In 476, Odoacer, a Germanic general in the pay of the eastern Roman empire (see Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire) deposed the Roman Emperor Romanus Augustulus, had himself crowned King of Italy and sent the insignia of Roman power to Constantinople, signalling the end of the western Roman empire. See our entry on the Middle Ages. Odoacer was murdered by the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great in 493 who established his own kingdom, definitively breaking the Roman line.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Fall of Rome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1634, accessed 06 May 2024.]
