The fall of the Western Roman Empire was conventionally fixed by historians in 476, the year in which Odoacre deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire: the events
In 395 the emperor Theodosius died and the Empire of Rome was divided between his two sons: at Arcadio the eastern part, at Honorius the western part.
While Arcadio followed an autonomous policy, Honorius accepted the protection of the general vandalism Stilicho (for a more detailed reading, read Stilicho: the vandal defender of the Roman Empire).
In 402 and 406 Stilicho defeated the Goths of Alaric, but then came to terms with them. In 404 the western capital was transferred to Ravenna. In 408 Stilicho was beheaded.
From 409 Vandals, Swabians and Alamanni pressed in Spain and Gaul. In 410 the Visigoths of Alarico sacked Rome (for further information, see 24 August 410 A.D. the Sack of Rome).
Ataulfo, Alaric's successor, founded the first barbarian kingdom in Gaul.
In 429 the Vandals of Genserico conquered Carthage and took over the province of Africa.
In 450 the Empire had to deal with the Huns. They received a tribute from both the Western and Eastern empires. When the two empires by mutual agreement cease to pay, Attila leads his armies to the invasion of the West. Attila is defeated by General Ezio at the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields (451) in Gaul.
The following year Attila enters Italy; he devastates Aquileia and reaches the Po Valley, where he stands near Mantua. Here he was joined by Pope Leo I, sent by the Roman Senate to dissuade him. Attila, after the meeting with the Pope, withdrew with his army renouncing in fact to conquer Rome (for a more detailed reading read June 8, 452: Attila invades Italy).
In 455 the Vandals sacked Rome. After the succession of various emperors, in 476 Romulus Augustulus was placed on the throne, immediately deposed by the Germanic general Odoacre.
Odoacre exiled Romulus Augustus to Campania and sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople: this gesture meant that the only Roman emperor was now that of the Roman Empire of the East. Odoacre proclaimed himself "king of the people" (rex gentium) and governed Italy as a "patrician" recognized by the Eastern Empire. This act marks the end of the Roman Imepro of the West.
476 conventionally marks the beginning of the Middle Ages.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire: the causes
With the growth of Rome-controlled lands, its fragmentation in the provinces also increased. After the land reforms, subsistence farming began to develop. Trade began to decline to an extreme degree, which led to the termination of relations between some provinces.
The increase in taxes had an impact on the solvency of the population. Smallholders began to ask for protection from large owners, which finally ruined them and created a layer of large feudal lords.
The decline of the economy caused a wave of indignation in the country. There was a demographic crisis in the empire. The crisis and the fall of the Western Roman Empire is due to many causes.
The mechanism began to jam under Marcus Aurelius, when the empire was hit by a very serious plague epidemic: the manpower available in the vital sectors of the economy decreased drastically, production collapsed, prices increased.
All this happens while the Roman armies are engaged against the Germans and against the Persians. The subjects are therefore called upon to provide ever-increasing taxes at the very moment in which their resources are progressively weakening.
To all this should be added: the social unbalances between the privileged few living in luxury and the mass of the population living in poverty; the corruption of the administrators; the lack of consensus towards the government; the incursions of the Germanic populations and, at the same time, the weakening of the Roman military power.
As a result, more and more German soldiers were employed to strengthen the ranks of the Roman army and many barbarians managed to reach high military positions. In fact, the commanders of the army are almost always of Germanic descent and it is these generals who really rule the western part of the empire during the fifth century.