Fall of Rome: Western Dissolution, Byzantine Continuation, and Successor Claims
Rome's fall was gradual: Western Empire dissolved 476 AD, Byzantine continued until 1453, Holy Roman Empire claimed succession 800-1806, and Russia adopted "Third Rome" after 1453.
The Roman Empire split into Western and Eastern halves. The Western Empire dissolved in 476 AD when the last emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by Odoacer. The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) continued under the self-designation "Romaioi" (Romans) until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 — nearly a thousand years after the Western fall. Successor claims: - The Holy Roman Empire claimed the Western Roman mantle from Charlemagne's coronation in 800 AD through its dissolution in 1806 - Russia adopted the "Third Rome" concept after Constantinople's fall in 1453, positioning Moscow as Rome's spiritual successor Unlike the relatively clean dissolution of the USSR, Rome's "fall" was a gradual process spanning centuries with multiple competing claimants to continuity. The question of when Rome truly "fell" depends on which successor claim you accept.