A little over 2000 years ago, Rome was one of the most important cities in the world. With its many emperors and armies, it had taken control of a vast region of modern Europe known as the Roman Empire. Historians have linked several factors that led to the demise of the Roman Empire, most associated with each other. Some of the reasons were the arrival of Christianity, lead poisoning and poor public health, political corruption with high military spending, high unemployment with rising inflation and taxation in the economy. It was a combination of these factors that ultimately led to the final fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, when the last emperor Augustulus Romulus was overthrown by a Germanic guard named Odoacer. Rome was a republic for almost 500 years where Julius Caesar was one of the most important generals until his assassination in 44 BC. Following Caesar's death, a civil war broke out where Roman generals fought each other until Caesar's nephew Octavian won in 27 BC. He became the first Roman emperor and changed his name to Caesar Augustus and ruled until 14 AD. He was declared God after his death. It was he who created the first Praetorian Guard as bodyguards and it was with their support that he could tell the Senate what to do. During his reign, Jesus was born in Palestine, which was mainly occupied by Jews, who believed that there was only one God unlike the Romans who believed in many gods. Jesus gathered many disciples who believed that he was the son of God and these people called themselves Christians. Caesar Augustus' son-in-law Tiberius took over after his death, he was the second emperor and from then on many successful generals who used their armies to seize power became emperor . Many of them...... middle of article...... Educational Enterprise of Ireland, 2004. Gill, NS "Fall of Rome. Why it fell." Ancient History About.com. January 31, 2012. Heather, Peter. The fall of the Roman Empire. 2011. Sedivey. “The Decline of the Roman Empire.” tripod.com. February 18, 2012 “The collapse of the Roman Empire”. empire-romain.net. February 18, 2012 “The Fall of Ancient Rome”. 2012. history learning site.co.uk. February 17, 2012 “The fall of the Roman Empire”. Rome.info. January 31, 2012 “The fall of the Roman Empire”. Explore theme.com. February 17 2012 .