Editing Romulus Augustulus (section)

{{Short description|Western Roman emperor from 475 to 476}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Romulus Augustus
| image        = Gold Solidus of Romulus Augustulus.jpg
| alt          = Golden coin
| caption      = [[Solidus (coin)|Solidus]] of Romulus Augustus, marked:<br/>{{sc|{{abbr|dn|DOMINUS NOSTER}} romvlvs avgvstvs {{abbr|p|PIUS}} {{abbr|f|FELIX}} {{abbr|avg|AUGUSTUS}}}}
| succession   = [[Roman emperor]]
| moretext     = in the [[Western Roman Empire|West]] <br/>(unrecognized in the [[Eastern Roman Empire|East]])
| reign        = 31 October 475 – {{nwr|4 September 476}}
| predecessor  = [[Julius Nepos]]{{efn|Julius Nepos continued to claim the position in exile in [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]] until being murdered in 480.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}}}}
| successor    = <!--Do not list a successor here. Odoacer was king of Italy, not emperor. The "predecessor" field contains a note that he was technically succeeded as the recognized western emperor by Nepos, but he is often disregarded by historians and should not be listed in this field.-->
| birth_date   = {{circa|465}}
| birth_place  = [[Pannonia]]
| death_date   = after 511
| regnal name  = Dominus Noster Romulus Augustus Pius Felix Augustus
| father       = [[Orestes (father of Romulus Augustulus)|Orestes]]
| mother       = Barbaria or Flavia Serena
| religion     = [[Chalcedonian Christianity]]
}}

'''Romulus Augustus''' ({{circa|465}}{{snd}}after 511{{efn|Sources do not mention Romulus's age of accession, only that he was considered "young"; his exact birth date is not known.{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=|pp=949–950}}}}), nicknamed '''Augustulus''', was [[Roman emperor]] of the [[Western Roman Empire|West]] from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. Romulus was placed on the imperial throne while still a minor by his father [[Orestes (father of Romulus Augustulus)|Orestes]], the {{lang|la|[[magister militum]]}}, for whom he served as little more than a figurehead. After a rule of ten months, the barbarian general [[Odoacer]] defeated and killed Orestes and deposed Romulus. As Odoacer did not proclaim any successor, Romulus is typically regarded as the last Western Roman emperor, his deposition marking the [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire|end of the Western Roman Empire as a political entity]]. The deposition of Romulus Augustulus is also sometimes used by historians to mark the transition from [[Classical antiquity|antiquity]] to the [[medieval period]].

Very few records survive of Romulus's reign. There are no known policies, laws or inscriptions of significance of the emperor, which leaves the impression that he was a shadowy and relatively inconsequential figure. The nickname "Augustulus" means "little [[Augustus (title)|Augustus]]" and was a derisive reference to his young age. Romulus's immediate family, including his father and possibly his mother, and maybe both his paternal and maternal grandparents, were from the [[Roman province]] of [[Pannonia]], and many of his family members had military backgrounds.

Romulus came to power through the usurpation of his predecessor [[Julius Nepos]] ({{Reign|474|475}} in Italy) in 475. Nepos fled to [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]] and continued to claim the imperial title in exile, which hampered Romulus's legitimacy and ensured that he was never recognised by the [[Eastern Roman]] emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]]. In 476, the allied barbarian {{lang|la|[[foederati]]}} in Italy demanded Italian lands to settle on, which was refused by Orestes. Under Odoacer, the {{lang|la|foederati}} defeated and killed Orestes and deposed Romulus, whereafter Odoacer became the first [[King of Italy]] and accepted Emperor Zeno as his nominal superior.

Romulus's life was spared by Odoacer, and he was allowed to retire to the {{lang|la|[[castellum Lucullanum]]}}, a great fortress in [[Campania]]. Little certain information is known concerning Romulus's life in exile. He might have played a role in founding a monastery at {{lang|la|castellum Lucullanum}} in the 480s or 490s, dedicated to Saint [[Severinus of Noricum]].{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}}{{Sfn|Kos|2008|p=446}} Romulus could have been alive as late as 507 or 511 when [[Theodoric the Great]], Odoacer's successor, wrote a letter to a "Romulus" concerning a pension. Romulus was likely dead before the mid-540s, as accounts of the [[Gothic War (535–554)|eastern Roman invasion of Italy]] at that time do not mention him.{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}}