Editing Julius Nepos (section)

===Exile in Dalmatia (475–480)===
[[File:Marcellinus Dalmatia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|Approximate extent of Nepos' domain in [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]] in 476, with neighbouring states]]
Little is known of Nepos' later activities in Dalmatia due to the scarcity of surviving sources.{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}} Nepos never renounced his claim to the [[Western Roman Empire|Western Empire]] and continued to be recognised in the east instead of Romulus Augustulus.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}}{{Sfn|Heather|2015}}{{Sfn|Sandberg|2008|p=209}}{{sfn|Gregory|2010|p=117}} Throughout his time in exile, Nepos hoped to regain control of Italy.{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}} On 4 September 476, Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the barbarian general [[Odoacer]], who became the first [[King of Italy]].{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=950}} Odoacer sent Romulus' western imperial regalia to Zeno in the east, and swore allegiance to him, ruling without further imperial successors in the west.{{Sfn|Nathan|1997}} Odoacer considered the Roman Empire from this point on as only requiring a single emperor, ruling from Constantinople.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}} At the same time, an embassy from Nepos arrived in Constantinople, congratulating Zeno on regaining Constantinople from Basiliscus and requesting his assistance in restoring Nepos to power in Italy. Zeno responded to the ambassadors sent by Odoacer, members of the Roman Senate, that they had killed one east-supported emperor (Anthemius) and driven one out (Nepos) and that they would do well in receiving Nepos back as their ruler. Zeno also stated that Odoacer would do best in receiving the rank of patrician, which he had requested, not from Zeno, but from the legal western ruler, Nepos, although Zeno promised to grant the rank if Nepos would not. Zeno also urged Odoacer to accept Nepos back as emperor in Italy.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}}{{Sfn|Mathisen|1997}}{{Sfn|Halsall|2007|p=300}} Although Zeno and Verina, who remained influential at court, officially supported Nepos' restoration and continued to regard him as the western emperor,{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}}{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}} he was not granted the necessary military support or funding to retake Italy.{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}}
[[File:Diocletian's Palace (original appearance).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Diocletian's Palace]], possibly the residence of Julius Nepos during his nominal continued reign in Dalmatia]]
Odoacer only nominally accepted Nepos' rule, resuming the production of gold coins in the name of Nepos at Italian mints, but taking no serious action to restore his throne.{{sfn|Grant|1985|p=307}} Coins of both Nepos and Zeno were minted in Italy, and Odoacer perhaps provided Nepos with a pension,{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}}{{Sfn|Kos|2008|p=439}} but in practice ignored him.{{Sfn|Wozniak|1981|p=362}} In 477 or 478, Nepos again petitioned Zeno to help him retake Italy.{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}} Also in 477, some of the remaining imperial possessions in southern Gaul rebelled against Odoacer, probably intending to fight for the restoration of Nepos. Zeno received embassies from both Odoacer and Gaul, but was forced to support Odoacer given that supporting the Gallic rebels against Odoacer would have amounted to declaring war on Odoacer, which Zeno was not prepared to do.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}}

In 479, Nepos' hopes may have been ignited when [[Theodoric the Great|Theodoric]], the king of the [[Ostrogoths]], offered to pledge his troops to fight for Nepos' claim.{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}} Nepos was murdered on 9 May 480,{{Efn|name=deathdate}} at his villa near Salona, possibly the same building as [[Diocletian's Palace]],{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}} by members of his retinue, the {{lang|la|[[Comes|comites]]}} [[Ovida]] and Viator.{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=778}}{{sfn|Grant|1985|p=307}} It is possible that the former emperor Glycerius, whom Nepos had deposed, also played a leading role in the murder,{{Sfn|Jones et al|1980|p=514}}{{sfn|Kazhdan|1991|p=1081}} possibly as the instigator.{{Sfn|Halsall|2007|p=301}} If Glycerius was not the instigator, it is possible that the murder was caused by Nepos in 480 actively beginning to prepare his forces for a real attempt at recovering Italy militarily, and that his supporters in Dalmatia were unwilling to embark on such an adventure.{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}} Though the chroniclers of the time wrote of Nepos' violent and unexpected death, it was given little attention and no actions were taken against his murderers for quite some time.{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}}{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}} Only in late 481 or 482 did Odoacer invade Dalmatia and put Ovida, who had become the ruler of the province, to death,{{Sfn|Demo|1988|p=248}} using Nepos' murder as a pretext to conquer the province for himself.{{sfn|Grant|1985|p=307}}{{Sfn|Mathisen|1998}} The eastern empire made no attempt to stop him.{{Sfn|Wozniak|1981|p=364}} After Nepos' death, Odoacer recognised Zeno as his new suzerain and Zeno did not appoint a new western emperor, becoming the first proper sole Roman emperor of the entire empire since the death of [[Theodosius I]] in 395 (though he continued to only effectively control the eastern provinces).{{Sfn|Bury|1923|p=422}}{{Sfn|Williams|Friell|1998|p=187}}