Romulus Augustulus was born around 460 AD, and little is known about his early life. He was the son of Orestes, a high-ranking general in the Roman army. In 475 AD, after a coup led by his father, Romulus was placed on the throne as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. At the time, the Western Empire was a shadow of its former self, and the empire’s territory had been significantly reduced, with much of the western provinces already under control of barbarian groups.

Romulus Augustulus was not a powerful or capable emperor. In fact, he was likely no more than a puppet ruler, placed on the throne by his father, who wielded the real power behind the scenes. Romulus was young, and his reign was marked by a lack of any significant military or political accomplishments. Most historians view his reign as a mere formality, an attempt to maintain the illusion of a functioning Roman Empire in the West.

The Deposition of Romulus Augustulus

The end of Romulus Augustulus’s reign came in 476 AD, and it was not a dramatic battle or coup but rather a simple act of deposition by a barbarian general named Odoacer. Odoacer was a Germanic chieftain who had served as a commander in the Roman army. In 476, Odoacer led a revolt against the emperor and his father, Orestes. With little resistance from the Roman military, Odoacer seized control of the city of Ravenna, where Romulus Augustulus was residing.

Odoacer did not kill Romulus Augustulus. Instead, he forced the young emperor to abdicate, thereby formally ending the Western Roman Empire. Romulus was stripped of his imperial regalia and sent into exile, receiving a pension for the rest of his life. After his abdication, Romulus Augustulus disappears from historical records, and it is believed that he lived out his days in relative obscurity, though some sources suggest that he may have spent his remaining years in Campania, a region in southern Italy.

Odoacer, after deposing Romulus, declared himself king of Italy. He chose not to restore the Western Roman Empire but instead opted to rule as an independent monarch. His decision to leave the Eastern Roman Emperor, Zeno, in nominal control of the western territories symbolized the end of the Western Roman Empire, though the eastern half of the empire, centered in Constantinople, continued to exist for nearly another thousand years. shutdown123