On September 4, 476, the teenage emperor Romulus Augustulus was forcibly deposed by Odoacer, a Germanic general in the Roman army. Augustulus had only reigned for 10 months and was the last in a series of “puppet” emperors who oversaw the crumbling Western Roman Empire.
The fall of Romulus Augustulus was emblematic of the larger “fall” of the Roman Empire, which was picked apart by Germanic and other “barbarian” armies.
How did Romulus Augustulus come to power?
Romulus Augustulus was 14 years old when his father, Orestes, declared him the emperor of Rome. Orestes was known as a power-hungry military officer who led a rebellion against his boss, Emperor Julius Nepos. Instead of fighting, Nepos fled in A.D 475, leaving the imperial seat vacant in the Western Roman capital of Ravenna, Italy.
Rather than claim the throne himself, Orestes installed his teenage son as a “puppet” emperor, while Orestes pulled the strings. His true imperial name was probably Romulus Augustus, but he was always called Augustulus, meaning “little Augustus.” The only pieces of evidence of Augustulus' short reign are some gold coins minted with his name and likeness.
What was the state of the Roman Empire in the fifth century?
The once-great Roman Empire was already in rapid decline before Romulus Augustulus took power. A century earlier, the empire split into Western and Eastern empires, each with its own emperor. The Eastern Roman Empire eventually became the Byzantine Empire, while the Western Roman Empire fell prey to repeated “barbarian invasions” by Germanic groups like the Vandals and Visigoths. By the late fifth century, the Western Roman Empire was mostly reduced to Italy, as its territories in Gaul (France) and Hispania (Spain) had been seized by Germanic kings.
There were internal conflicts, too. The Roman army at the time was largely composed of Foederati, barbarian troops under contract with the empire. Underpaid and angry, the Foederati demanded gold and land. When they didn’t get it, they rebelled.
Why is Romulus Augustulus considered the 'last Roman emperor'?
The Foederati found a leader in Odoacer, a Germanic general in the Roman army. In 476, Odoacer and his men marched on Ravenna and easily defeated Orestes, who was executed along with his brother.
Odoacer spared the life of Romulus Augustulus and exiled the deposed emperor to a castle near Naples. Instead of claiming the throne for himself, Odoacer collected the imperial regalia—purple robes and other royal insignia—and sent them to the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. The message was clear: the Western Empire is finished.
Technically, Romulus Augustulus was merely a “usurper” of the throne, since Emperor Nepos never officially renounced his title and continued to rule in exile. Therefore, some historians argue that Nepos was actually the last Roman emperor until his death in 480, four years after Augustulus was deposed.
