It didn’t help things that during the 5th century even the heart of the Western Empire was unstable. In 410 AD the Visigoths achieved the unthinkable, attacking and conquering the city of Rome itself. In almost 800 years no foreign power had ever taken control of Rome – until then.
But the Empire continued. The capital was moved to the Italian city of Ravenna, from where the emperors continued to rule.
Unfortunately, as the Empire became increasingly unstable, so did the Imperial crown. During the 5th century it would pass quickly through various emperors, many of them slaughtered by their own men or overthrown in coups.
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