The first Roman emperor’s rule began in 27 B.C. For centuries after that, the Roman Empire was the most powerful state in the ancient world. But starting in the third century, fierce tribes invaded it.
The Romans called those people barbarians. To the Romans, anyone who wasn’t Roman and didn’t speak Latin was a barbarian.
Roman armies couldn’t stop them. The western emperors lost their power. That part of the empire slipped away, piece by piece. In A.D. 410, barbarians known as Goths attacked Rome. They destroyed its buildings and took its valuables. Soon the Romans had to give up control of Britain, Spain, and Gaul (or France). The final blow came in A.D. 476. That was when a barbarian named Odoacer declared himself king of Italy. This was the end of the Western Roman Empire.