Editing 476 (section)

=== By place ===

==== Roman Empire ====
* Summer &ndash; [[Odoacer]], chieftain of the Germanic tribes ([[Heruli]]c/[[Sciri]]an ''[[foederati]]''), visits the imperial palace at [[Ravenna]]. He petitions [[Orestes (father of Romulus Augustulus)|Orestes]] (''[[magister militum]]'') to reward his [[mercenaries]] for their services and their support of his rebellion a year earlier, by making good on his promise to grant them lands to settle permanently in [[Italy]]. Orestes refuses this proposal and Odoacer leads his tribesmen in a revolt. 
* [[August]] &ndash; [[Basiliscus]], Roman [[usurper]], is deposed and [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] is restored as emperor of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. With the support of his adviser [[Illus]], he besieges [[Constantinople]], but the Senate opens the gates, allowing him to resume the [[throne]]. Basiliscus flees to [[sanctuary]] in a church, but surrenders himself and his family after extracting a solemn promise from Zeno not to shed their blood. Basiliscus is sent to a fortress in [[Cappadocia]], where he later dies from [[starvation]]. 
* [[August 23]] &ndash; Odoacer, age 43, is proclaimed ''rex Italiae'' ("king of Italy") by his troops. He leads his [[Ostrogoths|Ostrogoth]] army into the [[Po Valley]], and advances to Ravenna while plundering the countryside.
* [[August 28]] &ndash; [[Orestes (father of Romulus Augustulus)|Orestes]] is arrested by Odoacer near [[Piacenza]], and swiftly [[Capital punishment|executed]].
* [[September 4]] &ndash; [[Romulus Augustulus]], Roman usurper of the [[Western Roman Empire]], [[Deposition of Romulus Augustus|is deposed by Odoacer at Ravenna]]. Odoacer spares the boy's life and gives him a pension of 6,000 ''[[Solidus (coin)|solidi]]'', but exiles him to the ''"Castellum Lucullanum"'' ([[Castel dell'Ovo]]), on the island of ''Megaride'' in the [[Gulf of Naples]].   This event will later be romanticized in Western literature and history as the [[Decline of the Roman Empire|Fall of Western Rome]], and is traditionally used by historians to mark the beginning of the [[Europe]]an [[Middle Ages]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Middle%20Ages|title=Middle Ages|work=Dictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bruni|first=Leonardo|author-link=Leonardo Bruni|editor=Hankins, James|title=History of the Florentine People|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, MA|volume=1|year=2001|orig-year=1442|isbn=978-0-674-00506-8|page=xvii|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofflorent00brun}}</ref>
* [[Julius Nepos]], ''de jure'' ruler, becomes legally the last "Western Roman Emperor". He governs [[Dalmatia]] ([[Balkans]]), Morocco, and Northwest Gaul until his death in [[480]], but has no effective power on the [[Italian Peninsula]].
* Odoacer crosses the [[Maritime Alps]] with a [[Goths|Gothic]] army and invades [[Provence]] (Southern [[Gaul]]). He conquers the cities of [[Arles]] and [[Marseille]], after a victorious battle against the [[Burgundians]]. 
* The [[Visigoths]] under King [[Euric]] march into Italy, and suffer defeat against the forces of Odoacer. Emperor Zeno concludes a [[peace treaty]] between the Goths and Odoacer surrenders the newly conquered territory in Gaul. Euric pledges himself to undertake no further hostilities.
* The [[Roman Senate]] petitions [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] to recognize Nepos as deposed and take the sole emperorship himself, abolishing the 81 year-long east/west division of the empire and recognizing Odoacer's authority in Italy. Zeno declines the first request, but names Odoacer ''[[Patrician (ancient Rome)|Patricius]]'', investing his rule with Imperial legitimacy.
* Winter &ndash; Zeno recognizes the full extent of the [[Vandal Kingdom]], including all of western [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]], the [[Balearic Islands]], [[Corsica]], [[Sardinia]] and [[Sicily]]. King [[Gaiseric]] gives Sicily, with the exception of the city of [[Marsala|Lilybaeum]], to Odoacer in return for [[tribute]].

==== India ====
* The birth of [[Aryabhata]] is traditionally regarded as the beginning of the classical period of [[Indian mathematics]] and [[Indian astronomy|astronomy]].

==== China ====
* [[Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei|Xian Wen Di]], [[Taishang Huang|Retired Emperor]] of [[Northern Wei]], is murdered by Empress [[Empress Feng (Wencheng)|Feng]]. She assumes [[regent|regency]] over the young [[Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei|Xiao Wen Di]].