The Deal That Broke the Empire

Описание: In 476, Rome’s last real power wasn’t the boy‑emperor on the throne, but his general, Orestes.

When Orestes refused to give his Germanic soldiers land in Italy, their leader Odoacer rose in revolt, killed him, and deposed Romulus Augustulus.

One broken deal over land finished the Western Roman Empire.

Time Key Events & Scene Descriptions
00:00 Introduction to the final decades of the Western Roman Empire and a man who learned the true nature of power.
00:13 Depiction of the war camp of Attila the Hun, the man who nearly burned Rome to the ground.
00:54 475 CE: Emperor Julius Nepos summons the protagonist to Ravenna and appoints him Magister Militum (Master of Soldiers).
01:10 Roman officials debate whether to trust a man who once served their greatest enemy, Attila.
01:43 Instead of leading the army north to Gaul as ordered, the general turns the army around and marches on Ravenna.
02:04 A tense confrontation between Emperor Nepos and the general regarding orders and the needs of the soldiers.
02:50 In the military camps, soldiers complain about the cold and hunger while watching the wealthy city of Ravenna.
03:31 The gates of the city are opened under the pretext of "extra protection," allowing the rebel soldiers to flood in.
03:45 Emperor Nepos attempts to flee to the harbor but is confronted by the general one last time.
04:01 August 28, 475: The Emperor flees across the sea, but the general chooses not to take the throne for himself.
04:06 The general places his own young son on the throne—a "boy emperor" who would be easy to manipulate.
04:26 Credits and teaser for Part 2: "The Last King Maker".