The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders by Peter Heather explores the centuries following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and examines repeated attempts to revive Roman power and prestige in Europe. Rather than viewing Rome's fall as a definitive end, Heather traces the efforts of three major rulers, Theoderic, Justinian, and Charlemagne, who each sought to restore some form of Roman imperial authority. The book also investigates the evolving role of the papacy, showing how the bishops of Rome eventually created a new basis for imperial legitimacy and political influence in medieval Europe. Combining biography, political analysis, and sweeping historical narrative, Heather argues that the Roman ideal remained a powerful force long after the empire's political collapse, shaping the development of medieval Europe and the Catholic Church.