What happened to the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire (4 photos)

His name was Romulus - like the founder of the Eternal City.





In 405 AD, Rome was captured and plundered by the Gothic king Alaric. This date is usually associated with the fall of the Western Empire.

But in fact, it stood for another 80 years. And the Romans did not know that they had “fallen” or “ended” all this time. So the last official emperor of the Western Roman Empire took the throne in 475 AD. It was a 15-year-old boy named Flavius ​​Romulus Augustus. Those close to him often called him Augustullus - that's Augustus in Latin. So they jokingly emphasized his connection with the first emperor Octavian Augustus. And they linked the boy with the founder of Rome - Romulus. So in history everything comes full circle - whether we like it or not.



Flavius ​​Romulus Augustus from the movie "The Last Legion"

By that time, all that remained of the Western Empire was the Apennine Peninsula with a piece of modern France. And the capital of this stump was in Ravenna, not in Rome. The young emperor's father, Orestes, was in charge of everything. This citizen had a serious falling out with the barbarian mercenaries (they wanted more gold and a part of the Italian lands for their service), and that was the end of Orestes. He was captured and beheaded.





No one took the young Romulus seriously, so the new leader Odoacer sent the crown of the Western Roman Empire to Constantinople. He modestly called himself "The Leader of Italy." But he understood that if he killed the teenager, he would cause too much indignation among the locals, so he cheated and sent Romulus into honorable exile. The young man, together with his mother and retinue, settled on an island near Naples and received a solid pension in gold. The last time he was mentioned in the chronicle was in 507 AD - after that he died or simply ceased to be interesting to anyone.



Coins with the profile of the last emperor

As for the “Leader of Italy” Odoacer - for some time he tried to rule in the Roman style: he fought with opponents, issued laws, even arranged some spectacles for the people. And then he clashed with the king of the Ostrogoths Theodoric the Great and lost. At that time Romulus was still alive and could gloat over the death of the "Leader" who left him without a crown.