Odoacer was a Germanic chieftain who became the first king of Italy after deposing the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in 476 AD. This event is often marked as the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Odoacer ruled as a king and maintained a relatively stable regime, recognizing the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire. His reign lasted until 493 AD when he was defeated by Theodoric the Great, leader of the Ostrogoths.