Romulus Augustule

Romulus Augustule , or in Latin Flavius Romulus Augustus (towards 460 - perhaps 511), sometimes called Romulus Augustulus , is the last Roman Emperor of Occident.

Born Flavius Romulus , his/her father is Flavius Oreste, a Roman politician considered as probable descendant of a Germanic tribe . Oreste is named “Maître Soldiers” by the emperor of Occident Julius Nepos in 475. The August 28th 475, a Coup d'etat directed by Oreste enables him to seize the capacity with Ravenne, which since 402 is the capital of the Roman Empire of Occident. Julius Nepos must flee in Dalmatie. It will continue until its death, in 480, to carry there the crown, emperor in title of the Occident; he is the last emperor recognized by the Roman Empire of the East, and it is thus in theory the last emperor juridically speaking about the Western part.

Oreste becomes de facto Master of what remains Roman Empire of Occident, except of course for the Dalmatie. Either that he did not regard as eligible with the throne, or which it did not wish to add his name to the list of the emperors to the short reigns of the last years, or that it has made profitable the lessons previous years and that he preferred to keep the control of the army, and, via his son, of the policy of the Empire, he proclaims in any event emperor his son, the October 31st 475. This accession with the Empire is not recognized by its “rival”, the Roman Emperor of the East, Zénon.

Flavius Romulus is a Enfant or a young whole Adolescent at the time of its rise to the Empire, and he is only one puppet with the hands of his Oreste father. Shortly after this takeover, Oreste refuses to give grounds for the installation of the Hérules, the Skires and the Torcilingi, a decision which generates their revolt under the command of the chief of the Hérules, Odoacre. Oreste is captured with Pavia the August 28th 476 and promptly carried out.

Odoacre advances then on Ravenne, and captures the city with the young emperor. Romulus is forced to abdicate the September 4th 476. Odoacre, in agreement with the Roman Senate, then sends the imperial badges and its tender to the emperor of the East, Zénon, which accepts and the gratifie in return of the title of King of Italy. One regards today this act as the end of the Roman Empire of Occident, even if legally, the Western part is reunified at the oriental party by the tender of Odoacre. In the facts, it is well the end of the Roman Empire in Occident; the Roman Empire of the East, soon called Byzantine Empire will survive until in 1453.

For the inhabitants of the Italy in this end of the 5th century, the change of being able is not very shocking. The bag of Rome by Alaric I {{er}} in 410 was it much more for example. The Roman capacity had already passed actually to the cruel officers for a long time and with their quotas of Mercenaire S. the reconquest of the Italy by Justinien was much more devastator.

Romulus Auguste is often known under the pejorative nickname of Romulus Augustulus , although it officially reigned under the name of Romulus Augustus . The Latin Suffix - ulus is a diminutive, and the term Augustulus means “small majestic”, in the direction of little importance. The nickname Augustus (“Auguste”) was appropriate badly for if small child.

With the difference of many abdications of these predecessors, that of Romulus Augustule seems to have been beneficial for him. According to a legend, the youth of the prince enables him to escape the assassination by Odoacre, which shows pity and sends it in Campanie so that it lives there in peace with his family. The same legend says that a pension is granted to him. It is thought, according to a missive concerning certain Romulus and his mother, that this pension is still paid by Théodoric Large the in 507 and even in 511. It does not seem that Romulus Augustule saw the reconquest of Rome by the troops of Justinien.

Its legitimacy as a last Roman Emperor is regularly called in question. He was indeed never recognized as emperor by Zénon, the Roman Emperor of the East, which will continue to recognize Julius Nepos legitimate emperor until his death in 480. But despite everything, most of the time, it is well Romulus Augustule which is regarded as the last Roman Emperor in Occident.

The History, by an irony of which it has the secrecy, brought together the two more important characters of the Roman history in this young boy: the vanity of his/her Oreste father had made him baptize Romulus his/her son, like Romulus, the founder of the Urbs, and its accession with the throne conferred the Cognomen to him Augustus , nickname that Octave had received after being become the first Roman Emperor.

In the fiction

Romulus Augustule is the main character of the part of Friedrich Dürrenmatt Romulus der Große (“Romulus the Large one”), which treats last days of the reign of the young prince.

It is also one of the main characters of the book of Valerio Manfredi, the last Legion .

See too

Romulus Augustule in the film the Last Legion: Thomas Sangster

Internal bonds

late Antiquity

External bonds

De Imperatoribus Romanis
Emperors romains.net

Simple: Romulus Augustus

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