On September 4, A.D. 476, child emperor Romulus Augustulus (Dominus Noster Romulus Augustus Pius Felix Augustus) was deposed by barbarian soldier (and Arian Christian) Odoacer, who proclaimed himself “King of Italy,” yet represented himself as the client of Zeno, the Eastern Roman Emperor in Constantinople.
September 4, 476, is the traditional end date for the Western Roman Empire.
One reply on “Odoacer Rex”
The position of Western Emperor had multiple claimants when Odoacer took power. Zeno never recognized Romulus Augustus, but formally treated Julius Nepos, from whom Orestes had seized power, as still the Western Emperor. Julius Nepos had overthrown Glycerius in AD 474, who had been declared Western Emperor without the sanction of the Eastern Emperor (then Leon I) and never received sanction. Glycerius is said to have played a rôle in the 480 murder of Julius Nepos, and one may surmise that Glycerius wanted to remove Julius Nepos as an obstacle to retaking the throne.
For some reason, I was taught in grade school that the Roman Empire ended in AD 474. I don’t know what the rationale were for selecting that date. Glycerius’s claim, which began in 473, was as dubious as that of Romulus Augustus; the claim of Julius Nepos was stronger, and he lost power in 475.