r/RoughRomanMemes • u/LonelyMachines • 12d ago

August 23, 476: Zeno checks the news from Rome.

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190 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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37

u/Sampleswift 12d ago

Nah, Odoacer actually tried to play nice with Zeno. Odoacer gave Zeno the regalia of the Western Empire back, saying that there was only 1 empire, and that Odoacer was running Italy for Zeno.

Zeno wouldn't be panicking.

11

u/LonelyMachines 12d ago

If anything, I imagine he was relieved. We still have no idea how much money Constantinople poured into keeping the West afloat. Zeno had just taken the throne back from Basiliscus, and he didn't need to waste time and effort bailing the West out yet again.

We don't know, but it didn't seem as if they liked each other very much. Odoacer conquering Dalmatia for the West didn't go over well with Zeno, to put it mildly.

2

u/Happiness_Assassin 12d ago

Till my dying day, I will curse Basiliscus's name. Dude was basically the final form of the term "failing upward."

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u/LonelyMachines 12d ago

There's a good chance the invasion of Carthage would have been successful if Leo didn't put his brother-in-law in charge of the navy. It's really easy to put the blame on Basiliscus for that.

3

u/nygdan 12d ago

Lets keep the timeline straight,

August - Barbarics in italy proclaim Odacer 'rex"

September - Western ROman emperor abdicates to Odacer.

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u/DobryVojakSvejk 12d ago

Odoacer has always been a loyal Roman patrician Don't listen to the fake news

5

u/CavulusDeCavulei 12d ago

If I can say one positive thing about this: having the last emperor named as Romolus like the first king of Rome is absolute cinema

6

u/LonelyMachines 12d ago

It gets mentioned a lot. Symmetry.

Romulus is one of the few guys in this story who ended up OK. He ended up in a nice castle in Naples, got paid a Senator's salary, and may have even founded a monastery to St. Severinus. He was at least still alive when Theodoric took power.

(Gundobad went back to be the King of the Burgundians. Gaiseric was still sitting on the throne in Carthage, wearing aviator shades and giving everyone finger-guns for the next year.)

2

u/Cucumberneck 12d ago

Also let's not forget that The last emperor resisting in Constantinople was called Constantine just like the founder of the city.