When did the Battle of Ravenna in 476 take place?
The decisive Battle of Ravenna was fought on the 2nd of September, 476. Two days later, on the 4th of September, Odoacer forced the emperor Romulus Augustulus to abdicate.
Questions about Battle of Ravenna (476)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was Odoacer and what role did he play in the fall of the Western Roman Empire?
Odoacer was the king of the Heruli, a Germanic people who served as foederati in the Roman army of Italy. He led the revolt against the Western Roman government after the regent Orestes refused to grant the Herulians a third of Italy's land, and his victory at Ravenna ended the Western Roman Empire.
Why did Romulus Augustulus abdicate after the Battle of Ravenna?
Romulus Augustulus, then sixteen years old, was compelled to abdicate by Odoacer after the fall of Ravenna in September 476. He was not killed but sent into retirement in Campania.
What caused the Herulian revolt that led to the Battle of Ravenna?
The Herulians demanded that a third of the lands of Italy be divided among them, citing the independent inheritances won by fellow Germanic soldiers in Gaul, Spain, and Africa. Orestes, the father of the emperor and the effective ruler of Italy, rejected this demand, triggering the revolt.
Was Romulus Augustulus recognized as the legitimate Western Roman Emperor?
No. The Eastern Roman Empire did not recognize Romulus Augustulus as a legitimate ruler. Constantinople regarded Julius Nepos as the true Western Roman Emperor.
What happened to Rome before the Battle of Ravenna in 476?
Rome had been sacked twice in the decades before 476: by the Visigoths in 410 and by the Vandals in 455. By 476, Ravenna, not Rome, served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire.