At the beginning of the 5th century, the Roman Empire was starting to fall apart.

It was constantly under attack from tribes from northern Europe. The Romans called these people 'barbarians' because they thought they were uncivilized. In 410 CE, a tribe called the Visigoths stormed into the city of Rome. They destroyed many of the great buildings and killed people as they went.

Romulus Augustus, the last Roman Emperor, lost his power in AD 476. He was replaced by a prince from Germany called Odovacar. From then on, the area that was once the empire was ruled by a collection of kings and princes from outside Italy.

The Roman forum today - from History.com