Does Rome still live?

Historians have long wondered when and how the Roman Empire truly ended. Some believed it collapsed because of moral weakness or bad leadership. Others thought it simply changed over time, especially as new groups like the barbarians entered Roman lands. Some parts of the empire, like the East, stayed strong for much longer, while the West weakened.

By the 400s AD, things started to fall apart in the West. In 406, some Germanic tribes crossed a frozen river and invaded Roman lands. The Roman army couldn’t stop them. The city of Rome was attacked and looted in 410 by the Visigoths, a major shock to the empire. In the following years, other tribes like the Vandals, Franks, and Huns took over more areas. The Roman government in the West became weaker, with generals and warlords taking control.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Roman Empire (later called the Byzantine Empire) stayed stronger and continued for many more centuries. It had better leadership and fewer invasions. Still, it faced its own problems, like religious disagreements and political struggles.

In 476 AD, a warlord named Odoacer removed the last Western Roman emperor and sent the emperor’s crown to the East. This is often seen as the official end of the Western Roman Empire. Later, another leader, Theodoric, ruled Italy, but now as part of a new, barbarian-led kingdom.

Even though the Roman Empire fell in the West, its influence lived on. In the East, the empire became the Byzantine Empire and lasted until 1453. In the West, people still used Roman ideas, laws, and language. The title "Caesar" was even used by rulers in Germany and Russia centuries later.

Today, much of modern Western culture, language, and religion comes from the Roman world. So even though the empire ended, Rome still lives on in many ways.