View source for Western Roman Empire

[[File:Partition_of_the_Roman_Empire_in_395_AD.png|thumb|380px|The Roman Empire in 395 AD, being divided into a western part (red_ under [[Germanic peoples|Germanic rule]], mainly [[Goths]], [[Burgundians]] and Suebi) and an eastern part.]]
The '''Western Roman Empire''' refers to the western half of [[ancient Rome]], from its division by [[Diocletian]] in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the [[Byzantine Empire]]. Despite a brief period of reconquest by its counterpart, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Western Roman Empire would not rise again. As the Western Roman Empire fell, a new era began in [[Western Europe]]an history: the [[Middle Ages]].

==History==
[[Rome]] ceased to be the capital from the time of the division. In 286, the capital of the Western Roman Empire became [[Mediolanum]] (modern [[Milan]]).  The capital was moved again in 402, this time to [[Ravenna]].
  
The Western Empire existed intermittently in several periods between the 3rd century and 5th century, after Diocletian's [[Tetrarchy]] and the reunifications associated with [[Constantine I (emperor)|Constantine the Great]] and [[Julian the Apostate]] (324-363). [[Theodosius I]] (379-395) was the last Roman Emperor who ruled over a unified Roman empire. 

After his death in 395, the Roman Empire was permanently divided. The Western Roman Empire ended officially with the abdication of [[Romulus Augustus]] under pressure of [[Odoacer]] on 4 September 476, and unofficially with the death of [[Julius Nepos]] in 480.

==See also==
* [[Decline of the Roman Empire]]
* [[Holy Roman Empire]]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180430074138/https://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire Roman Empire (Metapedia Archiv, 2018)] 
[[Category:Ancient Rome]]
[[Category:Roman Empire]]

[[Category:European history]]
[[de:Weströmisches Reich]]