The Whole North Into Gaul

[Flavivs Aetivs]

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.

his 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.

Remistus was Magister Utriusque Militiae in 455-456. Ricimer and Majorian hold the title at the same time in 456-457, both appointed by Leo I. The best reconstruction, by Ian Hughes, is that Majorian was the senior Master of Soldiers and Ricimer was the junior under Avitus. They revolted against Avitus, killed Remistus, and Majorian was proclaimed emperor, and he elevated Ricimer to the senior command in 457, appointing Nepotianus as the junior Master of Soldiers that same year.

As for the rise of Flaccitheus, I can't tell you whether or not that date of 467 is true. You're only looking at a couple chapters of Severinus. The dates of many of these events are given by the man who wrote them down in the letter that preceded it, which isn't included in that online version. It could also be written down later in the text, or furthermore from another primary source document. I couldn't tell you without reading the secondary sources discussing it and I cannot read German.

Although I sincerely doubt the late 450's would be any time to get embroiled in Roman politics especially the like of Ricimer's. The late 450's was dominated by the breakup of the western half of the Hunnic empire, which would mean Edeco (the King of the Scirii at the time) and Odoacer would have been embroiled in the politics of it. Ardaric's revolt/bid for the Hunnic throne (depending on who you read), the Ostrogoths break away a couple years later in about 456/457. And Odoacer may still have been dealing with the leftovers of the situation in North Gaul after Chalons, and the rise of the Merovingian Franks.