The major empire that fell in 476 AD, marking the end of ancient Rome, was the Western Roman Empire. Its fall was precipitated by a combination of internal strife, economic troubles, and external pressures from invading tribes like the Visigoths and Vandals. The deposition of the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, by the Germanic king Odoacer is often considered the symbolic point of Rome's decline. The fall of the Western Roman Empire led to significant political, social, and cultural changes in Europe, ushering in the Middle Ages and the fragmentation of power that characterized the region for centuries.