Editing Romulus Augustulus (section)

== Reign ==
{{See also|Deposition of Romulus Augustus}}
[[File:Young Folks' History of Rome illus420.png|thumb|19th-century illustration of Romulus Augustus surrendering his crown in front of [[Odoacer]]]]
After an interregnum in the west lasting two months, Romulus, perhaps as young as ten years old,{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}} was proclaimed emperor in Nepos' stead by Orestes on 31 October 475.{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=950}} He was the last emperor to be proclaimed in the west.{{Sfn|Kos|2008|p=439}} Why the interregnum since Nepos lasted so long and why Orestes, a high-ranking military official and a Roman by birth, did not take the imperial title for himself is not known. It is possible that Orestes was waiting for some form of formal recognition or response from emperor Zeno in the east, which never came.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}} Romulus would throughout his brief ten-month reign be little more than a figurehead, with his father, who retained the position of ''magister militum'', actually running much of the imperial administration.{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}} Zeno never recognised the rule of Romulus as emperor in the west, given that Nepos, invested as emperor by Zeno's predecessor Leo I, still ruled in exile in Dalmatia.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}}

Problems with the Western Roman army, mainly composed of barbarian ''foederati'', had escalated throughout the 470s. The issues the army had with the central government had been what allowed Orestes to depose Nepos. In 476, the barbarian ''foederati'' in Italy, composed mainly of the [[Heruli|Herules]], [[Sciri]]ans and [[Turcilingi]]ans, demanded land in Italy to settle on. Orestes refused.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}} The leader of the ''foederati'' was [[Odoacer]], a barbarian officer of undetermined tribal affiliation.{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}} Orestes had once worked alongside Odoacer's father [[Edeco|Edeko]] at the court of Attila.{{Sfn|Kos|2008|p=441}} On 28 August 476, Odoacer defeated Orestes in battle at [[Ticinum]], captured him and had him executed.{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=950}}

On 4 September,{{efn|The ''[[Fasti vindobonenses priores]]'' gives 4&nbsp;September (''[[Roman calendar|pridie nonas]] Septembris''), while the ''[[Auctarium Prosperi Havniense]]'' gives 31&nbsp;August (''[[Roman calendar|pridie&nbsp;kalendas]] Septembris''), one of which is a corruption of the other.{{sfn|Mommsen|1892|pp=310–311}} The ''Fasti'' dates are usually considered the most reliable, hence why they are the ones often used in modern scholarship.{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=950}} Furthermore, the ''Fasti'' date "is to be preferred due to the time needed to march across the north of Italy".{{sfn|Hughes|2015|p=86}}}} Odoacer captured Ravenna, killing Orestes' deputy and brother Paulus during the fighting. Romulus was captured and deposed, whereafter Odoacer assumed control of Italy as its first king.{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=950}} Odoacer sent Romulus' western imperial regalia to emperor Zeno in the east, and swore allegiance to him, ruling without further imperial successors in the west.{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}} According to the 5th-century Eastern Roman writer and historian [[Malchus (historian)|Malchus]], Odoacer may have forced Romulus himself, as his last official act as emperor, to send the imperial regalia and a "letter of resignation" to Zeno, writing that the Roman Empire from this point only required a single emperor, ruling from [[Constantinople]]. Though Zeno granted Odoacer the distinction of patrician, he also urged the king to accept [[Julius Nepos]] back as emperor in Italy.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}} Though Odoacer nominally accepted Nepos as his sovereign, minting coins in his name,{{Sfn|Kos|2008|p=439}} Nepos was never able to reoccupy Italy.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}}