Julius Nepos was born in the Roman province of Dalmatia, a region that sat between the Western and Eastern halves of the empire. His father was Nepotianus, a general who served under Emperor Majorian before dying in 465. Nepos inherited his uncle Marcellinus's position as master of troops after the elder general died in 468. Marcellinus had fought against Vandal forces and briefly held Sardinia from their control. The family held significant local power within Dalmatia, supported by memorial inscriptions found among four contemporary individuals named Aelia Nepotes, Aelia Nepos, another Julius Nepos, and Nepotes. This lineage gave Nepos immediate access to military command when he first appeared in records on the 1st of June 473. He married a noblewoman whose name remains unknown but who was connected to Empress Verina, possibly her niece. By 474, Nepos had also acquired the title of patrician while holding his provincial governorship.
Eastern Intervention In Italy
Emperor Leo I of the East decided to install Nepos as western emperor after Glycerius seized power in March 473. Gundobad, king of the Burgundians, had appointed Glycerius without eastern approval. Leo responded by appointing Nepos commander of an army in December 473 to attack Italy. Winter delayed the campaign until spring 474, when Nepos finally departed with backing from Zeno, Leo's successor. His forces landed at Portus near Rome where they were promptly proclaimed Augustus. On the 24th of June 474, Nepos entered Rome and deposed Glycerius without bloodshed. The former emperor received mercy and was made bishop of Salona instead. Zeno quickly recognized Nepos as the legitimate western ruler. This intervention fulfilled a plan Marcellinus had once considered years earlier before being dissuaded by Leo. The Senate and people of Italy accepted Nepos as their new sovereign.Military Campaigns In Gaul
Nepos focused most of his attention on reasserting imperial control over Gaul rather than defending Italy directly. He appointed Ecdicius, son of Emperor Avitus, as patrician and magister militum to counter Visigothic expansion under King Euric. Sidonius Apollinaris reported that Nepos's accession was enthusiastically welcomed in remaining imperial territories. Ecdicius successfully relieved a siege of Arles in 474 but lacked resources for victory in 475. The peace negotiations that followed involved sending bishops Epiphanius of Pavia, Leontius of Arles, Faustus of Riez, Graecus of Marseilles, and Basilius of Aix to Euric. These envoys achieved an agreement ceding the Auvergne region to the Visigoths while retaining other parts of Gaul under Roman control. Romans like Sidonius were shocked by this territorial loss. The failure to defeat the Visigoths combined with Zeno's temporary overthrow by Basiliscus weakened Nepos's position significantly.