First barbarian king of Italy; b. c. 433, d. 15 March 493 (Ravenna).
Odoacer was the son of Idico (Edeco), a German of the Sciri or the Ruguan tribes. Like other German tribes the Sciri had been driven from their lands and were looking for a place to settle. The Roman general Orestes promised them land if they served in the Roman army, and a Sciri regiment was stationed in Italy.
In 475 Orestes staged a military coup and seized power. When he failed to keep his promise Odoacer, who had joined the Sciri regiment, became the leader of a Sciri revolt in 476 and was proclaimed king by his troops. Orestes was captured and executed.
The Senate of Rome approved Odoacer as the new emperor of the Western empire, but Zeno, the Eastern emperor, did not acknowledge his claim. Odoacer was not much disturbed by this and could settle his people in Italy. After some initial violence during 477 - 478 the settlement programme did not provoke major conflict with the Romans.
Odoacer did not change much of the Roman administrative system. Although he was an Arian Christian he let the Roman Catholic church run its affairs mostly undisturbed.
Military action during Odoacer's reign included the conquest of Dalmatia (in today's Croatia) and assistance to a coup attempt against Zeno. In another campaign Odoacer could regain control over Sicily from the Vandals. His reign came to an end when Theodoric the Goth invaded Italy in 489. After five years of struggle Odoacer was isolated in the besieged city of Ravenna. The city surrendered on 5 March 493; Theodoric invited Odoacer to a banquet and killed him.