Flavius Romulus Augustus - so loudly called his father, military commander Orestes from Pannonia, his son in the hope that he will have a bright future. Life, however, turned everything in its own way. Romulus Augustulus is not the great Augustus, but the small Augustine. So contemptuously nicknamed his contemporaries. He remained for centuries as the last emperor, who was overthrown by the leader of the German barbarian tribe Odoacer in 476. This date was later accepted by historians as the beginning of the Middle Ages.
Origin
Romulus Augustulus came from a noble patrician family. Flavius Orestes was his father, and Noric's mother was the daughter of the chief Roman officer, Romulus.
He was born in the early 60s of the fifth century. At this time, Rome was on the verge of falling. Under the pressure of the barbarians, everything burst at the seams. They only remembered the victories, and the life of contemporaries literally collapsed under the pressure of the northern barbarians, who in turn fled to the fertile provinces, where there were beautiful lands, from attacks from the east. The military commander Marcellin perceived the attacks of the vandals and barbarians as a personal tragedy, but served, however, Atilla and left interesting notes. Atille also served as the father of Romulus Augustus, but, raising a rebellion, captured the capital of the empire. In those days, she was no longer in Rome, but in Ravenna.
Ascension to the throne
The reasons why Flavius Orestes did not become emperor, and in 475 appointed them a minor teenage son, are unknown. But he controlled the subject lands personally. Ironically, the boy not only united the two great names Romulus (founder of Rome) and Augustus (first emperor), but also disgraced his fellow tribesmen. No one wanted to recognize the emperor in him.
The ruler of Augustus, the ruler, as we said, was only nominal, although gold coins (solid) with his profile were issued. The attacking parties (wild tribes) demanded the allocation of land to them. They were denied, and rebellion rose by the end of the tenth month of the reign of the young emperor. Romulus Augustulus did not even have the means to pay for the services of the suppression of rebellion. The Roman army was poorly financed, and the soldiers ceased to obey and defend the emperor.
Empire sunset
The soldiers chose the leader of the German Odoacra as their leader. The troops under his command captured Father Romulus and executed him. The young emperor Romulus Augustulus abdicated in 476. His place was quickly taken by the Vasileus of the eastern empire Zeno, and the leader of the Germans became his official representative in the West. Formally, the Eastern and Western Empires were a country. It lasted until 480, when Julius Nepot was killed in Dalmatia. He was overthrown by the father of Romulus back in 475. And after his death, Odoacer sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople, making a gesture to the barbarian - "Take it, we don’t need it." The Western Empire is gone. But there remained Constantinople (Eastern Empire), which, in spite of everything, strove for integrity. He lasted another thousand years.
The fate of Romulus after the abdication
Confused information has been preserved about her. It is assumed that Romulus Augustul received from Odoacer a pension of six thousand solid, because he was young and handsome. He was sent to the link. He received for residence the palace of Lucullus (the very famous gourmet who gave magnificent feasts) in Campania, in the Naples area. Relatives and the retinue of Romulus remained with him. All sources agree that the last emperor Romulus Augustulus lived in the palace of Lucullus. However, his further life is not described by anyone.
About how he lived and died, no one left any information. There are vague assumptions that in 507 he was still alive. There is only speculation and judgment that Romulus founded a monastery near the palace. Mention has been made of him even in the 10th century. In all likelihood, the former emperor, forgotten by all, died before the reunification of the Eastern Empire with the Western Empire by the middle of the VI century. A film was made about him in 2007 under the name "The Last Legion."