Europe 467: Elevation of Anthemius

Determined to restore Roman unity and eliminate the threat posed by the Vandals once and for all, the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I dispatched Marcian’s son-in-law Anthemius to Italy with a large army. In April 467 Anthemius reached the outskirts of Rome, where, in accordance with Leo’s orders, he was proclaimed Western Roman emperor.

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466–467 Dengizich and Ernak ▲

In around 466 the Hunnic kings Dengizich and Ernak, both sons of Attila, sent an embassy to Constantinople, demanding that a marketplace be established on the Danube only to be rebuffed by the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I. Angered, Dengizich threatened war but Ernak, who was by now distracted by wars in his own country, demurred. Having gathered his forces, Dengizich sent a second embassy to the emperor in early 467, announcing that he would invade if the Romans did not provide his people with lands and subsidies. This time Leo, by now focused on preparing for his campaign against the Vandals in Africa, agreed to all of the king’s demands, on the condition that the Huns offer him their allegiance. in wikipedia

? ?? 466–12 Apr 467 Dispatch of Anthemius ▲

In response to the Vandal attacks of 466, the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I dispatched Anthemius, a patrician and the son-in-law of the late Eastern emperor Marcian, from Constantinople to Italy with a large well-equipped army. Accompanied by the general Marcellinus and other picked men, Anthemius arrived outside Rome in April 467, where he was proclaimed Western emperor. Ricimer, who had been the de facto ruler of the West during the interregnum, was married to Anthemius’ daughter Alypia to secure his allegiance. in wikipedia

466? Akatziri revolt ▲

In around 466, perhaps taking advantage of the Saragurs’ invasion of far off Persia, the Akatziri threw off Saragur rule after two or three years as their subjects. The Akatziri would retain their independence into at least the mid sixth century. in wikipedia

466 Killing of Bigelis ▲

In late 466 or early 467, at the same time as he sent Anthemius to Italy to become the Western Roman emperor, the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I had the general Ardabur kill the Gothic king Bigelis. Little is known about this event—earlier in 466 Ardabur had been relieved of his position as magister militum per Orientem (Commander of the East) due to allegedly conspiring with the Persians while Bigelis is otherwise unmentioned in any sources. One possibility is that Ardabur was sent against the Ostrogoths—who Leo had declared war on against the wishes of Ardabur’s influential father Aspar—in order to prove his loyalty and recover lands along the Danube. in wikipedia

467 Overthrow of Theodoric II ▲

In 466 Theodoric II, King of the Visigoths, sent a number of envoys to King Remismund of the Suebi, trying to understand the increasing number of Suebian raids in western Hispaniae. While the last of these envoys was returning, probably in early 467, Theodoric’s younger brother Euric killed him in the Visigothic capital of Tolosa (Toulouse) and assumed the crown himself. Euric, who would prove to be a strong and aggressive ruler, then sent out his own emissaries—to the newly appointed Western Roman emperor Anthemius, to the Suebian king Remismund, to the Vandal king Gaiseric, and to a number of northern tribes, including the Thuringians. in wikipedia

12 Apr 467–11 Jul 472 Reign of Anthemius ▲

In 467, following a one-and-a-half year interregnum in the Western Roman Empire, Anthemius, son-in-law of the late Eastern Roman emperor Marcian, was appointed Western emperor by the current Eastern emperor Leo I. Anthemius then dedicated himself to waging two wars to restore the Western Empire: the first against the Vandals in Africa and the second against the Visigoths in Gaul. Having failed in both attempts, he was overthrown and killed by the influential magister militum Ricimer after a reign of five years. in wikipedia