Anthemiolus
Encyclopedia
Anthemiolus was the son of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius
(467–472) and Marcia Euphemia
, daughter of the Eastern Roman emperor Marcian
.
His name means "little Anthemius" and is a diminutive of his and his father's name Anthemius, in order to distinguish them both.
His life is known only from the Chronica Gallica of 511
. He was sent by his father to Gaul
with a powerful army, accompanied by three generals — Thorisarius, Everdingus, and Hermianus — in order to oppose the Visigoths then occupying Provence
and threatening to conquer the Auvergne
. He and his generals were defeated by the Visigothic king Euric
near Arles
and all four of them lost their wives. The Chronica, in entry 649, states:
According to the Chronica, this event falls between the succession of Euric (467) and the war between Anthemius and Ricimer
(471–472). It can probably be further narrowed to the period when Anthemius is known to have been organising a concerted effort to remove the Visigoths from Gaul between 468 and 471, a period during which an army led by the Briton Riothamus
was defeated near Déols
. It is not impossible that Anthemiolus' army was sent to reinforce Riothamus and that Euric defeated both forces in turn, probably in either 470 or 471.
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;...
(467–472) and 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 the Eastern Roman emperor 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...
.
His name means "little Anthemius" and is a diminutive of his and his father's name Anthemius, in order to distinguish them both.
His life is known only from the Chronica Gallica of 511
Chronica Gallica of 511
The Chronica or Cronaca Gallica of 511, also called the Gallic Chronicle of 511, is a chronicle of Late Antiquity preserved today in a single manuscript of the thirteenth century now in Madrid...
. He was sent by his father to 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...
with a powerful army, accompanied by three generals — Thorisarius, Everdingus, and Hermianus — in order to oppose the Visigoths then occupying Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
and threatening to conquer the Auvergne
Auvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
. He and his generals were defeated by the Visigothic king Euric
Euric
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...
near Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
and all four of them lost their wives. The Chronica, in entry 649, states:
Antimolus a patre Anthemio imperatore cum Thorisario, Everdingo et Hermiano com. stabuli Arelate directus est, quibus rex Euricus trans Rhodanum occurrit occisisque ducibus omnia vastavit
According to the Chronica, this event falls between the succession of Euric (467) and the war between Anthemius and 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...
(471–472). It can probably be further narrowed to the period when Anthemius is known to have been organising a concerted effort to remove the Visigoths from Gaul between 468 and 471, a period during which an army led by the Briton Riothamus
Riothamus
Riothamus was a Romano-British military leader, who was active circa AD 470. He fought against the Goths in alliance with the declining Roman Empire. He is called "King of the Britons" by the 6th-Century historian Jordanes, but the extent of his realm is unclear...
was defeated near Déols
Déols
Déols is a commune in the Indre department in central France.Déols is an ancient town with a famous Benedictine abbey: Abbaye Notre-Dame-du-Bourg-Dieu...
. It is not impossible that Anthemiolus' army was sent to reinforce Riothamus and that Euric defeated both forces in turn, probably in either 470 or 471.
Sources
- Mathisen, Ralph, "Anthemius (12 April 467 - 11 July 472 A.D.)", De Imperatoribus Romanis
- Burgess, R. "The Gallic Chronicle of 511: A New Critical Edition with a Brief Introduction." Society and Culture in Late Antique Gaul: Revisiting the Sources. edd. R. W. Mathisen and D. Shantzer. Aldershot, 2001. pp 85–100.