The End of the Roman Empire?
Orestes, a Roman politician, was appointed "master of soldiers” by the Western Roman
Emperor in 475. That same year, Orestes made a deal with Odoacer, the chief of
several Germanic tribes. Odoacer was essentially a mercenary who worked for the
Western Roman Empire.
Orestes promised land to Odoacer and his soldiers if they would help him overthrow the
current emperor. With Orestes’ and Odoacer’s forces joined together, the emperor had
no chance of standing against the two, and so he fled without putting up much of a fight.
For some unknown reason, Orestes did not become emperor himself. Instead, he
appointed his young son to the throne. Romulus Augustus was either a child or in his
early teens when he became an emperor. His father was the real power behind the
thrown. As a result his people did not respect Romulus.
But only ten months after Romulus became emperor, Odoacer revolted against Rome.
He and his troops had not been given the land that was promised by Orestes.
Odoacer’s troops defeated the imperial forces and had Orestes killed.
Romulus, was forced to abdicate on September 4, 476.
Odoacer called himself the “King of Italy,” and did not take
the title of “Roman Emperor.” In effect, the Western
Roman Empire had already ceased to exist even before
Odoacer had killed Orestes.
In any case, the Eastern
Roman Emperor, Zeno, recognized Odoacer as the ruler
of Italy, and no emperor ever ruled again from Rome.
His son,
Other “Roman Emperors” who were not “Roman”
During the late 700s, a
Frankish ruler, by the name
of Charlemagne, gained
great power in Europe. His
empire
spread
across
modern day France and
Germany. He was the most
powerful man in Western
Europe. In the year 800, on
Christmas Day, Pope Leo III
crowned Charlemagne, as
the Roman Emperor (even
though the Roman Empire had not existed in that part of Europe for over 300
years). Charlemagne’s grandsons would eventually break Charlemagne’s empire
apart, but for hundreds of years, there remained a kingdom in Europe which
called itself the “Holy Roman Empire.”
Centuries later, Mehmed II, who was the Sultan and ruler of the Ottoman Turks,
led an attack on Constantinople in 1453. Constantinople was the capital of the
Byzantine Empire. It was one of the best defended cities in the world at that
time. Mehmed attacked Constantinople and took over the city. Mehmed
renamed the city Istanbul, and he claimed he was the new Roman Emperor
because of his victory.
Meanwhile in Russia, Ivan the Great began using the title of “Czar” (related to the
word “Caesar”) hinting that his country should be considered the “Third Rome.”
Many other rulers throughout European history would continue to use Roman
symbolism to define their leadership over their people.
Figure 1 - Roman Empire around 395
Figure 2 - The Eastern Roman Empire around 500
Influences of the Roman Empire
Many aspects of today's society have been affected by ancient Rome. Creation of
law, development and organization of a democratic government, influences in
language, literature, art, infrastructure (roads/water works/etc.), and cityplanning are all areas influenced by Roman ideas.
One important area of influence was Roman law. The first law code was the
Twelve Tables setting rules and guidelines for taxation, property ownership and
disagreements between people. This is the beginning of what is now known as
civil law. As the republic developed so did their laws. Laws were developed to
protect citizens from one another and
from the power of the government. The
ideas of equal treatment under the law, a
person being innocent until proven guilty,
the burden of proof resting with the
accuser, and the idea that a law that
seems grossly unfair or unreasonable can
be set aside underlies the United States'
criminal justice system and also came from
those early Roman ideas.
The Roman process of organizing government, keeping a balance of powers, and
making laws also had a deep influence on modern democratic political systems
and influenced our founding fathers deeply as they drafted the Constitution (Bill
of Rights/Laws) of the United States of America in 1787.
Other influences from Rome:
Language: Rome was responsible for the spread of the Latin Language, which has
formed the basis for many western languages including English, Spanish, Italian,
French, and Romanian. Latin is also the formal language used in medicine,
science, and law. Latin roots form the foundation of many of our common words.
Literature: Roman authors followed the famous Greek authors, often developing
and building upon Greek writing. Many writers have been influenced by the
Romans including famous Renaissance writers such as Milton who wrote Paradise
Lost and Shakespeare who wrote plays like Julius Caesar and Antony and
Cleopatra.
Art: Roman Art has also influenced today's society. The use of pictures of leaders
on money, sculpture as monuments and decoration, mosaics and friezes are some
areas where Roman influence can be seen.
City Planning and Infrastructure: Roman cities were laid out in a highly organized
pattern or grid system of streets to make sure that traffic of people and horses
could easily get into and out of the cities as well as move around efficiently inside.
The use of Roman roads, gutters, and sewers were so innovative the same design
is used in all modern cities around the world. Romans used street signs, mile
markers, addresses, underground pipes for carrying clean water to the cities as
well as a network of aqueducts to bring water in from great
distances. Cities also had parks, public libraries, fountains, baths,
market places, fast food, sports stadiums and plazas.
Architecture: Can you spot Roman influences by looking at the
government buildings of Washington D.C.? (large in size, domes,
arches, columns, made of marble, ionic and Corinthian pillars,
Roman key design, pediments, friezes, statues, and engravings)
Religion: Ironically, Romans also spread Christianity. Once made legal by
Constantine, the religion was freely practiced by many and spread throughout the
empire by missionaries and merchants along trade routes around the entire
Mediterranean. When the empire split so did Christianity into Eastern Orthodox
Christians in Constantinople and Roman Catholic Christians in Rome.
Many aspects of our everyday life can be traced back to ancient Rome, such as
components of language, architecture, art, and Western government.
From McDougal Little (Medieval World History)