Glycerius
Encyclopedia
Glycerius was a Western Roman Emperor from 473 to 474. Elevated by his Magister militum
, Gundobad
, Glycerius’ elevation was rejected by the court at Constantinople
, and he was ousted by Julius Nepos
. He later served as the bishop
of Salona
in the early Catholic
Church.
domesticorum, the commander of the Imperial guard of the court at Ravenna
. Previous to this posting, he had been the military commander in Dalmatia
.
In 472, the Western Roman Empire
was plagued by a civil war between Emperor Anthemius
and his Magister militum
(commander in chief of the army), Ricimer
. Ricimer killed the Emperor and put Olybrius
on the throne, but in a short time both Ricimer and Olybrius were dead. The Eastern Roman Emperor, Leo I the Thracian, tarried in choosing his successor, so the Germanic elements of the army, represented by the new Magister militum and Patrician
, Gundobad
(a nephew of Ricimer's), elected Glycerius Emperor on March 3 or 5, 473 in Ravenna
.
, bishop of Pavia, Ennodius
states Glycerius made "many measures for the public good", but mentions only that he pardoned "the injury done to his mother by certain of his subjects at the petition of bishop Epiphanius. A single law of his has survived, dated 11 March 473, addressed to Himilco, the Praetorian Prefect of Italy; it concerns simony
. Ralph Mathisen speculates that Glycerius tried to stay on good terms with the Eastern Roman Empire. For most of his rule, Glycerius lived in Northern Italy, as testified by the fact that the only mints which issued in his name are Milan
and Ravenna.
, ordered the invasion of Italy, but his commander Vincentius was defeated and killed by Glycerius' comites Alla and Sindila. Despite the victorious defence of Italy, Glycerius could do nothing to prevent the Visigoths from conquering Arelate and Marseille
, in Gaul
.
At the same time, the Ostrogoths led by King Widimir began marching to Italy. The possibility that the two Gothic armies would merge was disastrous. Glycerius sent an envoy to Widimir and, through a combination of diplomacy and a bribe of 2,000 solidi, convinced Widimir that the territories he wanted were already occupied by the Visigoths and that he should move to Gaul. If this strategy prevented Vincentius from receiving reinforcements, it led to the convergence of both Gothic armies against Gaul.
, and also did not recognise Glycerius, as his election had not been ratified by the Eastern court, and it was suspected that he was a puppet of Gundobad. Therefore Leo chose a candidate on his own, Julius Nepos
, Magister militum in Dalmatia
and related to the Eastern Empress Verina
. Because his election came very late, however, Julius Nepos could not leave, as the ports were closed for the winter. In the mean-time, Leo I died in January 474 and was succeeded by his grandson, the young Leo
, who chose his own father Zeno
as co-emperor after a short time. Zeno continued the official position of Constantinople to deny any recognition of Glycerius, whom they continued to view as a usurper.
Regardless, Glycerius tried to be reconciled with the Eastern court or, at least, to cause as few conflicts as possible with it. For example, he did not choose a second Consul
in order to allow Leo II to be Consul alone for the year 474.
and arrived in Italy to depose Glycerius. It is probable that Glycerius left Ravenna for Rome, probably to resist the invader; the clue is a silver coin minted in Rome, in which Glycerius claims to be Emperor together with other two Emperors (Leo II and Zeno), thus not recognising Julius Nepos. However, Julius Nepos disembarked at Portus
in July 474 and deposed Glycerius without a fight. Glycerius was sent to Dalmatia as Bishop of Salona
.
Glycerius' deposition was thus without any bloodshed, and historians investigated the possible reasons why the Western Emperor, who had Gundobad
and his army at his command did not try to resist. One possible reason is that Glycerius' elevation, not recognised by Eastern court, received the support of neither the Roman Senate nor the Gallic-Roman aristocracy; resisting Nepos without the support of the Senate would have been a bad choice for Gundobad. It is possible that Gundobad, who was absent from Italy when Glycerius was deposed, had gone to Gaul to gather some more troops or to receive the legacy of his father Gundioc as King of the Burgundians
, thus effectively leaving Glycerius alone.
Glycerius took up residence at Salona, which in 475 saw the arrival of Julius Nepos, who had been deposed in turn by the Magister militum Orestes; he was still in Salona when, in 476, the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus
, was deposed by Odoacer
, King of the Heruli
. The historian Malchus
maintains that in 480 Glycerius was a member of the conspiracy that led to Julius Nepos' death and thus sought the favour of Odoacer; however, the news of Glycerius' appointment to the prestigious rank of Bishop of Milan
, which would support the theory of the collaboration between Glycerius and Odoacer, is usually considered a rumor. It is assumed that Glycerius died at Salona.
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
, Gundobad
Gundobad
Gundobad was King of the Burgundians , succeeding his father Gundioc of Burgundy. Previous to this, he had been a Patrician of the Western Roman Empire in 472–473, succeeding his uncle Ricimer.- Early life :...
, Glycerius’ elevation was rejected by the court at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and he was ousted by Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos was Western Roman Emperor de facto from 474 to 475 and de jure until 480. Some historians consider him to be the last Western Roman Emperor, while others consider the western line to have ended with Romulus Augustulus in 476...
. He later served as the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Salona
Salona
Salona was an ancient Illyrian Delmati city in the first millennium BC. The Greeks had set up an emporion there. After the conquest by the Romans, Salona became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia...
in the early Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
Church.
Rise to power
Sources on Glycerius are scarce and scanty. It is known that, at the time of his elevation to the throne, he was the comesComes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...
domesticorum, the commander of the Imperial guard of the court at Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
. Previous to this posting, he had been the military commander in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
.
In 472, the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
was plagued by a civil war between Emperor Anthemius
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius was Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, 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 his Magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
(commander in chief of the army), Ricimer
Ricimer
Flavius Ricimer was a Germanic general who achieved effective control of the remaining parts of the Western Roman Empire, during the middle of the 5th century...
. Ricimer killed the Emperor and put Olybrius
Olybrius
Anicius Olybrius was Western Roman Emperor from April or May 472 to his death. He was in reality a puppet ruler, put on the throne by the Roman general of Germanic descent Ricimer, and was mainly interested in religion, while the actual power was held by Ricimer and his nephew Gundobad.-Family and...
on the throne, but in a short time both Ricimer and Olybrius were dead. The Eastern Roman Emperor, Leo I the Thracian, tarried in choosing his successor, so the Germanic elements of the army, represented by the new Magister militum and Patrician
Patrician
The term patrician originally referred to a group of elite families in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman Empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire it remained a high honorary title in...
, Gundobad
Gundobad
Gundobad was King of the Burgundians , succeeding his father Gundioc of Burgundy. Previous to this, he had been a Patrician of the Western Roman Empire in 472–473, succeeding his uncle Ricimer.- Early life :...
(a nephew of Ricimer's), elected Glycerius Emperor on March 3 or 5, 473 in Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
.
Rule
Little is known about the short reign of Glycerius. In his biography of St. EpiphaniusEpiphanius of Pavia
Epiphanius of Pavia , later venerated as Saint Epiphanius of Pavia, was Bishop of Pavia from 466 until his death in 496. Epiphanius additionally held the offices of lector, subdeacon and deacon....
, bishop of Pavia, Ennodius
Magnus Felix Ennodius
Magnus Felix Ennodius was Bishop of Pavia in 514, and a Latin rhetorician and poet.He was one of four fifth to sixth-century Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity: the others are Sidonius Apollinaris, prefect of Rome in 468 and bishop of Clermont , Ruricius bishop of Limoges ...
states Glycerius made "many measures for the public good", but mentions only that he pardoned "the injury done to his mother by certain of his subjects at the petition of bishop Epiphanius. A single law of his has survived, dated 11 March 473, addressed to Himilco, the Praetorian Prefect of Italy; it concerns simony
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
. Ralph Mathisen speculates that Glycerius tried to stay on good terms with the Eastern Roman Empire. For most of his rule, Glycerius lived in Northern Italy, as testified by the fact that the only mints which issued in his name are Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Ravenna.
Gothic menaces
In 473, the King of the Visigoths, EuricEuric
Euric, also known as Evaric, Erwig, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese , Son of Theodoric I and the younger brother of Theodoric II and ruled as king of the Visigoths, with his capital at Toulouse, from 466 until his death in 484.He inherited a large portion of the Visigothic possessions in the...
, ordered the invasion of Italy, but his commander Vincentius was defeated and killed by Glycerius' comites Alla and Sindila. Despite the victorious defence of Italy, Glycerius could do nothing to prevent the Visigoths from conquering Arelate and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
.
At the same time, the Ostrogoths led by King Widimir began marching to Italy. The possibility that the two Gothic armies would merge was disastrous. Glycerius sent an envoy to Widimir and, through a combination of diplomacy and a bribe of 2,000 solidi, convinced Widimir that the territories he wanted were already occupied by the Visigoths and that he should move to Gaul. If this strategy prevented Vincentius from receiving reinforcements, it led to the convergence of both Gothic armies against Gaul.
Relationship with the Eastern Roman Empire
The Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I had not recognised OlybriusOlybrius
Anicius Olybrius was Western Roman Emperor from April or May 472 to his death. He was in reality a puppet ruler, put on the throne by the Roman general of Germanic descent Ricimer, and was mainly interested in religion, while the actual power was held by Ricimer and his nephew Gundobad.-Family and...
, and also did not recognise Glycerius, as his election had not been ratified by the Eastern court, and it was suspected that he was a puppet of Gundobad. Therefore Leo chose a candidate on his own, Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos was Western Roman Emperor de facto from 474 to 475 and de jure until 480. Some historians consider him to be the last Western Roman Emperor, while others consider the western line to have ended with Romulus Augustulus in 476...
, Magister militum in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
and related to the Eastern Empress Verina
Verina
Aelia Verina was the Empress consort of Leo I of the Byzantine Empire. She was a sister of Basiliscus. Her daughter Ariadne was Empress consort of first Zeno and then Anastasius I. Verina was the maternal grandmother of Leo II.-Family:...
. Because his election came very late, however, Julius Nepos could not leave, as the ports were closed for the winter. In the mean-time, Leo I died in January 474 and was succeeded by his grandson, the young Leo
Leo II (emperor)
Leo II was Byzantine Emperor for less than a year in 474. He was the son of Zeno and Ariadne, and maternal grandson of Leo I and Verina. As Leo's closest male relative, he was named successor upon his grandfather's death. After taking his father as colleague, he died of an unknown disease about 10...
, who chose his own father Zeno
Zeno (emperor)
Zeno , originally named Tarasis, was Byzantine Emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues...
as co-emperor after a short time. Zeno continued the official position of Constantinople to deny any recognition of Glycerius, whom they continued to view as a usurper.
Regardless, Glycerius tried to be reconciled with the Eastern court or, at least, to cause as few conflicts as possible with it. For example, he did not choose a second Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in order to allow Leo II to be Consul alone for the year 474.
Deposition and death
In spring 474, the ports were re-opened and Julius Nepos, the pretender to the Western throne, crossed the Adriatic SeaAdriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
and arrived in Italy to depose Glycerius. It is probable that Glycerius left Ravenna for Rome, probably to resist the invader; the clue is a silver coin minted in Rome, in which Glycerius claims to be Emperor together with other two Emperors (Leo II and Zeno), thus not recognising Julius Nepos. However, Julius Nepos disembarked at Portus
Portus
Porto or Portus was a town in Lazio or Latium, just south of Rome, Italy. It was an ancient harbour on the right bank of the mouth of the Tiber.-Claudian phase:Rome's original harbour was Ostia...
in July 474 and deposed Glycerius without a fight. Glycerius was sent to Dalmatia as Bishop of Salona
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia. The diocese was established in 3 century AD and was made archidiocese and metropolitan see in 10 century. Modern diocese was erected in 1828, when the historical archdiocese...
.
Glycerius' deposition was thus without any bloodshed, and historians investigated the possible reasons why the Western Emperor, who had Gundobad
Gundobad
Gundobad was King of the Burgundians , succeeding his father Gundioc of Burgundy. Previous to this, he had been a Patrician of the Western Roman Empire in 472–473, succeeding his uncle Ricimer.- Early life :...
and his army at his command did not try to resist. One possible reason is that Glycerius' elevation, not recognised by Eastern court, received the support of neither the Roman Senate nor the Gallic-Roman aristocracy; resisting Nepos without the support of the Senate would have been a bad choice for Gundobad. It is possible that Gundobad, who was absent from Italy when Glycerius was deposed, had gone to Gaul to gather some more troops or to receive the legacy of his father Gundioc as King of the Burgundians
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
, thus effectively leaving Glycerius alone.
Glycerius took up residence at Salona, which in 475 saw the arrival of Julius Nepos, who had been deposed in turn by the Magister militum Orestes; he was still in Salona when, in 476, the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus
Romulus Augustus
Romulus Augustus , was the last Western Roman Emperor, reigning from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476...
, was deposed by Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
, King of the Heruli
Heruli
The Heruli were an East Germanic tribe who are famous for their naval exploits. Migrating from Northern Europe to the Black Sea in the third century They were part of the...
. The historian Malchus
Malchus (historian)
Malchus was a Byzantine historian. According to Suda Malchus was a Byzantine; but Photius states that he was a native of Philadelphia; and his Syriac name makes it probable that Philadelphia was the ancient Rabbah in the country of Ammonitis, east of the River Jordan.Malchus probably followed his...
maintains that in 480 Glycerius was a member of the conspiracy that led to Julius Nepos' death and thus sought the favour of Odoacer; however, the news of Glycerius' appointment to the prestigious rank of Bishop of Milan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan
The Archdiocese of Milan is a metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has long maintained its own rite: the Ambrosian rite. It is led by the Archbishop of Milan who serves as metropolitan to the dioceses of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Pavia, and Vigevano.The...
, which would support the theory of the collaboration between Glycerius and Odoacer, is usually considered a rumor. It is assumed that Glycerius died at Salona.
Sources
- Jones, A.H.M., Martindale, J.R. The Prosopography of the Later Roman EmpireProsopography of the Later Roman EmpireProsopography of the Later Roman Empire is a set of three volumes collectively describing every person attested or claimed to have lived in the Roman world from AD 260, the date of the beginning of Gallienus' sole rule, to 641, the date of the death of Heraclius, which is commonly held to mark the...
, Vol. II: AD395-527, Cambridge University Press, 1980 - Mathisen, Ralph W., " Glycerius (3/5 March 473 – June 474)", De Imperatoribus Romanis
- Dumbarton Oaks, Catalogue of late Roman coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection: from Arcadius and Honorius to the accession of Anastasius, 1992
- Bury, J. B.J. B. BuryJohn Bagnell Bury , known as J. B. Bury, was an Irish historian, classical scholar, Byzantinist and philologist.-Biography:...
, A History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene, Vol. I (1889)