476 CEReputable sourceWell documented
The Survival of the Roman East
On the timeline · around 476 CE ·
What happened
When the Germanic commander Odoacer deposed the last Western emperor in 476 CE and the Western Roman Empire dissolved into barbarian kingdoms, the wealthier, more urbanized eastern half survived intact. Ruled from Constantinople, it carried on as the Roman Empire — Greek-speaking and Christian, but proudly Roman. Historians call it the Byzantine Empire; its people simply called themselves Romans.
Why it matters
The Eastern Roman Empire's survival meant that Roman law, learning, and statehood endured for another thousand years after Rome itself fell — a continuity that preserved much of classical civilization through the Middle Ages.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Fall of the Western Roman Empire · Reputable source
Related timelines
- Ancient Rome → — The fall of the West and survival of the East