Odoacer, along with the Scirians, entered Italy around 470 C.E, and became a part of the Roman military establishment. Theodoric had also been causing problems for Zeno. The settlement of Odovacar's East Germans, with Zeno's acquiescence, began the process by which Italian soil was to pass into the hands of Ostrogoths and Lombards, Franks and Normans. 24 Oct 2020. The emperor responded first by inciting the Rugii of present-day Austria to attack Italy. Odoacer first appears in history in a minor role as a soldier called Odovacrius, fighting the Visigoths in 463 CE. [43][l] The biography of Pope Felix III in the Liber Pontificalis openly states that the pontiff's tenure occurred during Odoacer's reign without any complaints about the king being registered. He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. Odoacer exchanged messages with Illus, who had been in open revolt against Zeno since 484. He was a soldier in the Roman army who ascended through the ranks to general and was then chosen to rule after the mercenary general Orestes refused to grant land in Italy to his soldiers, and they proclaimed Odoacer as their leader. Theodoric exiled Odoacer's son Thela to Gaul, but when he attempted to return to Italy Theodoric had him killed. Meanwhile, Zeno was declared as the Emperor of the East. "[24], When Orestes was in 475 appointed Magister militum and patrician by the Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos, Odoacer became head of the Germanic foederati of Italy (the Scirian—Herulic foederati). Their son, Thela, was forced to go on exile to Gaul. [61], Coin of Odoacer, Ravenna, 477, with Odoacer in profile, depicted with a "barbarian". His ethnicity is generally regarded as Germanic, but who his parents were, how he was raised, or even where, is a matter of debate among historians. [g], Many historians such as medieval scholar, Michael Frasetto, accept that Odoacer was of Scirian heritage. Tufa met Frederick of the Rugii in battle in August of 491 CE in which both were killed. [27] However, Nepos reorganized his court in Salona, Dalmatia and received homage and affirmation from the remaining fragments of the Western Empire beyond Italy and, most importantly, from Constantinople, which refused to accept Augustulus, Zeno having branded him and his father as traitors and usurpers. [41] As the most tangible example of this renewed prestige, for the first time since the mid-3rd century copper coins were issued with the legend S(enatus) C(onsulto). License. It is unknown whether they were allied with Odoacer or simply protecting their lands from invasion, but they were quickly defeated and slaughtered by Theodoric's forces. His first conquest was Sicily which he acquired in 476 C.E through a treaty with Vandals. In his masterwork, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, historian Edward Gibbon selected 476 CE, a date most often mentioned by historians. Odoacer, at around the age of 42, was now the most powerful man in Italy. Likely of East Germanic descent, Odoacer was a military leader in Italy who led the revolt of Herulian, Rugian, and Scirian soldiers that deposed Romulus Augustulus on 4 September AD 476. Odoacer. In 17th Century, it was surmised that both the identities were of the same person and it was confirmed that Edeko was the father of Odoacer. Except for the fact that he was not considered Roman, Odoacer's precise ethnic origins are not known. But Augustus paid no heed to their petition and that caused a rage among the army. Despite these decisive losses, the war dragged on until 25 February 493 when John, bishop of Ravenna, was able to negotiate a treaty between Theodoric and Odoacer to occupy Ravenna together and share joint rule. After the Ostrogoths invaded in 489, Odoacer fled to Ravenna. According to Jordanes, at the beginning of his reign he "slew Count Bracila at Ravenna that he might inspire a fear of himself among the Romans.