Western Roman Empire

The western half of the Roman Empire, governed separately from the eastern half and conventionally dated from 395 until its collapse in 476.

Roman Tetrarchy: A system of rule established by Diocletian in which four emperors governed the Roman Empire. Its experiments with divided authority preceded the durable eastern and western imperial courts.
Diocletian: Roman emperor from 284 to 305 who reorganized imperial government and introduced the Tetrarchy. His reforms established precedents for governing the empire through multiple imperial courts.
Sack of Rome (410): The capture and plunder of Rome by Visigoths under Alaric in 410. The sack exposed the western government’s inability to protect its former capital.
Ostrogothic Kingdom: A kingdom in Italy established by the Ostrogoths under Theodoric the Great in the late fifth century. It replaced imperial rule in Italy while retaining many Roman administrative practices.
Western Roman army: The military forces that defended and enforced the western Roman state. Its reliance on federate troops and powerful commanders shaped the empire’s capacity to resist invasions.
Constantine the Great: Roman emperor who reunited the empire and founded Constantinople as an imperial capital. The capital he founded became the seat of the eastern court after the empire’s division.
Vandals: A Germanic people who established a kingdom in North Africa and sacked Rome in 455. Their conquest of North Africa deprived the western state of a wealthy province.
Visigothic Kingdom: A kingdom established by the Visigoths in southwestern Gaul and later Hispania. It was one of the successor states that occupied former western imperial territory.
Foederati: Non-Roman peoples or military groups bound to Rome by treaties and military obligations. Their service filled recruitment gaps but gave allied leaders growing influence within the West.
Constantinople: A city founded by Constantine that became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Its rise as an eastern center helped make separate imperial governance practical.

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