Odoacer, 1st Germanic King of Italy

Odoacer (c.433–493), also known as Odovacer, was the 5th-century King of Italy, whose reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the classical Roman Empire in Western Europe and the beginning of the Middle Ages. He is considered the first non-Roman to ever have ruled all of Italy.

He was son of a barbarian mercenary in Attila's army, perhaps of Edeko. He was probably the Odoacer who commanded a group of Saxon pirates who occupied a group of islands on the Loire and who attacked Angers in 463. He was defeated by the combined efforts of the Franks and Romans, and became a Roman mercenary in 470. In August 475, he offered his support to Orestes in his conflict against Emperor Julius Nepos. A year later, he led the mercenary revolt against Orestes, whom he killed. He then dethroned Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman Emperor. He was proclaimed king by his own troops. He sent the imperial insignia to the Eastern Emperor at Constantinople and received in return recognition as Magister Militum in Italy. After a remarkable reign, he was killed in 493 by Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, after being defeated in the battles of Isonzo, Verona, Adda and Ravenna.

His origin is uncertain. He seems to have been son of Edeko, a vassal of the Huns, and he was certainly a brother of Onoulphus, a general of the Eastern Roman Empire.

According to a reconstruction by Stephan Krautschick, Odoacer and Onoulphus were brothers of Flavius Armatus, so like Armatus, they were probably also nephews of Basiliscus and Empress Verina. If so, his mother would have been a sister of Basiliscus and Verina.

Odoacer married Sunigilda, daughter of Rogus. He had several children, including Thela.

Sources

• Odovacar 476-493 at Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, visited Aug. 22, 2013.
• Krautschick, Stephan (1986). "Zwei Aspekte des Jahres 476". Historia 35: pp. 344–371.
• Wikipedia: English