Western Roman Empire

The **Western Roman Empire** was the western half of the Roman Empire, which was divided by Diocletian in 286 AD. The other half of the Roman Empire became known as the Eastern Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire had been in difficulties since 190 AD, when large Gothic tribes began moving into areas under Roman control. The Empire had weak leadership, which caused instability. Various power groups in the Roman armies kept trying to install their own emperors and killed those who belonged to other groups. That helped the invasions by the Germanic tribes.

Diocletian ended Rome's Crisis of the Third Century and tried to bring back stable government by dividing the empire into sections. The Western Empire included Iberia, France, southern Britain, Italy, North Africa and parts of Germany. The Eastern Empire included the Balkans, Turkey, the Levant and Egypt.

Rome ceased to be the capital from the time of the division. In 286, the capital of the Western Roman Empire became Mediolanum (now Milan). In 402, the capital was again moved, this time to Ravenna.

The division did not help the Western Empire, which came under increasing invasions from the north: the Ostrogoths, Huns, Franks, Visigoths and Burgundians. Its armies were brought back towards Rome and abandoned Britain and France. The Empire's economy could not cope since the increased need for military spending caused inflation. Citizens were unhappy with the rising taxes and rising prices.

In AD 398, Alaric led the Visigoths and began making attacks closer and closer to the capital. By 410, he had sacked Rome. In 455, the Vandals captured the city. In 476, the Goths captured the city.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire took place in 476 AD, when the leader of the Goths, Odoacer, removed Emperor Romulus Augustus. Odoacer became King of Italy, and the Western Roman Empire ended. By then, however, the empire had existed in name only, and the Emperor no longer had military, financial or political power.

## Related pages

- Holy Roman Empire
- _The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_

## Other websites

- www.roman-empire.net
- _De Imperatoribus Romanis_

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**:

- **image flag**: Labarum of the Roman Empire (simple).png
- **conventional long name**: Western Roman Empire
- **common name**: Western Roman Empire
- **life span**: 395–476/480
- **image coat**: Simple Labarum.svg
- **flag type**: Labarum of
 Constantine the Great
- **coa size**: 80px
- **symbol type**: Chi Rho
- **p1**: Roman Empire
- **image p1**:
- **border p1**: no
- **s1**: Eastern Roman Empire
- **flag s1**: JustinianusI.jpg
- **border s1**: no
- **s2**: Odoacer#King of ItalyKingdom of Italy
- **flag s2**: Odovacar Ravenna 477.jpg
- **border s2**: no
- **s3**: Kingdom of the Visigoths
- **flag s3**: Leovigild CNG 97-722237 (obverse).jpg
- **border s3**: no
- **s4**: Kingdom of the Vandals
- **flag s4**: Münze 50 Denari - Gelimer - König der Vandalen (cropped).jpg
- **border s4**: no
- **s5**: Kingdom of the Franks
- **flag s5**: Münze Gold Solidus Theudebert I um 534 (obverse).jpg
- **border s5**: no
- **s6**: Kingdom of the Suebi
- **flag s6**: Sueben.jpg
- **border s6**: no
- **s7**: Kingdom of the Burgundians
- **flag s7**: Triens de l’empereur Anastase cropped.png
- **border s7**: no
- **s8**: Kingdom of SoissonsKingdom of the Romans
- **flag s8**: Julius Nepos Tremissis.jpg
- **border s8**: no
- **s9**: Mauro-Roman KingdomKingdom of the Moors and Romans
- **flag s9**: Roman coins excavated in Essaouira 3rd century and late Roman Empire cropped no background.png
- **border s9**: no
- **s10**: Alamannia
- **flag s10**: Reiterscheibe von Pliezhausen v2 no background.png
- **border s10**: no
- **s11**: Armorica
- **flag s11**: Triens de Judicaël frappé à Redonis.jpg
- **border s11**: no
- **s12**: Sub-Roman Britain
- **flag s12**: Aldfrith sceat 685 76001849 cropped.png
- **border s12**: no
- **era**: Late antiquity
- **status**: Empire
- **empire**: Roman Empire
- **status text**: Western division of the Roman Empire
<small></small>
- **government type**: Autocracy
- **year start**: 395
- **flag size**: 110px
- **year end**: 476
- **event start**: Death of Emperor Theodosius I
- **event end**: Deposition of Emperor Romulus Augustulus
- **date start**: 17 January
- **date end**: 4 September
- **event post**: Murder of Emperor Julius Nepos
- **date post**: 25 April 480
- **image map**: Mapa Imperio Occidental año 418.svg
- **image map caption**: The Western Roman Empire in 418 AD, following the abandonment of Britannia and the settlement of the Visigoths, Burgundians, and Suebi within imperial territory as foederati
- **capital**: Mediolanum
<small>(395–402)</small>
Ravenna
<small>(402–455, 473–476)</small>
Rome
<small>(455–473)</small>
Spalatum
<small>(475–480)</small>
- **capital exile**: Spalatum
<small>(475–480)</small>
- **common languages**: Latin language, Latin (official)
Languages of the Roman Empire, Regionallocal languages
- **religion**: Religion in ancient Rome, Polytheistic Roman Religion until 4th century
Nicene Christianity (State church of the Roman Empire, state church) after 380
- **currency**: Roman currency
- **title leader**: Roman Emperor, Notable emperors
- **legislature**: Senate of the Roman Empire, Roman Senate
- **stat year1**: 395
- **stat area1**: 2000000
- **leader1**: Flavius Augustus Honorius, Honorius
- **leader2**: Majorian
- **leader3**: Julius Nepos
- **leader4**: Romulus Augustulus
- **year leader1**: 395–423
- **year leader2**: 457–461
- **year leader3**: 474–480
- **year leader4**: 475–476