When did Odoacer become king?
Aug. 23, 476
On Aug. 23, 476, Odoacer was proclaimed king by his troops, and five days later Orestes was captured and executed in Placentia (now Piacenza), Italy. Odoacer then deposed and exiled Orestes’ young son, the emperor Romulus Augustulus.
How old was Romulus when he became king?
Rather than taking the Imperial throne for himself, on 31 October AD 475 Orestes made his son, Romulus, the next emperor of the western Roman Empire. The new emperor, who was around 14 years old, was proclaimed as ‘Romulus Augustus’ to the western empire.
What happened to Rome after Odoacer?
While Odoacer took refuge in Ravenna, Theodoric continued across Italy to Mediolanum, where the majority of Odoacer’s army, including his chief general Tufa, surrendered to the Ostrogothic king. Many Romans were taken into captivity, and did not regain their freedom until Theodoric ransomed them three years later.
How did Odoacer come to power?
He was a soldier in the Roman army who ascended through the ranks to general and was then chosen to rule after the mercenary general Orestes refused to grant land in Italy to his soldiers, and they proclaimed Odoacer as their leader.
What did General Odoacer do to Rome?
Odoacer’s deposition of Romulus Augustus, occurring in 476 AD, was a coup that marked the end of the reign of the Western Roman Emperor last approved by the Western Roman Senate and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy, although Julius Nepos exercised control over Dalmatia until 480.
Who was the last Roman emperor?
Romulus Augustus
Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed by Odoacer, a German barbarian who proclaims himself king of Italy. Odoacer was a mercenary leader in the Roman imperial army when he launched his mutiny against the young emperor.
Was Romulus a real person?
Romulus was the legendary founder of Rome said to have lived in the eighth century B.C. — but most historians think he did not exist in reality.
Who was king when Rome fell?
Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed by Odoacer, a German barbarian who proclaims himself king of Italy. Odoacer was a mercenary leader in the Roman imperial army when he launched his mutiny against the young emperor.
Did Rome fall twice?
FALL OF ROME Rome was sacked twice: first by the Goths in 410 and then the Vandals in 455. The final blow came in 476, when the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus, was forced to abdicate and the Germanic general Odoacer took control of the city. Italy eventually became a Germanic Ostrogoth kingdom.
Who was the first barbarian king?
Flavius Odoacer, was a soldier, who in 476 became the first King of Italy (476–493). His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire.
Why did Odoacer spare Romulus’s life?
Romulus was the son of the Western empire’s master of soldiers Orestes. Odoacer’s forces captured and executed Orestes on August 28, 476. Romulus, however, was spared because of his youth; Odoacer gave him a pension and sent him to live with his relatives in Campania, a region of southern Italy.
Who was Flavius Odoacer and what did he do?
Flavius Odoacer ( / ˌoʊdoʊˈeɪsər / OH-doh-AY-sər; c. 433 – 493 AD), also known as Flavius Odovacer or Odovacar ( Latin: Odoacer, Odoacar, Odovacar, Odovacris ), was a barbarian statesman who deposed Romulus Augustus and became King of Italy (476–493). His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire.
When was Odoacer born?
Odoacer, also called Odovacar, or Odovakar, (born c. 433—died March 15, 493, Ravenna ), first barbarian king of Italy. The date on which he assumed power, 476, is traditionally considered the end of the Western Roman Empire.
Why did Odoacer want to be the king of Italy?
Odoacer’s aim was to keep the administration of Italy in his own hands while recognizing the overlordship of the Eastern emperor, Zeno. Zeno granted him the rank of patrician, but Odoacer styled himself “King.” He refused to acknowledge Julius Nepos, Zeno’s candidate, as Western emperor.
What kind of honorific did Odoacer use?
Odoacer generally used the Roman honorific patrician, granted by the Emperor Zeno, but is referred to as a king ( Latin rex) in many documents and he himself used it at least once and on another occasion it was used by the consul Basilius. Odoacer introduced few important changes into the administrative system of Italy.