Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos (c. 430, † 480) was 474/475 the last legitimate emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
Life
Julius Nepos was 468 magister since succeeding his uncle Marcellinus Soldiers Dalmatiae and had thus as military chief ( magister militum ) in Dalmatia, a key military position at the interface between Western and Eastern Roman Empire held. The Eastern Roman Emperor Leo ( 457-474 ) gave him one of his nieces to wife and still gave him shortly before his death 473 the high title Patricius. The dying emperor Nepos equipped with an army and ordered him to move to Italy. Maybe Nepos was raised against the powerless Western Roman Emperor Glycerius in the spring 474 from the new Eastern Roman Emperor Leo II and Zeno College for Caesar. After his dismissal he took on June 24 in Rome the title of Augustus. He was the last western emperor, the Ostrom recognized.
His reign, however, was threatened by the military chief of Italy, Orestes, who sought dominion over the western empire itself. Orestes drove Julius Nepos finally in October 475 from Rome; these fled to the province of Dalmatia. He remained, however, the acknowledged emperor of Constantinople Opel West. While Orestes his son Romulus Augustulus was proclaimed Emperor, Julius Nepos tried from his residence Salona, continue to exercise influence. From the perspective of the Eastern Romans (ie, Zeno, who had been dethroned but in January 475 for 19 months) remained Nepos the legitimate Western Roman Emperor, even if the two anti-emperor Romulus ( Westrom ) and Basiliscus ( Ostrom ) had obviously recognized each other at times. As Zeno returned in July 476 to the throne, he failed Romulus further recognition.
After Romulus Augustulus was deposed by Odoacer in August 476, the Western Roman Empire disintegrated, which has previously been largely fallen apart into several Germanic -Roman empires, final. Italy remained under the rule of Odoacer, who had proclaimed himself King of Italy and the imperial insignia to Constantinople Opel sent. As Odoacer also a question asked to Vedas appointed by Zeno to Patricius - which according to Western understanding, the survey would have meant for " Vice Emperor " - answered Konstantin Opel, he should contact in this matter to Nepos, responsible for Italy Kaiser ( Malchus, Fragm 14 Blockley ). Julius Nepos ruled until his assassination in 480 in Dalmatia, where he resided the last legitimate emperor of the Western Roman Empire. It is unclear whether the assassination of his predecessor stepped Glycerius or by Odoacer was initiated. Nominally remained the German kingdoms of the West after his death for decades under the suzerainty of the ( Eastern Roman ) emperor (see Great Migration ).