The Fall of Rome

The city of Rome was thought by many to be unconquerable. However, in 410 CE, a Germanic tribe called the Visigoths invaded the city. They looted the treasures, killed and enslaved many Romans, and destroyed many buildings. This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome had been sacked. Rome's problems went beyond other groups of people invading their lands. Rampant corruption in the government, discontent of the people caused by extreme poverty and slavery, and even a growing allegiance to Christianity over the ideals of the empire are all put forth as reasons why the Roman Empire eventually ended in 476 CE. Although Rome itself, as the seat of the Catholic Church would maintain power and influence, the Western Empire would be no more. The Eastern half of the empire. always richer and stronger, continued as the Byzantine Empire for almost 1,000 more years.

Fall of the Western Roman EmpireTo many historians, the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century CE has always been viewed as the end of the ancient world and the onset of the Middle Ages, often improperly called the Dark...

What Factors Caused the Fall of the Roman Empire?The fall of Rome is best understood as a constellation of various maladies that altered a large swath of human habitation over many hundreds of years.