---
title: 476: The New Political Face of the Western Mediterranean
author: Marco Canton
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21668/476-the-new-political-face-of-the-western-mediterr/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2026-03-30
---

# 476: The New Political Face of the Western Mediterranean

_Authored by [Marco Canton](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/marcoc/)_

## Image File

[![476: The New Political Face of the Western Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21668.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21668.jpg)

## Image Caption

The map show the political situation within the western regions of the [Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/mediterranean/) after the deposition of the last Western emperor, Romolus Augustulus, by [Odoacer](https://www.worldhistory.org/Odoacer/), the commander of the Italian imperial army. In reality, the [Western Roman Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Western_Roman_Empire/) had effectively controlled only the Italian peninsula since the [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) of emperor Majorian (457-461), when his fellow generals in [Gaul](https://www.worldhistory.org/gaul/) and in Illyria did not recognise the new emperor Libius Severus (461-465).

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## Bibliography

- [Kulikowski, Professor Michael. *Imperial Tragedy’s Empire to the Destruction of Roman Italy AD 363-568.* Profile Books, 2021.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1781256330/)
- [Wickham, Chris. *The Inheritance of Rome.* Penguin Books, 2010.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0143117424/)

## About the Author

Marco Canton is an MA historian (Bologna) specialised in Late Antiquity and Early Medieval period. He is currently working on a PhD research proposal in a topic regarding the militarization in the Post-Roman times and the phenomenon of armed retinues.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-canton-67a52b1b8/)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Canton, M. (2026, March 30). 476: The New Political Face of the Western Mediterranean. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21668/476-the-new-political-face-of-the-western-mediterr/>
### Chicago
Canton, Marco. "476: The New Political Face of the Western Mediterranean." *World History Encyclopedia*, March 30, 2026. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21668/476-the-new-political-face-of-the-western-mediterr/>.
### MLA
Canton, Marco. "476: The New Political Face of the Western Mediterranean." *World History Encyclopedia*, 30 Mar 2026, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21668/476-the-new-political-face-of-the-western-mediterr/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Marco Canton](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/marcoc/ "User Page: Marco Canton"), published on 30 March 2026. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.