The last emperor of the Western Roman Empire was Romulus Augustulus, who ruled from 475 to 476 AD. His reign marked the end of a period characterized by decline and instability within the empire. Romulus was a puppet emperor installed by his father, Orestes, a general who had deposed the previous emperor. In 476, Odoacer, a Germanic leader and former soldier in the Roman army, ousted Romulus, declaring himself king of Italy. This event is commonly interpreted as the symbolic end of the Western Roman Empire, leading to a power vacuum and the rise of various Germanic kingdoms in its wake, ultimately paving the way for the Middle Ages.