476 CEReputable sourceDebated
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
On the timeline · around 476 CE · Classical
What happened
The Germanic leader Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor in the West, conventionally marking the end of the Western Roman Empire.
Why it matters
A traditional dividing line between classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages.
How we know
Contemporary and later chronicles record the deposition; 476 is the date historians conventionally assign.
Historians treat the 'fall' as a process; 476 is a conventional marker.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Odoacer · Reputable source