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Following the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic faced collapse, evolving into the Roman Empire under Augustus Caesar in 27 BC. Under his rule, Italy became the metropolis of a robust empire, reaching its zenith by the 2nd century AD. However, by the 3rd century AD, the empire began to decline, leading to a division in 395 AD into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Byzantine Empire. The collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD marked a significant shift as Odacer, a Germanic chief, established the Kingdom of Italy with its capital in Ravenna.