Who deposed the last Western Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulus, traditionally marking the empire's end?

• A. The sack of Rome by Alaric
• B. The Battle of Actium
• C. The Edict of Milan
• D. The deposition of Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer

Answer: (A)

The situation hinges on identifying the event that signals the end of the Western Roman Empire: the deposition of Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer in 476 CE. Odoacer, a Germanic leader commanding foederati in Italy, overthrew the young emperor and sent the imperial regalia to the Eastern emperor, effectively ending Western imperial authority. This marks the traditional turning point historians use for the fall of the Western Empire, even though Roman institutions and local governance persisted in various forms for a time after.

The other events happened earlier or are unrelated to the fall of Western imperial power. The sack of Rome by Alaric in 410 CE was a dramatic blow and a symbol of decline, but it did not terminate the Western Empire. The Battle of Actium in 31 BCE established Augustus and the imperial system, long before the Western Empire's end. The Edict of Milan in 313 CE granted religious tolerance to Christians, not a political end to the empire.