File:Solidus_of_Anthemius.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Anthemius
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Procopius Anthemius (; died 11 July 472) was the Western Roman emperor from 467 to 472. Born in the Eastern Roman Empire, Anthemius quickly worked his way up the ranks. He married into the Theodosian dynasty through Marcia Euphemia, daughter of Eastern emperor Marcian. He soon received a significant number of promotions to various posts, and was presumed to be Marcian's planned successor. However, Marcian's sudden death in 457, together with that of Western emperor Avitus, left the imperial succession in the hands of Aspar. He instead appointed Leo, a low-ranking officer, to the Eastern throne
Anthemius was a Roman emperor who ruled the Western Roman Empire from 467 to 472 and came from an ambitious family with connections to the Eastern Roman Empire through marriage. He matters historically because he represents a period when imperial succession depended heavily on political factions and powerful generals rather than direct family lines, reflecting the instability of Rome's final century in the West.
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Person · Open Library
- Died
- approximately 534
- Works
- 0
Top works
- Les opuscules mathématiques de Didyme, Diophane et Anthémius
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- Royalty.name
- Anthemius
- Royalty.succession
- Roman emperor
- Royalty.moretext
- in the West
- Royalty.image
- Solidus of Anthemius.png
- Royalty.caption
- Solidus of Anthemius marked:
- Royalty.reign
- 12 April 467 – 11 July 472
- Royalty.predecessor
- Libius Severus
- Royalty.successor
- Olybrius
- Royalty.regent
- Leo I
- Royalty.birth_place
- Constantinople
- Royalty.death_place
- Rome
- Royalty.death_date
- 11 July 472
- Royalty.spouse
- Marcia Euphemia
- Royalty.issue
- Alypia Anthemius Anthemiolus Marcian Romulus
- Royalty.full name
- Procopius Anthemius
- Royalty.dynasty
- Theodosian
- Royalty.religion
- Chalcedonian Christianity
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Solidus of Anthemius.png
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Anthemius
- date of death
- 0472-07-11
- date of birth
- 0420-01-01
via Wikidata · CC0
~18 min read
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Early life
- Rise to the throne
- Rule
- Foreign affairs
- Relationship with the Eastern Empire
- Campaigns against the Vandals
- Campaigns against the Visigoths
- Internal affairs and relationship with the Roman Senate
- Coinage
- Death
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- Primary sources
- Secondary sources
Procopius Anthemius (; died 11 July 472) was the Western Roman emperor from 467 to 472. Born in the Eastern Roman Empire, Anthemius quickly worked his way up the ranks. He married into the Theodosian dynasty through Marcia Euphemia, daughter of Eastern emperor Marcian. He soon received a significant number of promotions to various posts, and was presumed to be Marcian's planned successor. However, Marcian's sudden death in 457, together with that of Western emperor Avitus, left the imperial succession in the hands of Aspar. He instead appointed Leo, a low-ranking officer, to the Eastern throne, probably out of fear that Anthemius would be too independent. Eventually, this same Leo designated Anthemius as Western emperor in 467, following a two-year interregnum that started in November 465.
Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees; and the unvanquished Vandals, under Geiseric, in undisputed control of North Africa. Anthemius's insistence on ruling independently placed him into direct conflict with the Gothic general Ricimer. Previously the real power behind the throne, Ricimer found that Anthemius's reign threatened his own interests. This eventually escalated into open warfare between the two, with the result that Anthemius lost not only his throne, but also his head, in 472.