How did the Roman Empire develop after the Fall of Rome in 476?

Answer 1

At the time of the "fall of Rome," the empire was divided into the East Roman Empire and the West Roman Empire. The event called the fall was actually the abdication of the last emperor of the West Roman Empire in favor of the emperor in Constantinople. In theory, this reunified the empire, but the areas of the West actually under imperial command consisted mostly of an area in the north of modern France, a part of what is now Morocco and Algeria, most of Italy, and a bit of Croatia. In practice, however, it only meant that the East Roman Empire had lost control of Italy to a man who recognized the emperor, but did not pay attention to him otherwise.

Under indirect control, however, was most of the old empire, not including North Africa and Britain, because the Germanic kings accepted the nominal leadership of the empire, though they did not give the empire any real support. This continued for quite a while.

Justinian I sent armies to get the old empire back. This succeeded in regaining most of Italy, a bit of southeastern Spain, and North Africa. But the advance was stemmed again and was never renewed after Justinian died in 565.

Later, the loss of Egypt and the Holy Land to the Arabs made the East Roman Empire, which in this later period we now call the Byzantine Empire, merely as shadow of its former self.

Separately, Charlemagne built the Kingdom of the Franks into an extensive empire of his own, and on Christmas Day, 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the West. This title was clearly intended to bring about the resurrection of the old West Roman Empire, and was very much resented by the Byzantines, who believed Empress Irene should have agreed to such a thing before any such action was taken.

Charlemagne's Empire, which we call the Carolingian, was divided after his death, and was ancestral to the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The reason the Holy Roman Empire was called Roman, was not because it was centered in Rome, or even because Rome was in it (which it usually was not), but because the rulers of it were claiming to be the rightful heirs to the Empire of the West, and, through it, to the West Roman Empire.

The Byzantine Empire barely survived the ravages of the Crusaders, and remained an ever decreasing state until it finally fell in 1453. The Byzantines called themselves the Empire of the Roman people to the last.

The Holy Roman Empire, also claiming to be heirs to the Roman Empire, but with somewhat more uncertain legality, survived until it was destroyed by Napoleon.