When did “Rome” fall?
The Byzantines did consdier themselves “Roman”, though they spoke Greek and worshiped in the Greek Orthodox (rather than Roman Catholic) Church. Their Emperors were still called Emperor, and had a line back to the Roman Cesars. They laid claim to the heritage of Rome, in no small part because their city hadn’t fallen to barbarians and they still maintained the institutions and customs of Rome (even the chariot races… though not the gladiators). Their Empire continued till the 4th Crusade took Constantinople in 1204, and then made a comeback for a couple of centuries till 1453. You are right, technically the last man in the long line of Roman Emperors was Constantine XI who died at the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. That being said, the “Fall of Rome” is normally either dated to the Sack of Rome by Alaric the Goth on August 24th A.D. 410, or the resignation of the last Roman Emperor of the Western Empire, Romulus Agustus, on September 4th, A.D. 476. This is done by most historians be
