Edeco also ''Edeko'', ''Edekon'', ''Edicon'', ''Ediko'', ''Edica'', ''Ethico'' (died 469) was a prominent Hun ambassador and the father of

Odoacer Odoacer ( ; – 15 March 493 AD), also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a soldier and statesman of barbarian background, who deposed the child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became Rex/Dux (476–493). Odoacer's overthrow of Romulus Augustu ...

Biography

According to sources of the time, he distinguished himself for courage and skill in the battles of Naissus and the Uthus river, during the invasion of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

, thus becoming part of

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and ...

's circle of favorite advisors, so much so that he put him in charge of a diplomatic mission in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, where the court treasurer, Chrysaphius, tried to bribe him to assassinate his king. Edeco seemed to agree, but as soon as he reached Attila's court he informed him of the plan and the Hun monarch unmasked the Roman ambassador. He played a part in the plot to kill Attila's brother,

Bleda Bleda () was a Hunnic ruler, the brother of Attila the Hun. As nephews to Rugila, Attila and his elder brother Bleda succeeded him to the throne. Bleda's reign lasted for eleven years until his death. While it has been speculated by Jordanes th ...

. Edeco also participated in the campaign in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only durin ...

and in the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. He also fought at the

Battle of Bolia The Battle of Bolia, was a battle in 469 between the Ostrogoths ( Amal Goths) and a coalition of Germanic tribes in the Roman province of Pannonia. It was fought on the south side of the Danube near its confluence with the river Bolia, in pres ...

, in which he apparently perished. In 476, Edeco's son,

, deposed the emperor

Romulus Augustulus Romulus Augustus ( 465 – after 511), nicknamed Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. Romulus was placed on the imperial throne by his father, the ''magister militum'' Orestes, and, at that time ...

and proclaimed himself king of Italy. According to a legend, he was the progenitor of the old Welf dynasty. Some historians believe that Edeco, Odoacer's father, and Edeco, the Hun ambassador, were not the same person.

References

{{Huns Huns 5th-century people Attila the Hun Ambassadors to the Byzantine Empire 469 deaths People killed in action