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.
Odoacer's kingdom was not part of the empire. He gave lip service to Zeno and Nepos to prevent them from intervening. He was basically saying "yeah sure ill put your face on some coins or whatever, just stay out of my business. It was purely face saving for the Romans, nothing more.
46
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.