Who was Onoulphus, the 5th-century military leader?

Onoulphus was a 5th-century military leader and general whose origins traced back to non-Roman tribal groups led by Attila the Hun. After his family's independent Sciri polity was crushed by the Ostrogoths, he served the Eastern Roman Empire and later fought under his brother Odoacer, who had taken control of Roman Italy. Both brothers were ultimately killed in 493 when Theoderic the Great and his Ostrogothic forces seized power.

What we know

• Onoulphus was a military leader in the 5th century whose origins lay in the non-Roman tribal groups led by Attila the Hun. [2]
• He was the son of Edeka and the brother of Odoacer, initially heading an independent Sciri polity before it was crushed by the Ostrogoths. [2, 4]
• By 477, Onoulphus served in the Eastern Roman Empire as magister militum per Illyricum and killed Armatus on the instructions of emperor Zeno. [2]
• Onoulphus and his brother Odoacer were killed in 493 when Theoderic the Great took control of Roman Italy. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• what caused itHow did Odoacer take over Roman Italy?
• what followedWhat marked the end of the Western Roman Empire?
• how it workedHow did Theoderic the Great defeat Odoacer?
• the bigger pictureWho were the Sciri tribe?
• whoWho was Odoacer's brother Onoulphus?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a Hunnic tribal lineage end up commanding Roman armies?Although Onoulphus started as part of Attila the Hun's non-Roman tribal coalition, his military career eventually integrated him into high-ranking commands within both the Eastern and Western Roman political spheres.

Sources

• [1]Onoulphus (Wikidata Q1039607) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Onoulphus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Kingdom of Odoacer · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Sciri · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Odoacer · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. What is the isotopic composition of natural uranium?
2. /Who was Onoulphus, the 5th-century military leader?