Odoacer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flavius Odoacer |
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| Rex/Dux Patricius |
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| King of Italy | |
| Reign | 4 September 476 – 15 March 493 |
| Successor | Theodoric the Great |
| Born | c. 433 Western Roman Empire |
| Died | 15 March 493 (aged 60) Ravenna, Kingdom of Italy |
| Spouse | Sunigilda |
| Issue | Thela |
| Father | Edeko |
| Religion | Arianism |
Odoacer (born around 433 AD, died March 15, 493 AD) was a powerful Germanic soldier and leader. He is famous for removing the last Western Roman Emperor, a young boy named Romulus Augustulus, from power in 476 AD. This event is often seen as the official end of the Western Roman Empire and ancient Rome itself. After this, Odoacer became the first King of Italy.
Even though Odoacer held the real power in Italy, he acted as if he was serving the Eastern Roman Emperor, Zeno, who ruled from Constantinople. Zeno even gave Odoacer the important Roman title of patrician. However, many documents also called Odoacer a king (rex) or a duke (dux). He himself used the title of king.
Odoacer did not make many big changes to how Italy was run. He had the support of the Roman Senate. He was also able to give land to his soldiers without much trouble. Although Odoacer was an Arian Christian (a different branch of Christianity), he usually did not interfere with the main Christian church in Rome.
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Odoacer's Rise to Power
Odoacer was likely from a group of people called the East Germanic tribes. He was a military leader in Italy. In 476 AD, he led a revolt of soldiers from different tribes, including the Heruli and Sciri. On September 4, 476 AD, they removed Romulus Augustulus from his position as emperor.
Romulus Augustulus was only eleven years old. His father, Orestes, had made him emperor less than a year before. But Romulus Augustulus was not recognized by many outside central Italy. With the support of the Roman Senate, Odoacer took control of Italy. He showed respect to Julius Nepos, who was the previous Western Emperor, and to Zeno, the Eastern Emperor.
When Nepos was killed in 480 AD, Odoacer invaded Dalmatia (a region across the Adriatic Sea). He punished those who killed Nepos. Within two years, Odoacer had conquered Dalmatia and added it to his own lands.
King of Italy
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Kingdom of Italy
Regnum Italicum
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| 476–493 | |||||||||||||
The Kingdom of Italy (under Odoacer) in 480 AD.
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| Capital | Ravenna | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Latin Vulgar Latin Gothic |
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| Religion | Arianism (especially among Germanics), Chalcedonian Orthodoxy (majority, especially among Romans), Syncretic Roman paganism (minority of Romans), Germanic paganism, Judaism, Manichaeism |
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| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| Rex | |||||||||||||
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• 476–493 AD
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Odoacer | ||||||||||||
| Legislature | Roman Senate | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages | ||||||||||||
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• Odoacer is proclaimed rex/dux
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23 August 476 | ||||||||||||
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• Romulus Augustulus abdicates
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4 September 476 | ||||||||||||
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• Theoderic assassinates Odoacer
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15 March 493 | ||||||||||||
| Currency | Solidus | ||||||||||||
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In 476, Odoacer's soldiers declared him king. Emperor Zeno also recognized him as the ruler of Italy. Odoacer took many military steps to make his control stronger. He even convinced the Vandal king Gaiseric to give him control of Sicily.
When Julius Nepos was killed in 480, Odoacer took charge. He hunted down and executed the killers. At the same time, he took control of the region of Dalmatia.
Odoacer worked closely with the Roman Senate. The Senate seemed to support him throughout his rule. He often chose senators for important government jobs. Under Odoacer, the Senate gained more respect and power. This helped to keep things stable in Italy.
Even though Odoacer was an Arian Christian, he had good relations with the main Catholic Church. He showed great respect for important bishops. For example, he granted tax relief to people in Liguria when a bishop asked him to.
In 487-488, Odoacer led his army to victory against the Rugians in Noricum (modern-day Austria). He captured their king. Later, Odoacer's brother, Onoulphus, had to move the remaining Romans from Noricum to Italy for their safety.
The End of Odoacer's Rule
As Odoacer became more powerful, Emperor Zeno in the East started to see him as a threat. Zeno then asked Theodoric the Great, leader of the Ostrogoths, to invade Italy. Zeno promised Theodoric the Italian peninsula if he could defeat Odoacer. Theodoric had his own reasons to agree to this plan.
In 489, Theodoric and his Ostrogoths entered Italy. Odoacer met them in battle but was defeated. He retreated to Verona, where he was defeated again. Odoacer then took refuge in Ravenna, a well-protected city.
Theodoric followed and began to surround Ravenna. The city was hard to capture because it was surrounded by marshes and could be supplied by sea. The war dragged on for three years.
Finally, on February 25, 493, a bishop helped negotiate a peace treaty. Theodoric and Odoacer agreed to rule Ravenna and Italy together. Theodoric entered the city on March 5.
However, Odoacer died just ten days later. Theodoric killed him during a feast. Theodoric had planned to have his followers kill Odoacer, but when that failed, he killed Odoacer himself. After Odoacer's death, Theodoric also had Odoacer's loyal followers hunted down and killed. Odoacer's wife was killed, and his brother was killed while trying to find safety. Odoacer's son was exiled and later killed when he tried to return to Italy.
Even though Odoacer's rule ended tragically, he had set up a strong kingdom in Italy. This kingdom was then taken over and expanded by Theodoric.
What People Said About Odoacer Later
- The old German poem Hildebrandslied mentions Odoacer (called Otacher). It says he was the one who drove Hildebrand from his home.
- The famous Old English poem 'Wulf and Eadwacer' might be a story based on parts of Odoacer's life.
- Odoacer appears in the 2002 novel The Last Legion by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. He was played by Peter Mullan in the 2007 movie based on the book.
Images for kids
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Latin memorial plate from 1521, that mentions Odoacer as Rex Rhutenorum (Petersfriedhof, Salzburg)
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Romulus Augustus resigns the Crown (from a 19th-century illustration).
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Odoacer solidus struck in the name of Emperor Zeno, testifying to the formal submission of Odoacer to Zeno.
See also
In Spanish: Odoacro para niños
