Editing Marcian (section)

==Death==
[[File:35-manasses-chronicle.jpg|thumb|Death of Marcian, who is succeeded by [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]] (right). Scene from the 12th century [[Manasses Chronicle]].]]
Marcian's reign ended on 27 January 457, when he died, aged 65, possibly of [[gangrene]].{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|1980|pp=[https://archive.org/details/prosopography-later-roman-empire/PLRE-II/page/715/mode/2up 714–715]}}{{sfn|Kazhdan|1991}}{{sfn|Croke|1978|pp=5–9}}{{sfn|Lee|2001|p=[https://archive.org/details/iB_Ca/014/page/n65/mode/2up 45]}} Theodorus Lector and Theophanes the Confessor say that Marcian died after a long religious procession from the [[Great Palace of Constantinople|Grand Palace]] to the [[Hebdomon]], where he made the journey on foot, despite the fact that he could barely walk because of severe foot [[inflammation]], possibly [[gout]].{{sfn|Nathan|1998}}{{sfn|Meijer|2004|p=154}}{{sfn|Kelly|2013|p=240}} He was buried in the [[Church of the Holy Apostles]], in Constantinople, next to his wife Pulcheria,{{sfn|Nathan|1998}}{{sfn|Meijer|2004|p=154}} in a [[Porphyry (geology)#Roman_and_late_Roman_imperial_sarcophagi|porphyry sarcophagus]] that was described in the 10th century by [[Constantine VII|Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus]] in the {{lang|la|[[De Ceremoniis]]}}.{{sfn|Vasiliev|1948|pp=1, 3–26}} He left the Eastern Empire with seven million [[solidi]] in its treasury, an impressive achievement considering the economic ruin inflicted upon Eastern Rome by the Huns, both through warfare and the massive subsidies they received under Theodosius.{{sfn|Friell|Williams|2005|p=127}}

Although Marcian had a son-in-law, [[Anthemius]], he did not have any connection to the Theodosians, which Marcian himself had gained through his marriage to Pulcheria, and thus would not be considered a legitimate dynastic heir, so Aspar was once again left to play the role of emperor-maker. He selected [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo&nbsp;I]], a fifty-year-old officer commanding a unit in one of the praesental armies—two field armies based near Constantinople. A later source claims that the [[Eastern Roman Senate]] offered to elect Aspar himself, but he declined, with the cryptic comment: "I fear that a tradition in ruling might be initiated through me". This comment has often been interpreted to be a reference to the fact that he was an [[Arian]],{{sfn|Nathan|1998}}{{sfn|Meijer|2004|p=154}}{{sfn|Lee|2013|pp=92, 98}} or else to his Alanic heritage.{{sfn|Norwich|1998|p=51}}

Anthemius would later be sent by Leo to become the [[Western Roman]] [[Roman Emperor|emperor]];{{Sfn|Nathan|1998}}{{sfn|Dzino|Parry|2017|p=258}}{{sfn|Mathisen|1998}} Leo nominated him to be Western Emperor in the spring of 467, to fill the vacancy left by the death of Emperor [[Libius Severus]] since 465. Leo sent Anthemius to Rome with an army, headed by [[Marcellinus (magister militum)|Marcellinus]], the {{lang|la|magister militum}} of [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]]; upon nearing Rome, Anthemius was installed as emperor on 12 April 467.{{sfn|Mathisen|1998}}