Liby Sever

Origin and career

Sources telling about the Libya North are very few and stingy on details. It came, according to a few reports of ancient sources, from Lucania - an area located in the southwest of the Apennine peninsula ^{[3] [1]} . The date of birth of Libya Severa is unknown even approximately. It is known that he led a pious lifestyle ^[3] . The full name of Libius Severus (sometimes mistakenly called Livius Severus ^[3] ) is not exactly known. From the preserved papyrus from Egypt , dated 462 , it can be concluded that he bore the name "Flavius" ^[4] . In addition, the Byzantine chronicler of the 8th century Theophanes the Confessor and an anonymous historical treatise The Easter Chronicle report that Libius Sever was nicknamed “Serpentius” ( lat. Serpentius ) ^{[5] [6]} . However, against the fact that he wore such a nickname, the German historian Ralph Scharf speaks out, since it contains more than derogatory meaning, since it comes from the Latin name of the snake ( lat. Serpens ) ^[7] . The authors of Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire support him and suggest that the text was corrupted at this point ^[1] .

The beginning of the career of Libya Severa is also not reported ^[8] . There is an assumption that he was a senator and was in some positions, because otherwise his choice would be an insult to the Roman aristocracy, which Ricimer could not allow in the current situation at that time ^[9] . One can only put forward various versions of whether Liby Sever held any posts in the civil administration or not, but with absolute certainty we can say that he had no connections with the army ^[9] . Edward Gibbon believes that before coming to power, Liby Sever led a private life ^[10] .

The situation in the Western Roman Empire

By the time of the accession to the throne of Libya Severus in the Western Roman Empire , the following situation developed. In 455, as a result of a conspiracy, the last representative of the Theodosius dynasty in the West, Valentinian III, dies. After that, the organizer of his assassination, a senator named Petronius Maxim becomes emperor and forces the Empress Licinius Eudoxia to marry him. According to legend, she decided to avenge him for the murder of Valentinian. Eudoxia sent a letter to the King of Vandals Geiserich with a request to attack Rome and punish her husband. Geiserich, who was looking for a reason to attack the empire, responded and sailed at the head of a strong fleet to Italy. When the vandals landed at the mouth of the Tiber in June 455, Petronius Maxim attempted to leave the city. However, he was killed, and his body was torn to pieces ^[11] . The ensuing plunder of Rome by the vandals marked the beginning of the final destruction of the Western Roman Empire ^[12] .

After that, the prefect of Pretoria Gaul Avit, with the support of the Visigoth King Theodoric II , was proclaimed emperor on July 10, 455 in Arelate . However, the Roman Senate and the people did not support this choice. Satisfying their insistent requests, Avit settled not in the residence of the Western emperors of Ravenna , but in Rome, but at the same time he did not get rid of the hatred of the subjects. Part of the Senate began secret relations with the commander Ricimer , who came from the Suevs , who was the military master of all Western troops ^[13] . In 456, Ricimer began a rebellion, and soon Avith renounced power. The warlord allowed the former ruler to become bishop of Placencia , but the senators wanted to execute Avit. The deposed emperor tried to hide in Gaul, but died on the way from a pestilence ^[14] .

After the abdication, Avita Ricimer became virtually the ruler of Italy. In April 457, he proclaimed Emperor his friend the military commander Majorian . The new ruler forgave debts from collecting taxes and tried to stop the arbitrariness of government officials. Majorian also strengthened imperial power in the provinces. He defeated the Gothic king Theodorich II and returned to Rome control Spain and most of Gaul. Then the emperor decided to take revenge on the vandals. In the shortest time, three hundred ships were built in Spain. However, Geiserich unexpectedly attacked the Roman fleet , part of which he burned, and part captured. In August 461, not far from Tortona , a rebellion began in the army with the support of Ricimer. Majorian was forced to resign from imperial authority. Soon he died - either was killed or became a victim of the disease ^[15] .

Climbing the throne

After this, a period of interregnum began, which lasted three months - from August to November 461 ^[8] . Then the king of vandals Geiserich nominated his candidate for the throne named Olibrius , who was married to the daughter of Valentinian III ^[3] . It is known that during the plunder of Rome, the vandals captured the wife and two daughters of Valentinian III - Licinius Eudoxia, Placidia and Eudokia. Through the marriage of his son Gunerich with Evdokia, the king of vandals became related with the imperial surname ^[3] . Thus, Geiserich wanted to have his relative on the throne of the Western Roman Empire ^[3] .

In order to insist on the election of Olibria, Geiserich decided to put pressure on the Roman state and made several predatory raids on the coasts of Italy and Sicily , claiming that the peace treaty signed by him and Majorian had already lost its force ^[3] . Ricimer reacted to this by sending, according to Priscus of Panius , an embassy to the king of vandals asking him to respect the agreement, while the second embassy was sent to the eastern emperor Leo I Makella with an appeal to stop the vandal attacks and release the wife and daughters of Valentinian III ^[16] .

Despite pressure from the vandals, Ricimer ignored Olibria. Now, when choosing the emperor, he decided not to give preference to personal qualities and therefore proclaimed the new sovereign Libya Severa ^[17] . He was a suitable candidate for the commander ^[9] . Liby Sever posed no real threat to Riezimer, since he had no military connections ^[9] . He was elected emperor on November 19, 461 in Ravenna (the author of the church chronicle, Bishop Victor of Tunnunsky and Theophanes the Confessor say that this event occurred on July 7 ^{[5] [18]} , but the first date is generally accepted ^[19] ) ^[9] . The chronicler of Idations reports that Libius Severus was proclaimed sovereign by the Senate in Rome ^[20] . The Gallic chronicle of 511 tells us that in 461 the emperor also received the rank of consul , but this, however, is not confirmed by any other sources ^{[21] [3]} .

Board

The coins of Libya Severus were minted in Rome, Ravenna, and also a very short time in Arelate ^[3] . In his reign, the image quality on gold coins was improved ^[3] . A golden medallion with the name of the emperor has also survived to this day. Two examples of the legislative activity of Libya Sever are captured in several short stories: the first addressed to the prefect of Praetor Cecina Decius Vasily , and the second hypocritically published on behalf of the western emperor of the North and eastern emperor Leo ^[3] .

The first novel of the North, dated February 20, 463, related to inheritance: it annulled some of the provisions of Majorian legislation that had not reached our time, but confirmed the reservation that widows could not alienate gifts received during the engagement that they had kept for their children, and could only get rid of usufruit ^[3] . The second short story of the North, dated September 25, 465, again changed marriage law for the western half of the Roman state. It concerned primarily the conclusion of marriages between representatives of craft colleges and colonies ^[22] . Now, in contrast to earlier decrees dating back to 397 and 400 years, it was announced that all children born from such a marriage passed into the right and property of the owner of the colon ^[22] . These short stories of the North became part of the Code of Theodosius ^[22] .

Provincial Unrest

Almost immediately after the liberation of Libya Severus to the throne, Ricimer faced a very dangerous problem for him - the attitude of the adherents of the deceased Majorian to him. For example, the military master Nepocian , who apparently had no other way, went to serve in the Visigoth king. Egidius and Marcellinus , who led separate armies, refused to recognize Emperor Libius Severus, and, therefore, the sovereign position of Ricimer. Their position was a threat to the power of Ricimer and his puppet ruler ^[9] .

Marcellinus was forced to leave Sicily due to the machinations of Ricimer and returned to Dalmatia with the remnants of subordinate troops. In fact, he became an independent ruler of this area, creating his own independent state. Dalmatia, especially its coastal zone, was in principle a prosperous province, and its capital Salon was one of the most famous cities of the Roman Empire . Despite the fact that Marcellin single-handedly ruled Dalmatia, he obviously formally recognized the primacy of the Eastern Emperor ^[23] .

In addition, Marcellinus was ready to overthrow the western emperor with the help of the army. In 463, there was a chance of war with the Dalmatian ruler. Apparently, the military leader regained his strength for the upcoming conflict with Ricimer. The latter, probably, had practically no troops and therefore did not dare to start a war. Ricimer turned to the emperor Leo, who was not interested in the final destabilization of the Western state. He sent Marcellinus as ambassador of Philarch so that he persuaded the military commander to abandon another civil war. Marcellinus was forced to agree ^[24] .

Similarly, Egidius refused to recognize Libya Severus and began preparations for a war with him. In response, Ricimer replaced Egidius as master of both armies of Gaul Agrippin, who was the predecessor of Aegidius. Shortly before this, Agrippin was accused of having relations with the Goths and was sentenced to death for treason. However, apparently, not without the support of Ricimer, he escaped punishment. Aegidius decided not to obey and left the leadership behind him. As a result, two warlords who hated each other now appeared in Gaul. Agrippin entrenched in the south of Gaul, but the part of Gaul, located north of Liger, was under the control of Aegidius. The political situation in Gaul at this time was as follows. The southwestern part of the country was part of the Visigoth state . In the southeast, the Burgundian possessions were located. In the northeast and in the Rhine region, the Romans were gradually pushed back by the Franks . In northwestern Gaul, the so-called Armorica , the Bagaud rebels ruled. The space between all these regions was occupied by the territory of Aegis. He, like Marcellinus, enjoyed absolute independence in his “state" ^[25] .

Having failed with the removal of Egidius and replacing him with Agrippina, Ricimer decided to seek help among the barbarians. In Burgundy, King Gundiochus became the master of both armies of Gaul in 463 (Agrippin was probably deposed because he could not cope with his goal). Gundioch was not appointed by chance. He took part in the invasion of Spain along with the Visigoths and, as you might think, had some military skills. In addition, the king of the Burgundians was a relative of Ricimer - his wife was Ricimer's sister. Ricimer also appealed for support to the Visigoths ^[26] .

To get help from the Visigoths, Agrippin hands them the Narbonne , no doubt with the consent of Ricimer. Narbonne was a long-standing goal of the Visigoths, as it was located on the Mediterranean coast and was an important strategic and economic center. The Visigoth king Theodoric II received the city on condition that he would fight against Aegis. One more important event can be noted. As you know, Nepocian moved on to the Visigoths. In the year of the surrender of Narbonne, a new Roman appears in the Visigoth army by the name of Arborius, who received the post of master of both armies and took the place of Nepocian. This was due to the fact that Nepocian, as a supporter of Majorian, was not a very suitable person when concluding an agreement between Theodoric and Ricimer. Arborius may have been a senator from Aquitaine , and his appointment was made to push the local nobility to war with the rebellious Gallic commander. Thus, Ricimer created a coalition of the Roman government, barbarians and the Gallo-Roman aristocracy to fight Aegis. The main force of this coalition was the Visigoths ^[27] .

Theodorich sent his brother Frederich to the war with Aegidius. The victory of the Visigoths gave them the opportunity to expand their state to the north. However, Frederick was defeated and was killed in a battle on the banks of the Liger near Aurelianum . Obviously, an important role in the army of Egidius, who defeated the Visigoth army, was played by the salic francs of King Childeric I , with whom the Gallic commander concluded an alliance ^[28] . As a result of the victory over the Visigoths, Aegidius retained dominance in Northern Gaul. However, nevertheless, he could not intervene in Italian affairs. Perhaps Egidius wanted to conclude some kind of agreement with the Vandal king Geyserich . In May 464, they sent an embassy to the vandals, which returned in September. Taking into account the fact that in 465 the vandals fought against the Romans in Sicily, it can be assumed that the parties reached a certain agreement, the details of which are unknown ^[29] . A phenomenon in the Roman history of the 5th century , when the commander, relying only on his troops, created a state independent of the central government on the territory entrusted to him, the historian Yu. B. Tsirkin called “general states” ^[29] . In addition, Egidius and Marcellinus did not accept the imperial title and did not claim dominance over the entire state. These warlords pass on their inheritance. Egidius was succeeded by his son Siagrius , and after the assassination of Marcellinus, his nephew Julius Nepot began to rule Dalmatia ^[29] .

Dominion of Ricimer

Liby Sever was nothing more than a nominal sovereign under the actual rule of Ritzimer, who organized his army, formed alliances, and accumulated wealth ^[10] . The commander ruled Italy (namely, the territory of the Western Roman Empire was reduced to its limits during the reign of Libius Severus) with the same independence that was later used by Odoacer and Theodoric the Great ^[10] , although Ricimer did not try to appropriate the royal title ^[10] . It was Italy that was the main stronghold of Riezimer, and therefore in his politics she occupied the main place ^[9] . In addition, the election of the Italian emperor was a sign of his rapprochement with the Italo-Roman nobility ^[9] .

Ricimer's dominant position was reflected in coins issued at that time. On the obverse of the very small bronze coins of Libya Sever, the emperor’s profile was often minted, and on the reverse there was a monogram containing the letters “RMCE”, which is usually deciphered as “RiCiMEr”, that is, the name of the commander ^[3] . Однако существуют несколько экземпляров аналогичных монет, где монограмма также содержит букву «А», которая оставляет возможность, что эта монограмма может иметь некоторое другое значение ^[3] . На бронзовой гире, отмеченной печатью префекта города , есть надпись «salvis dd.nn. et patricio Ricimer» , которую можно перевести следующим образом: «по благословению наших господ (имеются в виду западный и восточный императоры) и патриция Рицимера», то есть имя военачальника упомянуто наравне с императорами обеих частей римского государства ^{[3] [8]} .

Проведение немногочисленных военных действий в правление Либия Севера обычно приписывается Рицимеру ^[3] . Имея целью занять для поселения территории в северной Италии, изгнанные из Галлии вестготами аланы под руководством своего царя Беоргора в 464 году перевалили через Альпы и принялись грабить Паданскую долину . Тем не менее, выступивший против них с армией Рицимер 6 февраля того же года нанёс аланам сокрушительное поражение в сражении неподалёку от Бергамо . Среди большого количества погибших аланов был и Беоргор. Немногие уцелевшие варвары были приняты на службу в римскую армию ^[30] . Историк Иордан ошибочно относит это событие к периоду правления Прокопия Антемия ^[31] . Нападение аланов на Италию было сродни налёту 900 алеманнов , разгромленных Майорианом в начале 457 года ^[3] .

Также продолжались и налёты вандалов, которые происходили каждую весну ^[32] . Король вандалов Гейзерих лично принимал участие в наиболее важных экспедициях ^[32] . Вандалы неоднократно разоряли побережье Испании , Лигурии , Тосканы , Кампании , Лукании , Бруттия , Апулии , Калабрии ^[32] . Они также попытались захватить Сардинию ^[33] . Гейзерих склонил восточного императора отнестись с безразличием к его походам ^[8] .

Отношения с Восточной Римской империей

Либий Север так никогда и не был признан восточным императором Львом I Макеллой и, таким образом, рассматривался на востоке как узурпатор ^[3] . Однако в рассматриваемый период это не грозило силовым вмешательством восточного государя в дела запада, подобное чему уже происходило после смерти Гонория ^[9] . Источники также пронизаны отношением к западному государю как к незаконному правителю (например, Иордан и Марцеллин Комит ) ^[3] . К этому времени, как уже говорилось выше  , императорская власть распространялась только лишь на территорию Апеннинского полуострова ^[3] .

Несколько наблюдений может быть сделано в отношении имперской политики Севера. Как и было традиционным для вновь провозглашённых императоров, он находился на посту консула (был признан только в западной половине империи) в 462 году, в первый год своего правления ^[3] . В 463 году Либий Север назначил западным консулом влиятельного италийского сенатора Цецину Деция Василия , служившего также в качестве префекта претория Италии с 463 по 465 год, должность которого он уже занимал первый раз при Майориане ^[3] . В 464 и 465 годах, однако, на западе консулы не назначались, в связи с чем на востоке назначали двух консулов ^[3] . Один из консулов 464 года, между прочим, был Олибрий , который уже предъявлял претензии на западный трон ^[3] . Признание Либием Севером восточных консулов может представлять примирительную попытку, хотя и неудачную, наладить отношения с константинопольским двором ^[3] .

Death

Либий Север правил всего около четырёх лет (историк Иордан ошибочно сообщает, что три ^[31] ) и скончался в Риме осенью 465 года ^[3] . В старших Виндобонских фастах смерть императора относят к 15 августа, кажется, неправильно, учитывая то, что одна из новелл Либия Севера была издана 25 сентября, хотя возможно, что она была опубликована уже после его кончины ^[3] . Историк VI века Магн Аврелий Кассиодор рассказывает, что император был отравлен по приказу Рицимера ^[34] , но Сидоний Аполлинарий , источник гораздо более современный описываемым событиям, утверждал в 468 году, что Либий Север умер естественной смертью ^[35] . Авторы Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire предполагают дату смерти 14 ноября , но не предоставляют никаких доказательств или оснований для этого ^[1] . То, что Либий Север умер от отравления, вполне может оказаться правдой, поскольку Рицимеру стало невыгодно поддерживать императора, которого не соглашался признавать восточный государь ^[8] .

Sources

1. Иоанн Антиохийский. Хроника .
2. Иордан. Гетика (О происхождении и деяниях гетов) . — Алетейя, 2001. — 512 с. — (Византийская библиотека). — 1300 экз. — ISBN 5-89329-030-1 .

Literature

1. Martindale JR Libius Severus 18 // Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire / AM Jones , JR Martindale. — Cambridge University Press , 1980. — Vol. II: AD 395–527. — P. 1004—1005. — ISBN 0-521-20159-4 [2001 reprint].
2. Scharf R. Zu einigen Daten der Kaiser Libius Severus und Maiorian. — 1996. — Вып. Rheinisches Museum für Philologie . — № 139 . — С. 180—188 .
3. Ralph W. Mathisen. Libius Severus (461—465 AD) (англ.) . An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors . 1997. Архивировано 21 марта 2013 года.
4. Грант М. Римские императоры. Либий Север . — М. : ТЕРРА — Книжный клуб, 1998.
5. Гиббон Э . История упадка и разрушения Римской империи. Том IV. — М. : ТЕРРА — Книжный клуб, 2008.
6. Циркин Ю. Б. «Генеральские государства» на территории Западной Римской империи . — 2013. — Вып. Мнемон. Исследования и публикации по истории античного мира . — № 12 . — С. 462—472 .

• Монеты Либия Севера (англ.) . Дата обращения 17 марта 2013.