<P> Honorius was convinced by the minister Olympius that Stilicho was conspiring to overthrow him, and thus arrested and executed Stilicho in 408 . Olympius headed a conspiracy that successfully orchestrated the deaths of key individuals related to the regime of Stilicho, including his son and the families of many of his federated troops . This led many of the soldiers to instead join with Alaric, who returned to Italy in 409 and met little opposition . Despite attempts by Honorius to a settlement and six legions of Eastern Roman soldiers sent to support him, the negotiations between Alaric and Honorius broke down in 410 and Alaric sacked the city of Rome . Though the sack was relatively mild and Rome was no longer the capital of even the Western Empire, the event shocked people across both halves of the Empire as this was the first time Rome (viewed at least as the symbolic heart of the Empire) had fallen to a foreign enemy since the Gallic invasions of the 4th century BC . The Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II, the successor of Arcadius, declared three days of mourning in Constantinople . </P> <P> Without Stilicho and following the sack of Rome, Honorius reign grew more and more chaotic . The usurper Constantine III had stripped Roman Britain of its defenses when he crossed over to Gaul in 407, leaving the Romanized population subject to invasions, first by the Picts and then by the Saxons, Angli, and the Jutes who began to settle permanently from about 440 onwards . After Honorius accepted Constantine as co-emperor, Constantine's general in Hispania, Gerontius, proclaimed Maximus as Emperor . With the aid of general Constantius, Honorius successfully defeated Gerontius and Maximus in 411 and shortly thereafter captured and executed Constantine III . With Constantius back in Italy, the Gallo - Roman senator Jovinus revolted after proclaiming himself Emperor . With the support of the Gallic nobility and the barbarian Burgundians and Alans, Honorius turned to the Visigoths under King Ataulf for support against Jovinus . Ataulf defeated and executed Jovinus and his proclaimed co-emperor Sebastianus in 413, around the same time as another usurper rose in Africa, Heraclianus . Heraclianus attempted to invade Italy but failed and retreated to Carthage, where he was killed . </P> <P> With the Roman legions withdrawn, northern Gaul became subject to more and more Frankish influence, the Franks naturally adopting a somewhat leading role in the region . In 418, Honorius granted southwestern Gaul (Gallia Aquitania) to the Visigoths as a vassal federation . Removing the local imperial governors, the Visigoths and the provincial Roman inhabitants were left to conduct their own affairs . As such, the first of the "barbarian kingdoms", the Visigothic Kingdom, was formed . </P> <P> Honorius' death in 423 was followed by turmoil until the Eastern Roman government with the force of arms installed Valentinian III as Western Emperor in Ravenna, with Galla Placidia acting as regent during her son's minority . Theodosius II, Eastern Emperor, had hesitated to announce the death of Honorius and in the ensuing interregnum, Joannes was nominated as Western Emperor . Joannes "rule" was short and the forces of the East successfully defeated and executed him in 425 . </P>

One of the main features of the west after the collapse of rome was that