Romulus Augustulus, in full Flavius Momyllus Romulus Augustulus, (flourished 5th century ad), known to history as the last of the Western Roman emperors (475–476). Neither Zeno nor Basiliscus, the two generals fighting for the eastern throne at the time of Romulus's accession, accepted him as ruler. Romulus's father Orestes was a Roman citizen, originally from Pannonia, who had served as a secretary and diplomat for Attila the Hun and later rose through the ranks of the Roman army. Deposed in the year 476, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire. He came to power after the overthrow of Julius Nepos (q.v.). Some sources suggest that Julius Nepos claimed to hold the title of emperor legally when Odoacer took power. [25] The 2007 film The Last Legion, and the novel on which it is based, includes a heavily fictionalized account of the reign and subsequent life of Romulus Augustus; escaping captivity with the aid of a small band of loyal Romans, he reaches Britain, where he eventually becomes Uther Pendragon. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He ƿæs ymbe þæm geare 461 geboren and his dēaþ is ungecenned ac it ƿæs æfter 476, and man secgð þe he giet alibbedede in 507 be bēc of þæm geare.) [6] Thomas Hodgkin, a translator of Cassiodorus' works, wrote in 1886 that it was "surely possible" the Romulus in the letter was the same person as the last western emperor. Romulus's deposition by Odoacer traditionally marks the end of the Roman Empire in the West, the end of Ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Middle Ages in Western Europe. After seizing control of Ravenna, Odoacer sent the former emperor to live in the Castellum Lucullanum in Campania, after which he disappears from the historical record. Romulus Augustus or Augustulus is acknowledged by many historians to be the last Roman emperor. Odoacer deposed Romulus and sent him, with a … He was the son of Orestes, a Roman who once served as a secretary in the court of Attila the Hun before coming into the service of Julius Nepos in AD 475. - 476 n. [9] The future emperor was named Romulus after his maternal grandfather, a nobleman from Poetovio in Noricum. Romulus was compelled to abdicate the throne on 4 September 476. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Cassiodorus, then a secretary to Theodoric the Great, wrote a letter in 507 to a "Romulus" confirming a pension. Romulus, so‐called Augustulus (“the little Augustus”), is commonly viewed as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire. [10] This is not as coincidental as it may seem; all emperors bore the name Augustus as it was part of the imperial title. [6] The name Romulus was also changed derisively to Momyllus meaning "little disgrace".[7][8]. Letzter vom Oströmischen Reich anerkannter Kaiser war jedoch sein Vorgänger Julius Nepos. In the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon notes that the disciples of Saint Severinus of Noricum were invited by a "Neapolitan lady" to bring his body to the villa in 488; Gibbon conjectures from this that Augustulus "was probably no more. Romulus Augustus (formentlig født omkring 461 e.Kr., død efter år 511 e.Kr.) He is widely known by the dispar… Try Prime EN Hello, Sign in Account & Lists Sign in Account & Lists Returns & Orders Try Prime Cart. Omissions? The much more stable Eastern Roman Empiretreated its western counterpart as a client state, with its emperors previously appointing the Western Emperors for the last few years, and thus did not recognize the overthrow of Julius Nepos, who still ruled in Dalmatia. The Anonymus Valesianus wrote that Odoacer, "taking pity on his youth" (he was about 16), spared Romulus's life and granted him an annual pension of 6,000 solidi before sending him to live with relatives in Campania. In fact, he was a usurper and puppet not recognized as a legitimate ruler by the Eastern emperor. Val. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Updates? View the profiles of people named Romulus Augustulus. From here, contemporary histories fall silent. For the comics character, see. In reality, the… [6] Several months after Orestes took power, a coalition of Heruli, Scirian, and Turcilingi mercenaries demanded that he give them a third of the land in Italy. The future emperor was named Romulus after his maternal grandfather. Share your thoughts, experiences and the tales behind the art. This act has been cited as the end of the Western Roman Empire, although Romulus's deposition did not cause any significant disruption at the time. 8.37-38), which is where he, his father Orestes, & Orestes' brother Paulus were captured. Augustus was a common cognomen at the time. As a proxy for his father, Romulus made no decisions and had no true power. [citation needed], Odoacer advanced on Ravenna, capturing the city and the young emperor after the short and decisive Battle of Ravenna. He is often described as the 'last Western Roman emperor', though some historians consider this to be Julius Nepos. [6], As a proxy for his father, Romulus made no decisions and left no monuments, although coins bearing his name were minted in Rome, Milan, Ravenna, and Gaul. Later, he raised to the ranks of the Roman army. From Romulus to Romulus Augustulus: Williams, Rose: 9780865166912: Books - Amazon.ca. [13] When Orestes refused, the tribes revolted under the leadership of the Scirian chieftain Odoacer. Many historians have noted that the last western emperor bore the names of the founder of Rome and its first emperor, but this appears to have been coincidental. Skip to main content. [11], Orestes was appointed Magister militum by Julius Nepos in 475. [14], The empire Augustus ruled was a shadow of its former self and had shrunk significantly over the previous 80 years. Although he, as all other emperors, adopted the name Augustus upon his accession, he is better remembered by his derisive nickname Augustulus. Romulus oli tuolloin 14-vuotias, ja Orestes käytti poikaansa nukkehallitsijana. var den sidste af det Vestromerske Riges kejsere.. Han blev født under navnet Flavius Romulus som søn af den romerske politiker, militærleder og diplomat Flavius Orestes (død 476).. Flavius Romulus blev proklameret som kejser under kejsernavnet Romulus Augustus den 31. oktober 475 e.Kr. Shortly after coming to the new post, Orestes organized a rebellion and seized Ravenna, the capital of the Western Empire sin… [15] The Eastern Roman Empire treated its western counterpart as a client state. Books. Therefore, he was given the Nickname “Augustulus“ or “the Little Emperor”. Flavius Romulus Augustus (c. AD 460 – after AD 476; possibly still alive as late as AD 507), known derisively and historiographically as Romulus Augustulus, was the Roman emperor who ruled the Western Roman Empire from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. [17], After the abdication of Romulus, the Roman Senate, on behalf of Odoacer, sent representatives to the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, whom it asked to formally reunite the two halves of the Empire, with Odoacer as the "protector of the state": "The West, they declared, no longer required an Emperor of its own: one monarch sufficed for the world..."[18] Zeno was asked to make Odoacer a patrician, and administrator of Italy in Zeno's name. He is often described as the "last Western Roman emperor", though some historians consider this to be Julius Nepos. Flavius Romulus Augustus (460s/470s – after 511), often called Romulus Augustulus, was the last of the Western Roman Emperors.. He was born Flavius Romulus to Flavius Orestes, a Roman politician considered to be at least partly of Germanic descent. The future emperor was named Romulus after his maternal grandfather, a nobleman in Noricum. Romulus, however, was little more than a child and figurehead for his father's rule. The western empire had shrunk significantly over the previous century, reduced to merely comprising of Italy, southern Gaul, the Alps and Dalmatia. Romulus' father Orestes was a Roman citizen, originally from Pannonia, who had served as a secretary to Attila the Hun and later rose through the ranks of the Roman army. He is often described as the last Western Roman emperor, though some historians consider this to be Julius Nepos. in 476 long provided the traditional date for the end of the Roman Empire. [13] Instead, he installed his son on the throne on 31 October 475. Join Facebook to connect with Romulus Augustulus and others you may know. [19][24], As the last Western Roman emperor before the traditionally agreed-upon end of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus has been portrayed several times in film and literature; the play Romulus the Great (1950), by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, focuses on the reign of "Romulus Augustus" and the end of the Roman Empire in the West. He is often described as the last Western Roman emperor, though some historians consider this to be Julius Nepos. Romulus Augustus was a 16-year-old minor at the time. Several months after Ores… Romulus Augustus was the son of Orestes who once had been an assistant to Attila the Hun, and who had at times been sent on diplomatic visits to Constantinople. The hapless ex-emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was still present in Ravenna, and Odoacer rid himself of the boy by exiling him. [12] Orestes, however, refused to become emperor, "from some secret motive", said historian Edward Gibbon. The historical record contains few details of Romulus's life. Many historians have noted the coincidence that the last western emperor bore the names of both Romulus, the legendary founder and first king of Rome, and Augustus, the first emperor. A Revival Of Duerrenmatt's "Romulus The Great" In New York", "Romulus Augustulus (475–476 A.D.)—Two Views", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romulus_Augustulus&oldid=992685664, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 December 2020, at 15:51. His reign was purely nominal. Flavius Romulus Augustus (c. 460 – after 476, possibly still alive as late as 507), known derisively and historiographically as Romulus Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. Ruled: 31 October AD 475 – 4 September AD 476. Imperial authority had retreated to the Italian borders and parts of southern Gaul: Italia and Gallia Narbonensis, respectively. Nepos maintained a claim to the position until he was murdered in 480. His father, the general Orestes , deposed Julius Nepos and proclaimed Romulus Augustulus emperor. From the Catholic Encyclopedia. Romulus Augustulus, in full Flavius Momyllus Romulus Augustulus, (flourished 5th century ad ), known to history as the last of the Western Roman emperors (475–476). The last Western Roman Emperor was proclaimed ruler on October 31, 475 when he was very young. [24] While Zeno told the Senate that Nepos was their lawful sovereign, he did not press the point and accepted the imperial insignia brought to him by the Senate. After the murder of Valentinian III (455) the Theodosian dynasty was extinct in Western Europe and the Suevian Ricimer, a grandson of Wallia, a king of the West Goths, governed the Western Empire for sixteen years as its real ruler. His original surname was Augustus, but it was changed to the diminutive because he was still a child when his father, after driving the Western emperor Julius Nepos from Italy, elevated him to the throne on October 31, 475. Romulus Augustus ƿæs se endmesta Ƿestrēmisca Cāsere. 23. Retzius - Ryssland)", The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, "Romulus Augustus – The Last Roman Emperor", "Make Rome Great Again. Orestes was captured near Piacenza on 28 August 476 and swiftly executed. The fate of this final Western Roman emperor is somewhat uncertain, but it is believed that he retired to the Lucullan Villa in Campania [13] and died before 488, when the body of the saint Severinus was brought there. Romulus's deposition by Odoacer traditionally marks the end of the Roman Empire in the West, the end of Ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Zeno pointed out that the Senate should rightfully have first requested that Julius Nepos take the throne once more, but he nonetheless agreed to their requests as a fait accompli. Flavius Romulus Augustus (c. AD 460 – after AD 476; possibly still alive as late as AD 507), known derisively and historiographically as Romulus Augustulus, was the Roman emperor who ruled the Western Roman Empire from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. [5] The Latin suffix -ulus is a diminutive, hence Augustulus effectively means "Little Augustus". Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, while underlining indicates a usurper. Romulus Augustus, známý rovněž jako Romulus Augustulus, byl poslední západořímský císař, vládnoucí od 31. října 475 do 4. září 476.Romulův předchůdce Julius Nepos jmenoval jeho otce Oresta do čela vojska. As part of Ancient Rome Week on the History Extra website, we explore the life of the last Roman emperor…. A comment by Cassiodorus may suggest that he survived until the rule of Theoderic (ad 493–526). 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. Orestes ruled for a year in his son's name. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. This article was most recently revised and updated by Charly Rimsa, Research Editor. [Source] Romulus Augustus (Latin: Romulus Augustus ; born c. AD 461 – died after AD 476, and was apparently still alive as late as 507) was an emperor (alleged usurper) reigning over the Western Roman Empire from 31 October AD 475 until 4 September AD 476. Romulus was the son of the Western empire’s master of soldiers Orestes. Odoacer’s forces captured and executed Orestes on August 28, 476. Magister militum Orestes ale vzápětí povstal a přinutil Nepota opustit Itálii.Svého nedospělého syna poté dal provolat císařem. For about 12 months Orestes ruled Italy in his son’s name, but eventually his troops mutinied and found a leader in the German warrior Odoacer. [23], Following Odoacer's coup, the Roman Senate sent a letter to Zeno that stated that "the majesty of a sole monarch is sufficient to pervade and protect, at the same time, both the East and the West". However, few of Nepos' contemporaries were willing to support his cause after he had fled to Dalmatia. Get this from a library! Flavius Romulus Augustus (c. 460 – after 476, possibly still alive as late as 507), known derisively and historiographically as Romulus Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. The administration was carried on cautiously and shrewdly by Orestes. Some historians regard Julius Nepos, who ruled in Dalmatia until he was murdered in 480, as the last lawful Western Roman Emperor. His reign was purely nominal. On account of the boy's youth (he was only thirteen years old) he was called Augustulus, the little emperor. up to 1850) also refers to him as, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, "805-806 (Nordisk familjebok/Uggleupplagan. [26], This article is about the Roman emperor. Romulus Augustus (khoảng năm 461/463 - sau năm 476, trước năm 488) là vị Hoàng đế cuối cùng của Đế chế Tây La Mã, trị vì từ ngày 31 tháng 10 năm 475 đến ngày 4 tháng 9 năm 476.Việc ông bị phế truất bởi Odoacer, một thủ lĩnh bộ tộc German, đã đánh dấu sự … In the same year he was promoted to the rank of magister militum, but then led a military revolt that forced Nepos to flee into exile. Died: Unknown – Romulus possibly died sometime in the early sixth century. Romulus Augustulus tai Romulus Augustus (noin 460 – 507 tai myöhemmin) oli Länsi-Rooman viimeinen keisari.Hänen isänsä, hunni Attilan entinen sihteeri Orestes kohotti hänet valtaan 31. lokakuuta 475, kun oli ensin ajanut edellisen keisarin Julius Nepoksen Italiasta. His subsequent fate is unknown. [6][20] Jordanes and Marcellinus Comes say Odoacer exiled Romulus to Campania but do not mention any financial support from the Germanic king. Born: c461 AD. Romulus Augustulus (eigentlich Romulus Augustus;[1] * um 460; nach 476) war der letzte Kaiser des Weströmischen Reiches, der in Italien herrschte. [22] The letter would match the description of Odoacer's coup in the Anonymus Valesianus, and Romulus could have been alive in the early sixth century. 476 endete daher das weströmische Kaisertum (ob in diesem Jahr auch Westrom endete, ist, wie gesagt, umstritten). [16] Italy would suffer far greater devastation in the next century when Emperor Justinian I reconquered it in the Gothic War. Odoacer, already the de facto ruler of Italy, now ostensibly ruled de jure in Zeno's name. Chr.). Last western emperor (q.v. Romulus Augustulus, deposed in the year 476, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire. But Cassiodorus does not supply any details about his correspondent or the size and nature of his pension, and Jordanes, whose history of the period abridges an earlier work by Cassiodorus, makes no mention of a pension. Rome had already lost its hegemony over the provinces, Germanic peoples dominated the Roman army, and Germanic generals like Odoacer had long been the real powers behind the throne. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Romulus-Augustulus, roman-emperors.org - Biography of Romulus Augustulus. Corrections? In fact, he was a usurper and puppet not recognized as a legitimate ruler by the Eastern emperor. Orestes was appointed "master of soldiers" by Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos in 475.On August 28, 475, a coup d'état led by Orestes … Romulus Augustulus rŏm´yo͞oləs ôgŭs´tyo͝oləs , d. after 476, last Roman emperor of the West (475–76). -- so he wasn't the figurehead … [6][20], The sources do agree that Romulus took up residence in the Castel dell'Ovo (Lucullan Villa) in Naples, now a castle but originally built as a grand sea-side house by Lucullus in the 1st century BC,[20] fortified by Valentinian III in the mid-5th century. [19], The ultimate fate of Romulus is a mystery. Older literature (appr. Nepos fled to Dalmatia, where his uncle had ruled a semi-autonomous state in the 460s. ), who reigned from 475 476. Shortly after his appointment, Orestes launched a rebellion and captured Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire since 402, on 28 August 475. Romulus Augustulus. Orestes became Magister militum because of the decision of Julius Nepos in 475. "[21] The villa was converted into a monastery before 500 to hold the saint's remains.[20]. Romulus Augustus (Augustulus was a nickname) was deposed by Odoacer, a barbarian and a military commander of troops allied with the Romans. 1), & the Anonymous Valesani Pars posterior (8.37) -- so it would be accurate to refer to him as "Augustulus" Romulus Augustus' power base was actually at Ravenna (Anon. The Eastern Emperor Leo, who died in 474, had appointed the western emperors Anthemius and Julius Nepos, and Constantinople never recognized the new government. 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. Romulus was the son of the Western empire’s master of soldiers Orestes. With the capital of Ravenna under his control, Orestes appointed his son Romulus to the throne despite the lack of support from the eastern court in Constantinople. His own overthrow by Odoacer (q.v.) Romulus’ father was originally from Pannonia and served as a secretary and diplomat for Attila the Hun. … After ten months in power, during which time his authority and legitimacy were disputed beyond Italy, Romulus was forced to abdicate by Odoacer, a Germanic foederatus officer who defeated and executed Orestes. Romulus Augustus is called "Augustulus" by several near-contemporary authors: Jordanes (Gothica 242), Candidus (frag. Das Oströmische (oder Byzantinische) Reich hingegen überdauerte die Kris… [Fik Meijer] Only one year after his accession to the throne the Germanic general Odoaker removed the teenager and banished him to an estate near Naples. Kaiser sterben nicht im Bett : die etwas andere Geschichte der römischen Kaiserzeit ; von Caesar bis Romulus Augustulus (44 v. Chr. Romulus ƿæs cildcyning, abanned Cāsere þæs ƿestdǣl þæs Rōmāniscan Rīce æfter his fæder Orestes adrāf Iulius Nepos Cāsere of Italie in 475. After Attila’s death, Orestes joined the service of the western empire and quickly achieved senior position.