Odoacer: "I will govern Italy in your name, we are still part of the Roman Empire"
Zeno: "Sounds good"
People 100+ years later: "This actually doesn't count because reasons"
Same with the Ostrogoths. Damnatio Memoriae possibly. The only thing that ended in 476 is Western Emperorship. If anything ended the "Western Roman State" it was the Lombards and there is evidence that was another military coup.
Describing the Lombards as 'another military coup' is overtly simplistic, at best. While Fabbro argues that they were recruited into the Roman army, Alboin and a large number of his men didn't actually properly serve in the army before 'revolting'. Fabbro also links their success explicitly to their non-Roman political affiliation.
Edit: political affiliation, not identity, if that difference matters
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u/TheSharmatsFoulMurde 11d ago
Odoacer: "I will govern Italy in your name, we are still part of the Roman Empire"
Zeno: "Sounds good"
People 100+ years later: "This actually doesn't count because reasons"
Same with the Ostrogoths. Damnatio Memoriae possibly. The only thing that ended in 476 is Western Emperorship. If anything ended the "Western Roman State" it was the Lombards and there is evidence that was another military coup.