Nonetheless, he defeated and captured Augustus in no time. He was said to be the son of Edeko. Mark, published on 20 September 2014 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. While in one passage in his Getica, Jordanes describes Odoacer as king of the Turcilingi (Torcilingorum rex) with Scirian and Heruli followers. After the Rugian War, Zeno saw his opportunity to rid himself of Odoacer and entered into a treaty with Theodoric of the Goths, which stated that "after the defeat of Odovacar, Theodoric, in return for his efforts was to rule Italy for the emperor until he arrived in person" (Wolfram, 279). [14], The origin of the name Odoacer, which may give indications as to his tribal affiliation, is debated. Odoacer’s brother Onoulphus was also killed in a church where he had taken refuge. [51][o] While Odoacer took refuge in Ravenna, Theodoric continued across Italy to Mediolanum, where the majority of Odoacer's army, including his chief general Tufa, surrendered to the Ostrogothic king. Eugippius, in his Life of Saint Severinus, records how a group of barbarians on their way to Italy had stopped to pay their respects to the holy man. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of the emperor in Constantinople, Zeno. One of these is that his name, "Odoacer", for which an etymology in Germanic languages had not been convincingly found, could be a form of the Turkish "Ot-toghar" ("grass-born" or "fire-born"), or the shorter form "Ot-ghar" ("herder"). He achieved a solid diplomatic coup by inducing the Vandal king Gaiseric to cede Sicily to him. Zeno had agreed to the Roman senate's request only with the understanding that Odoacer was more or less a stand-in for Julius Nepos and that he would step aside should Nepos return. [56] That same year, the Vandals took their turn to strike while both sides were fully engaged and invaded Sicily. [55] Further, Tufa remained at large in the strategic valley of the Adige near Trent, and received unexpected reinforcements when dissent amongst Theodoric's ranks led to sizable desertions. In 487 C.E, Zeno developed hostility towards Odoacer. In his Romana, the same author defines Odoacer as a descendant of the Rugii (or of a person named Rogus, Odoacer genere Rogus) with Turcilingi, Scirian and Heruli followers. [32] Zeno also suggested that Odoacer should receive Nepos back as Emperor in the West,[33] "if he truly wished to act with justice. His last words, "Where is God?" He had the support of the Roman Senate and was able to distribute land to his followers without much opposition. To prove his worth as a king, Odoacer fought the Battle of Ravenna and emerged victorious. Switching allegiances, Zeno subsequently sought to destroy Odoacer and then promised Theodoric the Great and his Ostrogoths the Italian peninsula if they were to defeat and remove Odoacer. Although he had already been declared king by his troops, and his position approved by the Roman senate, Odoacer's personal declaration was made as an acceptance of this honor and, also perhaps, to send the message that he felt himself worthy to be king on equal standing with any other monarch. "[21][h], By 470, Odoacer had become an officer in what remained of the Roman Army. "[48], In 489, Theodoric led the Ostrogoths across the Julian Alps and into Italy. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Odoacer/. [c] Some scholars believe his origins lie in the multi-ethnic empire of Attila. 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. Ancient History Encyclopedia. In the course of the year 493 Theodoric had become the unchallenged master of Italy (284). [46], As Odoacer's position improved, Zeno, the Eastern Emperor, increasingly saw him as a rival. On Aug. 23, 476, Odoacer was proclaimed king by his troops, and five days later Orestes was captured and executed in Placentia (now Piacenza), Italy. [25] Before the end of that year Orestes had rebelled and driven Nepos from Italy. Odoacer left Ravenna and took the battle to the enemy who repeatedly repelled him. Although Odoacer was an Arian Christian, he rarely intervened in the affairs of the Trinitarian state church of the Roman Empire. There is a lot of confusion regarding the origin of Odoacer. The emperor responded first by inciting the Rugii of present-day Austria to attack Italy. She asserts instead that Odoacer was "surely Germanic, probably half-Scirian, half-Thuringian, and he may have had connections with other tribes through intermarriage". He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. 24 Oct 2020. Odoacer (433–93) (Odovacar) Chief of the Germanic Heruli people and conqueror of the Western Roman Empire. Further irritating Zeno was Odoacer's support of the general Illus, who had revolted against Zeno's rule and caused him multiple problems. It is generally agreed among scholars, however, that he was the son of Edico the Hun, king of the Germanic Sciri tribe, and trusted advisor to Attila. "[37] A. H. M. Jones also notes that under Odoacer the Senate acquired "enhanced prestige and influence" in order to counter any desires for restoration of Imperial rule. When Julius Nepos was assassinated in his villa in Dalmatia in 480 CE, Odoacer marched to subdue the assassins, killed them, and then annexed Dalmatia (the modern-day eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea) into his kingdom. It was also a way to let the emperor know about the new king of Italy. He was eventually defeated and later killed by Theoderic the Great. Related Content https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/flavius-odoacer-35560.php, Celebrities Who Look Beautiful Even Without Makeup, Famous Role Models You Would Like To Meet. His reign marked the end of the Roman Empire; he deposed the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, on 4 September 476 CE. 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. It was also claimed by a scholar named Procopius that Odoacer was the bodyguard of the emperor. But Augustus paid no heed to their petition and that caused a rage among the army. [58] Theodoric had plotted to have a group of his followers kill him while the two kings were feasting together in the imperial palace of Honorius "Ad Laurentum" ("At the Laurel Grove"); when this plan went astray, Theodoric drew his sword and struck him on the collarbone. The Rugians of Norcam were said to have been instigated by Zeno to attack Italy. Bury, however, disagrees that Odoacer's assumption of power marked the fall of the Roman Empire: It stands out prominently as an important stage in the process of the dismemberment of the Empire. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Under Odoacer, however, the country was secured during an extremely chaotic time in its history. The Arian heresy was the belief that Jesus was a created being, not equal to God, and therefore Arians did not believe in the trinity. Orestes marched his troops into Italy and deposed Nepos from his position. For instance, his land distribution system was well-received amongst the commoners. [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). [16] On the other hand, historians Robert L. Reynolds and Robert S. Lopez explored the possibility that the name Odoacer was not Germanic, making several arguments that his ethnic background might lie elsewhere. He himself used it in the only surviving official document that emanated from his chancery, and it was also used by the consul Basilius. [u] However, Wolfram writes that Sunigilda was starved to death. The historian Will Durant once wrote, "It is easier to explain Rome's fall than to account for her long survival" (670). They also knew that the grant would allow them to live securely in those lands. The other is mentioned by Jordanes and identified as a leader of the Scirii, along with Hunuulf (perhaps his son), who were soundly defeated by the Ostrogoths at the Battle of Bolia in Pannonia about 469. He was described by Priscus as a Hun. [20] When Odoacer took his leave, Severinus made one final comment which proved prophetic: "Go to Italy, go, now covered with mean hides; soon you will make rich gifts to many. As both Herwig Wolfram and Peter Heather point out, Theodoric had his own reasons to agree to this offer: "Theodoric had enough experience to know (or at least suspect) that Zeno would not, in the long term, tolerate his independent power. [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. But he was also a feared monarch. King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths invited Odoacer to a banquet, where he was murdered. A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. If Julius wished to bestow the patriciate upon Odoacer, that was for him to decide. Constantine the Great had so hated the Arian heresy that he ordered all the Arian works burned. Upon Nepos's murder in 480 Odoacer invaded Dalmatia, to punish the murderers. [31] The Eastern Emperor then conferred upon Odoacer the title of Patrician and granted him legal authority to govern Italy in the name of Rome. [18], The earliest supposed recorded event which is more certainly about Odoacer the future king, was shortly before he arrived in Italy. The remnants of the Roman army, however, refused to accept him, and a final engagement, known as the Battle of Ravenna, was fought on 2 September 476 CE from which Odoacer emerged victorious. That Odoacer, who was raised as an Arian, should allow Trinitarianism to be practiced throughout his kingdom without problems is a testament to the wisdom and tolerance of his reign. Flavius Odoacer was a soldier who went on to become the King of Italy. According to the Anonymus Valesianus, Odoacer was moved by Romulus's youth and his beauty to not only spare his life but give him a pension of 6,000 solidi and sent him to Campania to live with his relatives.