a Western Emperor and asking Zeno to grant Odoacer the title of "Patrician."

Odoacer ruled Italy as "King" from 476–493 AD. He maintained Roman administration, laws, and the Senate, established religious tolerance, and governed capably.

His rule ended when Eastern Emperor Zeno sent Theodoric the Ostrogoth to invade Italy. After four years of conflict, Odoacer and Theodoric agreed to co-rule in 493 AD. Theodoric, however, murdered Odoacer at a peace banquet, establishing the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy.

The date 476 AD is traditionally considered the end of the Western Roman Empire and the start of the Middle Ages. Historians debate this, arguing that Roman institutions largely continued under Odoacer. What made 476 different was that Odoacer, unlike previous barbarian generals, chose not to install a new puppet emperor, openly taking the title of "King" and symbolically abolishing the imperial office in the West.

The "Fall of Rome" was a long process (410, 455 sacks, 536-553 Gothic War, 568 Lombard invasion). Romulus Augustulus's name was ironic: combining Rome's legendary founder (Romulus) and first Emperor (Augustus), with the diminutive (Augustulus), marking the start and end of the imperial line with "Romulus."

Meanwhile, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) continued for almost a thousand more years, preserving Roman law and culture until 1453 AD.