Zeno

Zeno was the eastern Roman emperor from 474 to 491, an Isaurian military commander who presided over the formal extinction of the western Roman Empire in 476. Born with the Isaurian name Tarasicodissa, he hellenized his name to Zeno when he rose in imperial service. The pivotal external event of his reign was the deposition of Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer in 476, traditionally taken as the end of the Western Roman Empire. Zeno's response was diplomatically ambiguous: he refused to recognize Odoacer's claim but lacked the military resources to expel him. When the Ostrogothic king Theoderic the Great pressed for territory, Zeno resolved both problems by commissioning Theoderic to reconquer Italy in his name. Zeno's reign was repeatedly disrupted by usurpations. Despite these crises Zeno maintained the eastern empire's territorial integrity and died peacefully in 491.

• Lived: 425 CE – 491 CE
• Nationality: roman
• Roles: emperor, head_of_state, military_leader