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The Fall of the Western Roman Empire, c. 480 CE
A map illustrating the gradual process of disintegration known as the Fall of the Western Roman Empire. During the Migration Period (a period of accelerated movement of peoples across Europe between the 5th and 9th centuries, also known as the Barbarian Invasions), the territories of the Western Roman Empire in Europe, including Italy, and north-western Africa, fell to various indigenous or invading peoples. In 395 CE, after the death of Theodosius the Great (the last emperor who ruled over a unified realm), the Roman Empire was officially divided. Although it is assumed as a historical convention (and a poetic symmetry) that the Western Roman Empire ended in September 476 CE with the abdication of Romulus Augustus (or in 480 with the murder of, not so romantically named, Julius Nepos) for close to 20 more years, the structures of Roman governance continued to function, Latin remained the administrative language, Roman armies, and Roman law were still standing and newly minted coins featured Roman emperors.
