Romulus Augustulus - Wikipedia Romulus Augustulus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Roman emperor from 475 to 476 This article is about the Roman emperor. For the comics character, see Tyrannus (comics). Roman emperor of the West Romulus Augustulus Tremissis of Romulus Augustus. Legend: d(ominus) n(oster) romul(us) augustus p(ius) f(elix) a(u)g(ustus). Roman emperor of the West (unrecognized in Dalmatia, Gaul and the East) Reign 31 October 475 – 4 September 476 Predecessor Julius Nepos[1] Successor Office abolished; Julius Nepos ruled a rump state in Dalmatia Eastern emperors Zeno (475–476) Basiliscus (475–476) Born c. 460 Died Possibly after 507[2] Unknown location, possibly Castellum Lucullanum Father Orestes Romulus Augustus (c. 460 – after 476, possibly still alive as late as 507), known derisively and historiographically as Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. He is often described as the last Western Roman emperor, though some historians consider this to be Julius Nepos. 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. Although he, as all other emperors, adopted the name Augustus upon his accession, he is better remembered by his derisive nickname Augustulus.[3] The Latin suffix -ulus is a diminutive, hence Augustulus effectively means "Little Augustus".[4] The name Romulus was also changed derisively to Momyllus meaning "little disgrace".[5][6] The historical record contains few details of Romulus's life. He was the son of Orestes, a Roman who had served as a secretary in the court of Attila the Hun before coming into the service of the Western Roman emperor Julius Nepos in AD 475. In the same year, Orestes was promoted to the rank of magister militum, but then led a military revolt that forced Nepos to flee into exile. 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. Romulus, however, was little more than a child and figurehead for his father's rule. 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. 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. Contents 1 Life 2 Later life 2.1 Last Western emperor 3 Legacy 4 Notes 5 Sources 6 External links Life[edit] The Western and the Eastern Roman Empire in 476. Romulus Augustus resigns the crown. Drawing from the Young Folks' History of Rome, 1880. 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.[7] The future emperor was named Romulus after his maternal grandfather, a nobleman from Poetovio in Noricum. 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.[8] This is not as coincidental as it may seem; all emperors bore the name Augustus as it was part of the imperial title.[9] Orestes was appointed Magister militum by Julius Nepos in 475. Shortly after his appointment, Orestes launched a rebellion and captured Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire since 402, on 28 August 475. Nepos fled to Dalmatia, where his uncle had ruled a semi-autonomous state since the 460s.[10] Orestes, however, refused to become emperor, "from some secret motive", said historian Edward Gibbon.[11] Instead, he installed his son on the throne on 31 October 475.[12] The empire Augustus ruled was a shadow of its former self and had shrunk significantly over the previous 80 years. Imperial authority had retreated to the Italian borders and parts of southern Gaul: Italy and Gallia Narbonensis, respectively.[13] The Eastern Roman Empire treated its western counterpart as a client state. The Eastern Emperor Leo, who died in 474, had appointed the western emperors Anthemius and Julius Nepos, and Constantinople never recognized the new government. Neither Zeno nor Basiliscus, the two generals fighting for the eastern throne at the time of Romulus's accession, accepted him as ruler.[4] 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.[4] 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.[11] When Orestes refused, the tribes revolted under the leadership of the Scirian chieftain Odoacer. Orestes was captured near Piacenza on 28 August 476 and swiftly executed.[citation needed] Odoacer advanced on Ravenna, capturing the city and the young emperor after the short and decisive Battle of Ravenna. Romulus was compelled to abdicate the throne on 4 September 476. 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. 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.[14] Italy would suffer far greater devastation in the next century when Emperor Justinian I reconquered it in the Gothic War.[15] 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..."[16] Zeno was asked to make Odoacer a patrician, and administrator of Italy in Zeno's name. 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. Odoacer, already the de facto ruler of Italy, now ostensibly ruled de jure in Zeno's name.[17] Later life[edit] The ultimate fate of Romulus is a mystery. 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.[4][18] Jordanes and Marcellinus Comes say Odoacer exiled Romulus to Campania but do not mention any financial support from the Germanic king.[4][18] 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,[18] then fortified by Valentinian III in the mid-5th century. From here, contemporary histories fall silent. 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."[19] The villa was converted into a monastery before 500 to hold the saint's remains.[18] Cassiodorus, then a secretary to Theodoric the Great, wrote a letter in 507 to a "Romulus" confirming a pension.[4] 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.[20] 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. 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. Last Western emperor[edit] Julius Nepos on a gold tremissis Some sources suggest that Julius Nepos claimed to hold the title of emperor legally when Odoacer took power. However, few of Nepos' contemporaries were willing to support his cause after he had fled to Dalmatia. Some historians regard Julius Nepos, who ruled in Dalmatia until he was murdered in 480, as the last lawful Western Roman Emperor.[21] 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".[22] 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.[17][22] Legacy[edit] 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.[23] 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.[24] Notes[edit] ^ Nepos maintained a claim to the position until he was murdered in 480. ^ Burns, Thomas, A History of the Ostrogoths, p. 74 ^ Older literature (appr. up to 1850) also refers to him as Momyllus or Momillus. According to Gibbon, Momyllus is a corruption of Romulus. Cf. Gibbon, Decline and Fall, 4.36. ^ a b c d e f De Imperatoribus Romanis ^ "805-806 (Nordisk familjebok/Uggleupplagan. 23. Retzius - Ryssland)". runeberg.org (in Swedish). 1916. Retrieved 12 April 2018. ^ Murphy, Cullen (September 2006). "The Road from Ravenna". The Atlantic. Washington, D.C.: Emerson Collective. Retrieved 25 October 2020. ^ Gibbon, Edward, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, David Womersley, ed. London; Penguin Books, 1994. Vol. 3, p. 312. ^ Gibbon, p. 405. ^ White, L. Michael (2005). From Jesus to Christianity: How Four Generations of Visionaries & Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith. San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins. p. 44. ISBN 9780060816100. ^ Gibbon, pp. 391, 400. ^ a b Gibbon, p. 402. ^ "Romulus Augustulus | Roman emperor". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 6 September 2020. ^ Hollister, C. Warren, Medieval Europe: A Short History. New York; McGraw-Hill, 1995, 32. ^ Norris, Shawn T. (3 November 2015). "Romulus Augustus – The Last Roman Emperor". Rome Across Europe. Retrieved 19 April 2016. ^ Middleton, Guy D. (2017). Understanding Collapse. Cambridge University Press. p. 197. ISBN 9781107151499. ^ Bryce 1961, p.25 ^ a b Bryce, James, The Holy Roman Empire ^ a b c d Gibbon, p. 406 ^ Gibbon, p. 407 ^ Cassiodorus, Variae, iii, 35. ^ Duckett, Eleanor Shipley (1988), "I", The Gateway to the Middle Ages, p. 1, ISBN 978-0-472-06051-1 ^ a b Gibbon, p. 404. ^ Brown, Donald (22 June 2018). "Make Rome Great Again. A Revival Of Duerrenmatt's "Romulus The Great" In New York". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 29 October 2018. ^ "The Last Legion (2007)". Medieval Hollywood. Fordham University. Retrieved 29 October 2018. Sources[edit] Bryce, James Bryce (1961). The Holy Roman Empire. Schocken Books. Gibbon, Edward (1994). Womersley, David (ed.). The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Vol. 3. London: Penguin Books. |volume= has extra text (help) Heather, Peter (2005). The Fall of the Roman Empire. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-98914-7. Hollister, C. Warren (1995). Medieval Europe: A Short History. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-124423-9. Murdoch, Adrian (2006). The Last Roman: Romulus Augustulus and the Decline of the West. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-4474-9. Norwich, John Julius (1997). Byzantium: A Short History. New York: Vintage. ISBN 0-679-45088-2. Sandberg, Kaj (2008). "The So-Called Division of the Roman Empire. Notes On A Persistent Theme in Western Historiography". Arctos. 42: 199–213. Nathan, Ralph; Nathan, Geoffrey. "Romulus Augustulus (475–476 A.D.)—Two Views". De Imperatoribus Romanis. External links[edit] Media related to Romulus Augustus at Wikimedia Commons Project Gutenberg: Cassiodorus, Variae Regnal titles Preceded by Julius Nepos Western Roman emperor 475–476 with Julius Nepos in Dalmatia (475–476) Succeeded by Julius Nepos as ruler of Roman rump state in Dalmatia v t e Roman and Byzantine emperors and ruling empresses Principate 27 BC – AD 235 Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus (Pescennius Niger) (Clodius Albinus) Septimius Severus Caracalla Geta Macrinus Diadumenian Elagabalus Severus Alexander Crisis 235–285 Maximinus Thrax Gordian I Gordian II Pupienus Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Philip II Decius Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Trebonianus Gallus Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus Saloninus Claudius Gothicus Quintillus Aurelian Ulpia Severina Tacitus Florian Probus Carus Carinus Numerian Gallic emperors Postumus (Laelianus) Marius Victorinus (Domitianus II) Tetricus I with Tetricus II as caesar Palmyrene emperors Vaballathus Zenobia Septimius Antiochus Dominate 284–395 Diocletian Maximian Galerius Constantius I Severus Constantine the Great Maxentius Licinius Maximinus Daza (Valerius Valens) (Martinian) Constantine II Constantius II Constans I Magnentius Vetranio Julian Jovian Valentinian I (west) Valens (east) Gratian (west) Valentinian II (west) Theodosius I Magnus Maximus Victor (Eugenius) Western Empire 395–480 Honorius Constantine III with son Constans II Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustulus Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 395–1204 Arcadius Theodosius II Marcian Leo I Leo II Zeno Basiliscus Marcus Anastasius I Dicorus Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice with son Theodosius as co-emperor Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Constantine IV with brothers Heraclius and Tiberius and then Justinian II as co-emperors Justinian II (first reign) Leontios Tiberius III Justinian II (second reign) with son Tiberius as co-emperor Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosius III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe with son Theophylact as co-emperor Leo V the Armenian with Symbatios-Constantine as junior emperor Michael II the Amorian Theophilos Michael III Basil I the Macedonian Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Romanos I Lekapenos with sons Christopher, Stephen and Constantine as junior co-emperors Romanos II Nikephoros II Phokas John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoë (first reign) and Romanos III Argyros Zoë (first reign) and Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael V Kalaphates Zoë (second reign) with Theodora Zoë (second reign) and Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos (sole emperor) Theodora Michael VI Bringas Isaac I Komnenos Constantine X Doukas Romanos IV Diogenes Michael VII Doukas with brothers Andronikos and Konstantios and son Constantine Nikephoros III Botaneiates Alexios I Komnenos John II Komnenos with Alexios Komnenos as co-emperor Manuel I Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos with John Komnenos as co-emperor Isaac II Angelos Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Angelos Nicholas Kanabos (chosen by the Senate) Alexios V Doukas Empire of Nicaea 1204–1261 Constantine Laskaris Theodore I Laskaris John III Doukas Vatatzes Theodore II Laskaris John IV Laskaris Byzantine Empire 1261–1453 Michael VIII Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos with Michael IX Palaiologos as co-emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos John V Palaiologos John VI Kantakouzenos with John V Palaiologos and Matthew Kantakouzenos as co-emperors John V Palaiologos Andronikos IV Palaiologos John VII Palaiologos Andronikos V Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, while underlining indicates a usurper. Authority control General Integrated Authority File ISNI 1 VIAF 1 2 3 4 5 WorldCat National libraries United States Poland Other Faceted Application of Subject Terminology SUDOC (France) 1 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romulus_Augustulus&oldid=1024874898" Categories: Romulus Augustulus 5th-century births 6th-century deaths 5th-century Christians 5th-century Roman emperors 5th-century Roman usurpers Ancient child rulers Dethroned monarchs Monarchs who abdicated Rulers deposed as children Hidden categories: CS1 Swedish-language sources (sv) Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use dmy dates from September 2019 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019 CS1 errors: extra text: volume CS1: long volume value Commons link is on Wikidata Good articles Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers Wikipedia articles with FAST identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Wikipedia articles with multiple identifiers Romans from unknown gentes Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Alemannisch Ænglisc العربية Aragonés Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Bân-lâm-gú Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Jawa ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски مصرى Bahasa Melayu Mirandés Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Occitan Polski Português Română Русский Scots Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 Yorùbá 粵語 Zazaki 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 May 2021, at 14:43 (UTC). 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