Romanus (usurper)
| Romanus | |
|---|---|
| Usurper of the Western Roman Empire | |
| Reign | 470 |
| Predecessor | Anthemius |
| Successor | Anthemius |
| Died | 470 Rome, Italia |
Romanus (died 470) was a Roman usurper in the Western Roman Empire who unsuccessfully rebelled against the Emperor Anthemius in 470 before being executed at Rome.
Career
[edit]Romanus was a Roman Senator and a Patrician[1] who had achieved the rank of Magister officiorum during the final decades of the Western Roman Empire.[2] A known supporter of Ricimer, the Magister militum,[3] this brought him into conflict with the Emperor Anthemius, who both distrusted and disliked Ricimer.[4]
In 470, Anthemius fell seriously ill, and it was rumored that sorcery had been used to afflict the emperor.[5] Ricimer saw an opportunity to install a new puppet emperor, and began to lay the groundwork for the accession of Romanus to the imperial throne.[6] However, Anthemius eventually recovered, and accused a number of Ricimer's supporters of using sorcery to try to bring about his death, including Romanus, whom he also accused of seeking to usurp his throne.[7] He had the senator beheaded in 470, an act which he hoped would secure his throne.[8]
In fact, it did the opposite. Ricimer became furious about the death of Romanus, and was the trigger which he used to move against Anthemius, whom he deposed in 472.[9]
Sources
[edit]- Mathisen, Ralph W., "Anthemius (12 April 467 - 11 July 472 A.D.)", De Imperatoribus Romanis, 1998
- Jones, A.H.M., Martindale, J.R. The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. II: AD395-527, Cambridge University Press, 1980
- MacGeorge, Penny, Late Roman Warlords, Oxford University Press, 2002