Historiography of the fall of the Western Roman Empire Roman civilisation which under-girded the Empire. According to this school, drawing its basic premise from the Pirenne thesis, the Roman world underwent a gradual (though often violent) series of transformations, morphing into the medieval world. The historians belonging to this school often prefer to speak of Late Antiquity instead of the Fall of the Roman Empire. In "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (1776–88), Edward Gibbon famously placed the blame on a loss of civic virtue among the Roman citizens. They gradually entrusted the role of defending the Empire to barbarian mercenaries who eventually turned
Roman Emperors during the Fall of the Western Empire Zeno was temporarily displaced in Constantinople by Verina's brother ("i.e.", Leo I's brother-in-law and Leo II's great uncle-in-law) "Basiliscus", but regained his position as emperor a year later. On his death, Ariadne married the court functionary "Anastasius I", and thereby elevated him to Emperor by virtue of marrying the Empress. Roman Emperors during the Fall of the Western Empire The office of Roman Emperor underwent significant turbulence in the fourth and fifth centuries, particularly under the period of the Dominate. In the West, where the fall of the Western Roman Empire was underway, its holders became puppets of a succession