The Last Emperor of Rome Was The Perfect Microcosm of Roman Decline
Symbolizing everything wrong with the ailing empire
If names had power, Romulus Augustulus would have been an incredible emperor for Rome. Named for the mythical founder of the Eternal City, Romulus Augustulus would go on to oversee its final collapse. The first Romulus founded the city that would take the whole world, and another, much diminished, Romulus would watch the city fall into the hands of the barbarian king-to-be Odoacer.
By the time little Emperor Romulus Augustulus was placed on the throne in 475 CE, the city and its tattered empire were in dire straights. Rome’s glory had been officially split into Eastern and Western halves in 395 CE, and the western half seemingly received the short end of the stick in the deal. Rome had been sacked twice since that time, once in 410 and again in 455, and it was about to be sacked again.
Meanwhile, Romulus Augustulus was placed on the Roman throne on October 31st, 475 CE, while he was still a child. He was placed there by his father, Orestes, who was a Pannonian and a close advisor to Attila the Hun. Orestes had the honor of crowning the next emperor because he was the most powerful general in the region at the time.
