Odoacer
Odoacer (or Odovacar) was a Germanic warrior who worked his way up through the ranks of the Roman army. When the western emperor Julius Nepos was overthrown by the Roman general Orestes, Odoacer defeated Orestes, deposed and exiled Orestes' son Romulus Augustus, and refused to acknowledge any new western emperor, officially putting an end to the Western Roman Empire in 476. He styled himself King of Italy and conquered parts of present-day Croatia and Austria.
In 489, Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, invaded Italy, and Odoacer was unable to stop his conquest. He surrendered the city of Ravenna in 493, and unwisely attended a banquet given by Theodoric, who killed him there.
Important Dates
Proclaimed king by his troops: Aug. 23, 476
Died: March 15, 493
In Print
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History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian
by John B. Bury
Related Resources
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Directory of sites that offer useful resources for the study of Europe in Late Antiquty, or shortly after the fall of Rome.Rome
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