ABSTRACT
It has often been asked whether the dethronement of Romulus Augustulus should be seen as the formal end of the Roman Empire. In fact not a lot changed that year in Italy and western Europe. It is doubtful if the average inhabitant of Italy and western Europe even noticed the transfer of power. In the context of this book on the deaths of the Roman emperors, the year 476 was definitely a turning point, because the emperors of the west disappeared and were replaced by kings of German principalities. This is not to say, however, that people in Italy gave up the hope of renewed ties with the east for good. The myth of the Roman Empire lived on into the fifth and sixth centuries. The emperor in Constantinople was the link to the glorious Roman past, even for the German kings who succeeded the insurgent Odoacer. Right after deposing Romulus Augustulus, Odoacer accepted the title ‘king’ and recognised Zeno, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, as the one true ruler.
