Editing 476

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{{About year|476}}
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[[File:Young Folks' History of Rome illus420.png|thumb|[[Romulus Augustulus|Romulus Augustus]] resigns the Crown.]]
[[File:Castel dell-Ovo.JPG|thumb|[[Castel dell'Ovo]] ([[Gulf of Naples]])]]
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Year '''476''' ('''[[Roman numerals|CDLXXVI]]''') was a [[leap year starting on Thursday]] of the [[Julian calendar]]. At the time, it was known as the '''Year of the Consulship of [[Basiliscus]] and [[Armatus]]''' (or, less frequently, '''year 1229 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 476 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [[Anno Domini]] [[calendar era]] became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Because the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] occurred in 476, many historians consider it the last year of [[ancient history]] and the first year of the [[Middle Ages]] in Europe.<ref>Clare, I. S. (1906). Library of universal history: containing a record of the human race from the earliest historical period to the present time; embracing a general survey of the progress of mankind in national and social life, civil government, religion, literature, science and art. New York: Union Book. Page 1519 (cf., Ancient history, as we have already seen, ended with the fall of the Western Roman Empire; [...])</ref><ref>United Center for Research and Training in History. (1973). Bulgarian historical review. Sofia: Pub. House of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]. Page 43. (cf. ... in the history of Europe, which marks both the end of ancient history and the beginning of the Middle Ages, is the fall of the Western Roman Empire.)</ref>

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>

=== 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]].

=== By topic ===

==== Religion ====
* [[Peter the Fuller]] is restored as [[patriarch of Antioch]].
</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[December]] &ndash; [[Aryabhata]], [[History of India|Indian]] [[Indian mathematics|mathematician]] and [[Indian astronomy|astronomer]] (d. [[550]])
* [[Hilary of Galeata]], Christian [[monk]] and [[saint]] (d. [[558]])

== Deaths ==
* August
**[[Basiliscus]], Emperor of the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]]
**[[Marcus (son of Basiliscus)|Marcus]], co-Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
* [[August 28]] &ndash; [[Orestes (father of Romulus Augustulus)|Orestes]], Roman politician and [[regent]]
* [[Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei|Xian Wen Di]], Chinese Emperor of [[Northern Wei]] (b. [[454]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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