Julius Nepos left for Italy in the spring of 474, backed by Leo's successor Zeno, and landed with his army at Portus, near Rome.
20 Facts About Julius Nepos
2.
Julius Nepos was the last emperor to be crowned in the city until Charlemagne in the ninth century.
3.
Julius Nepos worked to restore the prestige and authority of the Western Empire, though mostly unsuccessfully.
4.
Julius Nepos focused most of his attention on reasserting imperial control and authority in Gaul, but the Western Empire could no longer project enough strength to halt Visigothic conquests in the region.
5.
Julius Nepos repeatedly petitioned Zeno, who by then had defeated Basiliscus, for help in regaining control of Italy, though all he achieved was nominal recognition by Odoacer, who minted coins in Julius Nepos' name but otherwise mostly ignored him.
6.
In 480, Julius Nepos was murdered by two of his generals, Ovida and Viator, perhaps in Diocletian's Palace, possibly while planning an expedition of his own to recover Italy.
7.
Julius Nepos was a native of the Roman province of Dalmatia.
8.
Julius Nepos was the son of Nepotianus, a general who served under the western emperor Majorian.
9.
Julius Nepos' uncle Marcellinus was a prominent late Roman general, having fought the Vandals in several campaigns and playing a notable role in momentarily fending off Vandal attempts at controlling Sardinia.
10.
Julius Nepos might have held this position until he became emperor in 474, by which point he had become a patrician.
11.
Why Leo waited so long to appoint Julius Nepos is not known, but by this time the winter meant that Julius Nepos could not take action against Glycerius for a few months.
12.
Julius Nepos thus accomplished the exact intervention into Italy that had been planned by his uncle Marcellinus some years prior.
13.
Julius Nepos was the last emperor to be crowned in Rome until the coronation of Charlemagne in 800.
14.
Julius Nepos's rule was likewise accepted by the Roman Senate and the people of Italy.
15.
Julius Nepos is known to have issued coins throughout Italy, such as at Rome, Ravenna and Mediolanum.
16.
Julius Nepos issued symbolic coins of Zeno and his junior colleague Leo II, indicating his close ties and gratitude to the eastern court.
17.
Per the surviving writings of contemporary Gallo-Roman authors, such as Sidonius Apollinaris, Julius Nepos' accession was enthusiastically accepted in the remaining imperial possessions in Gaul.
18.
Julius Nepos tasked Orestes with leading another army against the Visigoths, and against the Burgundians, who were rebelling, in southern Gaul.
19.
Odoacer only nominally accepted Julius Nepos' rule, resuming the production of gold coins in the name of Julius Nepos at Italian mints, but taking no serious action to restore his throne.
20.
In 477 or 478, Julius Nepos again petitioned Zeno to help him retake Italy.