It’s not entirely arbitrary that Medieval/Renaissance History begins and Ancient/Classical History ends in A.D. 476. Edward Gibbon’s 476 date for the Fall of Rome is conventionally acceptable because that’s when the Germanic Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor to rule the Western Empire. However, the people who lived through the takeover would probably be surprised by the importance we place on this event. And there are other, reasonably momentous dates for the Fall of the Roman Empire.
Some say Rome fell when it was split into an eastern and a western empire ruled by separate emperors. The eastern half became the Byzantine Empire, with its capital at Constantinople (modern Istanbul). The western half remained centered in Italy. Many say the Fall was an ongoing process lasting more than a century. Since Rome still exists, it could even be argued it never fell. Some prefer to say that Rome adapted rather than fell.
There are adherents to single factors, but more people think Rome fell because of a combination of such factors as Christianity, decadence, lead, monetary trouble, and military problems. Even the rise of Islam is proposed as the reason for Rome’s fall, by some who think the Fall of Rome happened at Constantinople in the 15th Century.
Here are some of the explanations for the Fall of Rome:
* Decay
* Financial Problems
* The Dole and Barbarians
* Economic, Military, Gradual
* Vandals and Religious Controversy
* Division of the Empire
* Lead
* Hoarding and Deficit
