Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire - Episode 13: The Last Emperor (Documentary)

The Roman Empire was the largest and most powerful in history, but how did ancient Rome achieve its greatness? And why did it eventually collapse? In this epic series, we explore these questions, following the most dramatic Roman characters as they lead an empire slowly sliding to its own destruction and the Barbarian leaders who brought about that destruction. We vividly recreate the living environment of the time: teeming Roman streets, struggling armies, gladiators, Roman excesses and debauchery, the camps and villages of the barbarians, and the deeply human struggle of outsiders to conquer and Romans to survive.

Episode 13: The Last Emperor

In the middle of the fifth century, as the Empire fights a losing battle against its formidable barbarian opponents, one Roman named Orestes finds service in the court of Attila the Hun.

Schooled in the strategy of his enemy, Orestes eventually makes his way back to Italy, determined to resurrect Rome. Naming his young son emperor, Orestes attempts to purify Rome of her barbarian influences.

Yet he soon learns the sad truth, that without barbarians, there is no Rome. After hundreds of years of using the foreign invaders as mercenary soldiers, they outnumber the Romans, and the Empire can't afford to dismiss them.

Though Orestes fights valiantly, he meets his end at the hands of the leader of the barbarian mercenaries, Odacer, an event that spells the end of Rome in 476 AD. The last emperor, just a boy, is sent into exile, and Odacer proclaims there is no need for a new emperor, as the Roman Empire is no more.