Odovacar

Odovacar, also spelled Odoacer, was a Germanic chieftain who deposed the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in 476 CE. This event is traditionally considered the end of the Western Roman Empire. Odovacar was of Scirian or possibly other Germanic extraction, and rose to prominence within the Roman military in Italy. He served as a foederatus, a barbarian mercenary allied with Rome.

After the deposition of Romulus Augustulus, Odovacar did not claim the imperial title for himself. Instead, he sent the imperial regalia to the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno in Constantinople, effectively acknowledging Zeno's nominal authority over the West. Odovacar then ruled Italy as king, but his reign was marked by a desire to maintain Roman administrative structures. He appointed Roman officials to govern and largely respected Roman law and institutions.

Odovacar's rule in Italy lasted for about seventeen years. His independent kingdom eventually attracted the attention of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, who was acting under the authority of Emperor Zeno. Theodoric invaded Italy in 489 CE. After a protracted conflict, Odovacar was defeated and killed by Theodoric in 493 CE, after which the Ostrogoths established their own kingdom in Italy.