From an early period, the Empire had been assailed on its northern
frontier by the German and Sclavonian races living east of the Rhine
and north of the Danube. Partly by force, and partly by negotiation,
the authorities of the Empire had been able to keep these barbarian
populations in check; but towards the end of the fourth century, the
growing decrepitude of the Empire tempted invasion, and hordes of
barbarians from Scandinavia, Russia, and Tartary, rolled themselves
toward the Danube. At first, it seemed as if the eastern empire would
be the first to fall before them; but the tide of invasion was at
length decisively diverted towards the west. Province after province
was torn away by Goths, Alans, Huns, Vandals, and others: Italy itself
was ravaged several times; and at length, A. D. 476, Romulus Augustus,
the last sovereign, was dethroned, and Italy became a prey to the
Germans. The various steps in this gradual disintegration of
the Empire, the heroic deeds of the two chief agents in the
dismemberment――Alaric, king of the Goths, and Attila, king of the
Huns――and the gradual formation of Romano-Germanic kingdoms out of
fragments of the shattered Roman society, cannot here be detailed.