The decline of the western Roman Empire was a gradual phenomenon that spanned several centuries, occurring long before its official "fall." During the fifth century CE, the Roman world was divided into two halves, with the West gradually falling from its position as a global power to a regional force. Rome was no longer a "superpower" but a regional force when its decline began. The Roman empire, like all human institutions, had its faults. Heavy taxation was required to support the state and its military. Inflation increased as successive emperors decreased the content of precious metals in coins. Trade was disrupted; cities became smaller and less wealthy, and a growing percentage of the population relied on self-sufficient farms, rather than markets. In addition, large numbers of small property owners went into debt and lost their property. Government corruption and inefficiency were rampant. In addition to Rome's own internal faults were external enemies and their raids on the frontiers of the empire. These included Visigoths, who moved across the Danube in the late 300s and again sacked Rome itself in 410 under their king Alaric, the Vandals, who overran much of modern France and Spain before moving to North Africa, and the Huns. In addition, Visigoths settled in the Roman Empire, and eventually sacked Rome in 410. These were all "barbarians," a word which the Romans used to refer to foreign tribes or peoples. By 400 the military and the civil administration were no longer fully Roman in personnel, inasmuch as many "barbarian" mercenaries, foederati, were hired into the Roman army. In 395 CE, the empire was split into western and eastern halves and the western half, which was already poorer and more exposed, was left to its fate. The east became wealthy as trade continued in the Mediterranean, and the emperor in Constantinople continued to reign until 1453. The western emperors had trouble collecting taxes, and maintaining the roads and military defences. Much of the western portion of the Roman empire had fallen out of imperial control by the middle of the fifth century. The British isles were largely left in the hands of local chieftains, while the Vandals had conquered parts of Spain and most of modern North Africa and cut off the supply of grain to Rome itself. By the 470s, the central government in Rome only controlled Italy, which itself was under siege by Huns under Attila and later the Goths in northern Italy. Finally, in 476 the barbarian commander Odoacer deposed the teenaged emperor Romulus Augustulus; the date 476 is frequently used as the date for the end of the western empire. This may have been a major blow to imperial prestige, but the end of the western empire was gradual, and in many regions of the former empire, Roman law and language remained for a long time. In any event, the decline and fall of the western Roman empire is still debated by historians and scholars, who cite the "moral decay" of the times, changing climate and the spread of diseases, or perhaps a combination of these and many other contributing factors. In the East, the Roman empire continued to thrive and grow for another 1000 years, eventually becoming the Byzantine empire. In the West, the fall of Rome led to the development of feudalism in Europe and the formation of a new series of kingdoms that would eventually evolve into the countries of modern Europe. While the fall of Rome was gradual, it did not happen overnight. In 476 the emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the German king Odoacer; the last western Roman empire, and the first Middle Ages.