Short Biography about the life of Romulus Augustus
Short Biography profile and facts about one of the most famous Romans of all, in the life of Romulus Augustus, Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

• Name commonly known as: Romulus Augustus aka Augustulus ("Little Augustus")
• Latin Roman Name: Romulus Augustus
• Reigned as Roman Emperor / Caesar: 31 October 475 to 4 September 476

• Dynasty / Historical Period: Western Empire (394 - 476) which led to the disintegration of Roman authority and the Fall of the Roman Empire

• Name of previous Emperor: His predecessor or the Emperor before Romulus Augustus was Julius Nepos
• Family connections / Genealogy
  • Name of Father: Orestes

• Place and Date of Death: Retired to Misenum Palace in Campania. Date and Cause of death unknown

• For the names of the next Roman emperors in the East and the West of the Empire refer to the Timeline of Roman Emperors

Interesting facts about the life of Romulus Augustus
Obtain a fast overview of the times of the Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus from the following facts and information about his life. Romulus Augustus aka Augustulus was the last emperor of Rome and the Western Empire. His very name proved to be ironic as Romulus was the legendary first king of Rome and Augustus was its first emperor. Romulus Augustus was the son of Orestes a Roman politician who had been in the service of Attila the Hun. The previous emperor, Julius Nepos, had appointed Orestes to the most powerful position of magister militum (Master of the Soldiers). Orestes was ambitious, powerful and treacherous. He took over the palace at Ravenna and in 480 Julius Nepos was assassinated. Orestes made his young son, Romulus Augustus as the new emperor of the western empire. Romulus Augustus was believed to have been about 14 years of age when he became emperor and Orestes was clearly the power behind the throne. The young emperor took the title "Augustus" as his name, but became commonly known as Augustulus, "the little Augustus". By this time in Roman history the army of paid mercenaries. The soldiers demanded payment and delays produced a rebellion of the Germanic mercenaries under their chieftain Odoacer. On 28 August 476, Orestes was captured and killed by Odoacer near Piacenza. Odoacer condemned Romulus Augustus to exile in the castle of Lucullus at Misenum in Campania. There are no more details about the life of Romulus Augustus the date and cause of his death is unknown. Odoacer assumed the title of King, although he made use of neither the purple nor the imperial regalia. So ends the story of the last Roman Emperor.