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Julius Nepos〔Martindale 1980, ''s.v. Iulius Nepos (3)'', pp. 777–778〕 (Latin: ''Flavius Iulius Nepos Augustus''; 430480) was Western Roman Emperor ''de facto'' from 474 to 475 and ''de jure'' until 480. He was also the ruler of Roman Dalmatia from 468 to 480. Some historians consider Nepos to be the last Western Roman Emperor, while others consider the western line to have ended with Romulus Augustulus in 476. In contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire and its line of Emperors survived this period of history essentially intact. Julius Nepos, already in control of a semi-autonomous Dalmatia, was appointed Western Roman Emperor in early 474 by the Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I in an effort to replace the western emperor Glycerius, who was regarded as a usurper. His agnomen of "Nepos" (nephew) was probably earned through a marriage to Leo's wife's niece; it is likely that this relationship also played a significant part in his selection for the western throne. In June 474, shortly after Nepos arrived in Italy, Glycerius surrendered. Nepos spared his life and appointed him bishop of Salona. Nepos ruled briefly over the whole of the remaining Western Roman Empire, centered in Italy, still the Empire's heartland, and including his native Dalmatia and the remaining parts of Roman Gaul. Nepos' rule in Italy ended in 475, when he was deposed by his magister militum, Orestes. Fleeing from Italy and Orestes without opposition, Nepos returned to Dalmatia, over which he retained control. In the same year, following the departure of Nepos, Orestes enthroned his own teenage son as the new western emperor with the regnal name Romulus Augustus, in reference to whom the second element is often used in the diminutive "Augustulus" (little Augustus). The reasons for Orestes' decision to crown his son as a puppet-emperor, rather than become emperor himself, are somewhat unclear. In the eyes of Roman law and of the eastern court in Constantinople, however, the status of Romulus as Emperor was unconstitutional. His short reign ended in 476 with the execution of his father and his own subsequent forced abdication, both the result of an uprising led by Odoacer, head of the Germanic Foederati in Italy. Odoacer, the new ruler of the Italian peninsula, sent the teenaged former emperor to Campania in exile or retirement, after which Romulus Augustulus disappears from the historical record. Although his successor had been deposed, Nepos never returned to Italy; however the "Emperor of the West" continued to reign from Dalmatia, and he still enjoyed some support from Constantinople. Odoacer, attempting to bypass Nepos, used the Roman Senate to petition the newly restored Eastern Emperor, Zeno; he requested the title of Patrician, and sought to end the separate line of Western Emperors. Patrician rank was granted, but at Zeno's insistence Odoacer also grudgingly acknowledged Nepos' Imperial status, and even issued coinage in Nepos' name. As ''Patricius'', Odoacer ruled over Italy and an expanding sphere of related territories as a viceroy, while technically acknowledging Nepos as Emperor of the West. In practical terms, Odoacer was an increasingly independent King of Italy, nominally recognizing the Empire's suzerainty; Nepos retained claim to the Imperial title, but exercised no real power outside of Dalmatia. This political solution lasted approximately 4 years. ''Julius Nepos'', still residing in Dalmatia, was murdered by members of his own military in 480, possibly as a result of machinations by Odoacer and/or Glycerius, possibly aggravated by ambitions on Nepos' part to regain control of Italy. The competing desires of various persons to replace him as ruler of Dalmatia probably also played a part in his assassination. After Nepos death, Zeno formally abolished the division of the Empire. ==Family== As is the case with many Roman Emperors who reigned for only a short period of time, particularly those from the final decades of the western empire, there is only limited information about Nepos available in surviving records. Historians claim 〔Drinkwater & Elton 2002, pp. 24–25〕 that Julius Nepos was son of the ''comes'' Nepotianus, a general (''magister utriusque militiae'') who served the Western Roman Empire between 458 and 461 during the reign of Majorian. Nepotianus is mentioned as having been active in southern Gaul and in Hispania, eventually dying in 465.〔Martindale 1980, ''s.v. Nepotianus (2)'', p. 778〕 His unnamed mother was a sister of Marcellinus, ''magister militum'' of Dalmatia. Since Jordanes often uses Marcellinus Comes as a source, the passage might have been copied verbatim.〔 Marcellinus was a powerful figure in the Western Roman Empire, rebelling in 454 against the Emperor Valentinian III after the latter's assassination of Flavius Aetius. He established himself as an autonomous ruler in Dalmatia, despite accepting the authority of the emperors Majorian and Anthemius. Under Anthemius he was raised to the rank of patrician, becoming a possible threat to Ricimer, the powerful kingmaker behind the western throne. In 468, Marcellinus died in Sicily, probably at the hands of Ricimer.〔Martindale 1980, pp. 708–710, ''s.v. Marcellinus (6)''〕〔A. Kazhdan 1991, p. 1081, ''s.v. Julius Nepos''〕〔O'Flynn 1983, pp. 116–118〕 Nepos inherited control of Dalmatia from his uncle, gaining the title ''magister militum Dalmatiae'',〔''PLRE'' II, pp. 777〕 and with it a powerbase which would be integral to his future career. Nepos may have been a member of an enduringly prominent Dalmatian family. Four memorial inscriptions commemorating similarly named individuals, from the same region and falling within an appropriate time-frame, have been identified: Aelia Nepotes, Aelia Nepos, Julius Nepos, and Nepotes. The name also seems to be preserved in a church inscription of Salona, dating to the early 5th century.〔MacGeorge (2002), p42〕 Although the association of the agnomen ''"Nepos"'' with his connection to the Leonid dynasty seems to be fairly clear, the origins of and relationships between all these similar-sounding names, including his father's, are less clear. Also unclear is what role Nepos' ties of kinship with Marcellinus might have played in the acquisition of his agnomen. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Julius Nepos」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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