175- Trying to Take It All Back

Hello, and welcome to the History of Rome. Episode one seventy five, trying to take it all back. Following the defeat, deposition, and execution of Avitus, the Western Empire was once again left without an officially recognized ruler. At least, that's how the leaders of the West looked at it. According to Constantinople, the western half of the empire had been without a ruler since the assassination of Valentinian the third almost two years before. The Eastern Augustus Marcion had never recognized Petronius Maximus or Aparchius Avitus, and it didn't look like he had any interest in recognizing the new would be emperor Majorian either. The general Ricimer tried to exploit this unwillingness on the part of the East to legitimize the emperors of the West by attempting to secure a sort of viceroy commission for himself to personally rule the Western provinces, but in the name of Constantinople. But then Marcian died, and Leo the Thracian became emperor of the East, and he didn't appear keen to recognize Majorian as emperor or let Ricimer rule as a viceroy, Which was no doubt a little frustrating for them, especially since Leo had no more claim to power than they did. Marcion, at least, had the lingering legitimacy of having married into the imperial Theodosian family. Leo was just some general. So whatever. By the April '57, Ricimer finally gave up on the idea of becoming viceroy, and knowing that the Italian nobility would never accept him as emperor because of his German heritage, he backed his protege Majorian for the job. In a ceremony in Ravenna on April 1, Majorian was crowned with the diadem and took over official control of the West. But though the diadem set on Majorian's head, it was clear that he was really co ruling with Ricimer. Leo and the court of Constantinople did not immediately recognize Majorian, but really at this point who cared what they said? It's not like Majorian was so offensive to the East that they were going to raise an army to throw him out of power. So you guys do what you want. We'll be over here running the West. But the West was now a pale shadow of its former self. Britain was gone. North Africa was gone. Most of Gaul was split between barbarian factions, and Spain was now slowly but surely being conquered by the Goths. And you can be sure that the Goths had no interest in letting Majorian tell them what to do. So when the two generals seized power, they were basically seizing control of Italy, and only Italy. Everything else was out of their control. The Romans had not been so geographically circumscribed since the days just before the Punic Wars, some seven hundred years earlier. But Majorian and Ricimer were ambitious men and vigorous soldiers. They were not going to be content with sitting around Ravenna running out the clock governing the Italian Peninsula. No. They were going to push back …