Marcian (usurper)
Encyclopedia
Marcian was a member of the House of Leo
and an usurper against Emperor Zeno
in 479.
, Western Roman Emperor between 467 and 472, who descended from Procopius
, usurper in 365-366 against emperor Valens
and relative of Emperor Julian's (360-363). Marcian's mother was Marcia Euphemia
, daughter of Marcian
(Eastern Roman Emperor in 450-457) and Pulcheria
, daughter of Emperor Arcadius
and nephew of Emperor Theodosius I
. Marcian had three brothers - Anthemiolus
, who died in Gaul in 471, Procopius Anthemius
and Romulus
- and a sister, Alypia
, wife of the Western magister militum Ricimer
.
To strengthen the bonds between the Western and Eastern Roman empires, Marcian married Leontia
, daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I
and his wife Verina
(the elder sister of Leontia's, Ariadne
, had married the powerful general Zeno
), and was chosen as consul without colleague twice, in 469 and 472.
At the death of Leo I, his nephew Leo II
, son of Zeno and Ariadne, succeeded him, but the young Emperor died that same year at the age of 7. Zeno, who had been proclaimed joint emperor with his son, became the only Eastern Roman Emperor, but his succession was not welcomed by many. The people of Constantinople, in fact, considered him a barbarian because of his Isauria
n origin (he had even changed his original name, Tarasicodissa, to the Greek Zeno), while some preferred Marcian to him as his wife, Ariadne, was born while Leo I was an obscure soldier, while Leontia was born while Leo was Emperor. For Zeno's power was challenged by Basiliscus
, Verina's brother, who succeeded in overthrowing Zeno in 475 and keep the power for one year, before Zeno could take back the throne.
In 479 Marcian tried to overthrow again Zeno. With the help of his brothers Procopius Anthemius
and Romulus
, he gathered in Constantinople
troops composed by both citizens and foreigners in the house of a Caesarius, south of the Forum of Theodosius
, and from there they marched at the same time on the Imperial palace and on the house of Illus
, an Isaurian general supporter of Zeno. The Emperor almost fell in the hands of the rebels, who, during the day, overwhelmed the imperial troops, who were hit also by the citizens from the roofs of their houses. During the night, however, Illus succeeded in moving inside Constantinople an Isaurian unit whose quarters were in the nearby Chalcedonia and in corrupting Marcian's soldiers, who allowed Zeno to flee. On the following morning Marcian, understanding that his situation was desperate and that the reinforcements of the Gothic general Theodoric Strabo
would have not arrive in time, took refuge in the church of the Holy Apostles
, but was arrested with his brothers.
He was sent to Caesarea in Cappadocia with his brothers. With the help of some monks, he tried to escape, but, while his brothers succeeded, he was captured and obliged to become a monk in Tarsus
(Cilicia), or imprisoned in Isauria, in the fortress of Papurius
. He tried to escape a second time, and this time he succeeded, but, after gathering new troops and attacking Ancyra, he was defeated and captured by Trocundus
, Illus' brother.
In 484 Illus organised a revolt against Zeno. As he did not want to take the purple for himself, he freed Marcian and proclaimed him Emperor. Illus freed Verina too (Zeno had sent her in exile), and decided to depose Marcian and to elevate to the throne Leontius
; Marcian was then sent to Italy to ask for Odoacer
's help.
House of Leo
The House of Leo ruled the Eastern Roman Empire from 457 to 518 .The emperors of the House of Leo were:# Leo I the Thracian – soldier...
and an usurper against Emperor 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...
in 479.
Biography
Marcian was a member of several Roman imperial families. His father was Procopius AnthemiusAnthemius
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;...
, Western Roman Emperor between 467 and 472, who descended from Procopius
Procopius (usurper)
Procopius was a Roman usurper against Valens, and member of the Constantinian dynasty.- Life :According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Procopius was a native and spent his youth in Cilicia, probably in Corycus. On his mother's side, Procopius was related, a maternal cousin, to Emperor Julian, since...
, usurper in 365-366 against emperor Valens
Valens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...
and relative of Emperor Julian's (360-363). Marcian's mother was Marcia Euphemia
Marcia Euphemia
Aelia Marcia/Marciana Euphemia was the wife of Anthemius, Western Roman Emperor.-Family:Marcia/Marciana Euphemia was the only known daughter of Marcian, Byzantine Emperor. The identity of her mother is unknown. Her stepmother was Pulcheria, second wife of her father. Pulcheria had taken a...
, daughter of Marcian
Marcian
Marcian was Byzantine Emperor from 450 to 457. Marcian's rule marked a recovery of the Eastern Empire, which the Emperor protected from external menaces and reformed economically and financially...
(Eastern Roman Emperor in 450-457) and Pulcheria
Pulcheria
Aelia Pulcheria was the daughter of Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia. She was the second child born to Arcadius and Eudoxia. Her oldest sister was Flaccilla born in 397, but is assumed she had died young. Her younger siblings were Theodosius II, the future emperor and...
, daughter of Emperor Arcadius
Arcadius
Arcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...
and nephew of Emperor Theodosius I
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
. Marcian had three brothers - Anthemiolus
Anthemiolus
Anthemiolus was the son of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius and Marcia Euphemia, daughter of the Eastern Roman emperor Marcian....
, who died in Gaul in 471, Procopius Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius
Flavius Procopius Anthemius was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, son of Western Roman Emperor Anthemius.- Biography :Procopius was the son of Anthemius and of Marcia Euphemia, daughter of the Easter Roman Empire...
and Romulus
Romulus (son of Anthemius)
Romulus was a member of the House of Theodosius, son of Western Roman Emperor Anthemius.- Biography :Romulus was the son of Anthemius and of Marcia Euphemia. His brothers were Anthemiolus, Marcian and Procopius Anthemius, his sister was Alypia...
- and a sister, Alypia
Alypia (daughter of Anthemius)
Alypia was a noblewoman of the Western Roman Empire, daughter of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius.- Life :Alypia was the only daughter of Anthemius and Aelia Marcia Euphemia, and grand-daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Marcian....
, wife of the Western magister militum 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...
.
To strengthen the bonds between the Western and Eastern Roman empires, Marcian married Leontia
Leontia (daughter of Leo I)
Leontia was the daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I.- Biography :Leontia was the daughter of Emperor Leo I and his wife Verina; she was younger sister of Ariadne, but, unlike her, she could claim to be porphyrogenita, "born in the purple", because she was born during the first year of...
, daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I
Leo I (emperor)
Leo I was Byzantine Emperor from 457 to 474. A native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace, he was known as Leo the Thracian ....
and his wife 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:...
(the elder sister of Leontia's, Ariadne
Ariadne (empress)
Aelia Ariadne was the Empress consort of Zeno and Anastasius I of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Ariadne was a daughter of Leo I and Verina. Her mother was a sister of Basiliscus....
, had married the powerful general 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...
), and was chosen as consul without colleague twice, in 469 and 472.
At the death of Leo I, his nephew Leo II
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...
, son of Zeno and Ariadne, succeeded him, but the young Emperor died that same year at the age of 7. Zeno, who had been proclaimed joint emperor with his son, became the only Eastern Roman Emperor, but his succession was not welcomed by many. The people of Constantinople, in fact, considered him a barbarian because of his Isauria
Isauria
Isauria , in ancient geography, is a rugged isolated district in the interior of South Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya province of Turkey, or the core of the Taurus Mountains. In...
n origin (he had even changed his original name, Tarasicodissa, to the Greek Zeno), while some preferred Marcian to him as his wife, Ariadne, was born while Leo I was an obscure soldier, while Leontia was born while Leo was Emperor. For Zeno's power was challenged by Basiliscus
Basiliscus
Basiliscus was Eastern Roman Emperor from 475 to 476. A member of the House of Leo, he came to power when Emperor Zeno had been forced out of Constantinople by a revolt....
, Verina's brother, who succeeded in overthrowing Zeno in 475 and keep the power for one year, before Zeno could take back the throne.
In 479 Marcian tried to overthrow again Zeno. With the help of his brothers Procopius Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius
Flavius Procopius Anthemius was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, son of Western Roman Emperor Anthemius.- Biography :Procopius was the son of Anthemius and of Marcia Euphemia, daughter of the Easter Roman Empire...
and Romulus
Romulus (son of Anthemius)
Romulus was a member of the House of Theodosius, son of Western Roman Emperor Anthemius.- Biography :Romulus was the son of Anthemius and of Marcia Euphemia. His brothers were Anthemiolus, Marcian and Procopius Anthemius, his sister was Alypia...
, he gathered in 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:...
troops composed by both citizens and foreigners in the house of a Caesarius, south of the Forum of Theodosius
Forum of Theodosius
The Forum of Theodosius was an area in Constantinople. It was originally built by Constantine I and named the Forum Tauri...
, and from there they marched at the same time on the Imperial palace and on the house of Illus
Illus
Illus was a Byzantine general, who played an important role in the reigns of the Byzantine Emperors Zeno and Basiliscus.Illus supported the revolt of Basiliscus against Zeno, then switched sides, supporting the return of Zeno...
, an Isaurian general supporter of Zeno. The Emperor almost fell in the hands of the rebels, who, during the day, overwhelmed the imperial troops, who were hit also by the citizens from the roofs of their houses. During the night, however, Illus succeeded in moving inside Constantinople an Isaurian unit whose quarters were in the nearby Chalcedonia and in corrupting Marcian's soldiers, who allowed Zeno to flee. On the following morning Marcian, understanding that his situation was desperate and that the reinforcements of the Gothic general Theodoric Strabo
Theodoric Strabo
Theodoric Strabo was an Ostrogoth chieftain who was involved in the politics of the Byzantine Empire during the reigns of Byzantine Emperors Leo I, Zeno and Basiliscus...
would have not arrive in time, took refuge in the church of the Holy Apostles
Church of the Holy Apostles
The Church of the Holy Apostles , also known as the Imperial Polyandreion, was a Christian church built in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, in 550. It was second only to the Church of the Holy Wisdom among the great churches of the capital...
, but was arrested with his brothers.
He was sent to Caesarea in Cappadocia with his brothers. With the help of some monks, he tried to escape, but, while his brothers succeeded, he was captured and obliged to become a monk in Tarsus
Tarsus, Mersin
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
(Cilicia), or imprisoned in Isauria, in the fortress of Papurius
Papurius
Papurius or Papyrius was a fortress in Cilicia Campestris, near Tarsus.It was in this fortress that the usurper Marcian was held prisoner after his failed revolt in 479, and where Leontius and his general and king-maker Illus were besieged between 484 and 488 by the army of Emperor Zeno.- Sources...
. He tried to escape a second time, and this time he succeeded, but, after gathering new troops and attacking Ancyra, he was defeated and captured by Trocundus
Trocundus
Flavius Appallius Illus Trocundus was a general of the Eastern Roman Empire, involved in the rise and fall of Emperor Basiliscus and the rebellion against Emperor Zeno.Trocundus was the brother of Illus, another Roman general, both from the region of Isauria....
, Illus' brother.
In 484 Illus organised a revolt against Zeno. As he did not want to take the purple for himself, he freed Marcian and proclaimed him Emperor. Illus freed Verina too (Zeno had sent her in exile), and decided to depose Marcian and to elevate to the throne Leontius
Leontius (usurper)
Leontius was a general of the Eastern Roman Empire and claimant to the throne who led a rebellion against emperor Zeno in 484–488.- Biography :Leontius was of Syrian origin, coming from Dalisandus...
; Marcian was then sent to Italy to ask for 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...
's help.