The Whole North Into Gaul

[Justin Swanton]

The Rugii appear on the Danube before 454, actually.

The dating of 467 was done by modern historians. I can't read German though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaccitheus

Although just reading through Severinus, if we assume the first few chapters take place from 453-455, and chapter 5 and 6 are concurrent, then the 12 year span in chapter 6 would place events regarding Flacittheus between 465-467.

Interesting. So there doesn't seem to be any actual date in the primary sources themselves. I notice the wiki article and other sites say 'by' 467, which can mean any time between Attila's death and 467.

Here is the Latin from that part of Chapter 6:

Post haec autem quidam Rugus genere per annos duodecim incredibili ossium dolore contritus omni caruerat incolumitate membrorum, cuius cruciatus intolerabilis circumquaque vicinis factus erat, ipsa diuturnitate notissimus.

A better translation is this:

"After this, a certain Rugian by birth, afflicted for twelve years by an extraordinary pain of the bones, lacked all soundness of the limbs, the intolerable agony of which became well-known by all who lived near him due to its long duration."

So the Latin doesn't make clear when the Rugian's infirmity began, just that it had lasted twelve years before the saint cured him.

This being the case, one need not allow more than a year or two after Severinus's arrival before Flaccitheus saw him, followed very soon by the cure of the sick Rugan - "after this"- and no more than a few months later for the arrival of Odoacer, say somewhere in the late 450's.

This gives Odoacer plenty of time to heed the saint's advice, go to Italy and join Ricimer's entourage. Ricimer became magister militum praesentalis after his victory over the Vandals in 456, early enough to receive the young Odoacer into his favour and use him several years later against Aegidius. That then ties in neatly with Gregory of Tours' account of Odoacer.