Romulus Augustus

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This article is about the Roman Emperor. For the comics character, see Romulus Augustus (comics).

Image:RomulusAugustus.jpg Flavius Romulus Augustus (460s/470s – after 476), often called Romulus Augustulus, was the last of the Western Roman Emperors.

He is frequently known by the disparaging nickname "Romulus Augustulus", though he ruled officially as Romulus Augustus. The Latin suffix -ulus is a diminutive; hence, Augustulus effectively means "Little Augustus", though "little" in the sense of insignificant or unimportant. Some Greek writers even went so far as to corrupt his name sarcastically into "Momylos", or "little disgrace."

1 Early life and reign
2 After the abdication
3 The last emperor?
4 The Western Roman Empire after Romulus Augustus
5 Romulus Augustus in fiction
6 Sources
7 External links

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Early life and reign

He was born Flavius Romulus to Flavius Orestes, a Roman politician considered to be at least partly of Germanic descent. Orestes was appointed "master of soldiers" by the Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos in 475. On August 28, 475, a coup d'état led by Orestes managed to take control of the government in Ravenna (the capital of the Western Roman Empire since 402). Julius Nepos had to flee to Dalmatia. He would continue to reign there till his death in 480.

Orestes became the first ruler of the Roman provinces west of Dalmatia. He was not however considered eligible for the throne himself, so he proclaimed his son Emperor on October 31, 475. The proclamation was not accepted by the rival Eastern Roman Emperors Zeno and Basiliscus.

Romulus was either a child or in his early adolescence at the time of his appointment, though he acted merely as a figurehead to his father's rule. Shortly afterwards, Orestes refused to grant lands for settlement to Heruli, Scirian and Torcilingi mercenaries, a decision which led to their revolt under the Germanic chieftain Odoacer. Orestes was captured near Piacenza on August 28, 476 and was swiftly executed.

Odoacer advanced to Ravenna, capturing the city along with the youthful Emperor. Romulus was compelled to abdicate the throne on September 4, 476. This act was long considered the end of the Western Roman Empire, but the Eastern Roman Empire continued until 1453. By 476, however, Rome had already lost its hegemony over the provinces, and Germanic generals like Odoacer had long been the real power behind the throne. Since Germans by then had long staffed the "Roman" armies and many of the political offices in the region, this replacement did not cause much social disruption. Italy would be far more devastated in the next century when Emperor Justinian I re-conquered it.

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Odoacer eventually became a "de facto" ruler of Italy after the deposition of Romulus Augustus, despite not being recognized as such. He was later murdered by Theodoric the Great, who was in fact - as well as legally - the King of Italy.

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After the abdication

Romulus' ultimate fate is uncertain. The writer of the Anonymous Valesianus wrote that Odoacer, "taking pity on his youth," spared his life and granted Romulus an annual pension of six thousand solidi before sending him to live with relatives in Campania. Jordanes and Count Marsellinus, however, say Odoacer exiled Romulus to Campania, and do not mention any reward from the German king.

The sources do agree that Romulus took up residence in the Lucullan Villa, an ancient castle originally built by the Scipio family in Campania. From here, contemporary sources fall silent. In the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon notes that the disciples of Saint Severinus were invited by a "Neapolitan lady" to bring his body to the villa in 488, "in the place of Augustulus, who was probably no more." The villa was converted into a monastery before 500 to hold the saint's remains.

In 507 and 511, secretaries of Theodoric the Great sent letters to a "Romulus" and his mother "Barbaria" confirming a pension, but it is impossible to say if this Romulus was the last Roman Emperor.

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The last emperor?

His legitimacy as the last Roman emperor is often questioned. He never received recognition from the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno who continued to recognize Julius Nepos as Roman Emperor until Nepos' death in 480. However, most modern accounts consider Romulus, not Nepos, the last Western Roman Emperor.

It is interesting to note that Romulus got part of his name from his father's vanity; Orestes gave the boy his imperial name Augustus (as opposed to the title) upon the latter's succession. Thus, Romulus Augustus, as the last Western Roman emperor, had the names of Romulus, traditionally considered to be the founder of the city of Rome, and Augustus, the first Roman Emperor.

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The Western Roman Empire after Romulus Augustus

After Romulus Augustus's abdication, the Roman Senate, Odoacer, and Julius Nepos sent representatives to the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno. Odoacer petitioned for the position of viceroy in Italy. The Senate demanded that Constantinople appoint a new Western Emperor. Julius Nepos requested the restoration of his throne. The Emperor denied the Senate's appeal, stating that Constantinople had sent two emperors in ten years and the Western Romans had revolted against both of them. Odoacer's solicitation was accepted under the condition that he become Italy's viceroy for the legitimate Western Emperor Julius Nepos. Coins were struck under the name of Julius Nepos in the domains under the control of Roman general Syagrius until 480. The last Roman garrisons in Spain capitulated to the Visigoths around the time of Romulus Augustus's abdication.

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Romulus Augustus in fiction

Romulus Augustus is the main character of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play Romulus der Große (translated to English as "Romulus the Great"), which revolves around the last days of Romulus' emperorship.

Romulus is also one of the characters in Valerio Massimo Manfredi's book, The Last Legion.

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