Hun allies turned against him and invaded northern Italy. The empire became the plaything of autocratic factions and in 476 the boy emperor, Romulus, ironically nicknamed Augustulus ('the little emperor') was deposed by Odoacer, the commander of the German mercenaries in Italy, who sought land for his troops and direct rule of Italy for himself.
A graphic account survives of the running down of Roman public life in Noricum (western Austria) in the face of German pressure. Once Roman supplies and payments were cut off, the demoralization of a population accustomed to Roman protection could only be staunched by the leadership of a charismatic holy man, and after his death the province had to be evacuated. In Italy, however, a complex civilian society remained intact, and the senatorial aristocracy maintained its privileged position, including its vast landholdings, its monopoly of lucrative governorships, and the cultivated literary life of its salons.
In Gaul the withering away of the empire left the senators as the main symbol of Roman legitimacy while relieving them of the burdens of imperial rule. Gradually, however, they found their political and social position marginalized as their offices and titles became redundant and their Germanic guests began to flex their muscles. The Visigoths set up a kingdom based on Toulouse, while the Burgundians in south-eastern Gaul established a sub-Roman state with twin capitals at Lyons and Geneva. The difficulties faced by senators in adjusting to new realities are displayed in the letters and poems of the scholararistocrat Sidonius Apollinaris. His attitude to the Germans ranged from admiration of a cultivated Visigothic king who played backgammon to exasperation at the 'gluttonous' barbarians billeted on his estate, 'who spread rancid butter on their hair'. His evolution from literary escapism in the seclusion of his estates to conscientious activity as bishop of Clermont reflects a widespread process of clericalization; episcopal election became the means for a disorientated aristocracy to maintain its traditional leadership of the community and for preservation of Roman customs and culture.
With time the passive antagonism of the Roman population
-4-