Editing Majorian (section)

===Emperor of the West===
[[Avitus]] was dead and the Western throne without an emperor. It was thus for the Eastern Roman Emperor to choose the successor, but [[Marcian]] could do nothing, as he died on 27 January 457. His successor on the Eastern throne was the general [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]], who instead decided to rule alone.<ref>After the death of [[Libius Severus]] in 465, Leo waited two years to select a new colleague, [[Anthemius]].</ref> On 28 February, Majorian became ''[[magister militum]]'', while Ricimer became ''[[Patrikios|patricius]]'' and ''magister militum''.<ref name=fasti583>''[[Fasti vindobonenses priores]]'', 583.</ref> This was more likely an act of usurpation rather than an appointment made by Leo.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Barnes |first=T. D. |date=1983 |editor-last=Martindale |editor-first=J. R. |title=Late Roman Prosopography: Between Theodosius and Justinian |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1088953 |journal=Phoenix |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=248–270 |doi=10.2307/1088953 |jstor=1088953 |issn=0031-8299}}</ref>

While the situation was in a precarious equilibrium, a troop of 900 [[Alemanni]] invaded Italy. They entered from [[Raetia]] and penetrated Italian territory down to [[Lake Maggiore]]. There they were intercepted and defeated in the [[Battle of Campi Cannini]] by the troops of ''comes'' Burco, sent by Majorian to stop them:<ref>Sidonius Apollinaris, ''Carmina'', V.373–385.</ref>
{{blockquote|text=The savage Alaman had scaled the Alps and had emerged, plundering the Roman land; he had sent 900 foemen to scour for booty... By this time you were Master [of Soldiers], and you sent forth Burco with a band of followers... Fortune brought about a triumph not through numbers but through their love of you... You fought with the authority of a Master but the destiny of an Emperor|sign=Sidonius Apollinaris|source=''Carmina'', V.373–385. Anderson tr.}}
This victory was celebrated as Majorian's own, and the ''magister militum'' was acclaimed Emperor by the army (perhaps on 1 April), six miles outside [[Ravenna]], at a place called ''ad Columellas'', "at the Little Columns".<ref name=fasti583 />{{refn|The date 1 April 457 is probably a mistake in the ''[[Fasti vindobonenses]]'' for the official proclamation of the eastern emperor Leo in the west (1 April 458).<ref name=":1"/>}}

In his [[panegyric]] to Majorian, the poet [[Sidonius Apollinaris]] tells that Majorian initially refused the election:<ref>Sidonius Apollinaris, ''Carmina'', V.9–12.</ref>
{{blockquote|text=The world trembled with alarm while you were loath to permit your victories to benefit you, and because, overly modest, you grieved because you deserved the throne and because you would not undertake to rule what you had deemed worth defending|sign=Sidonius Apollinaris|source=''Carmina'', V.9–12. Anderson tr.}}

Majorian was formally declared emperor on 28 December.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Arnold Hugh Martin |title=[[Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire]] |last2=Martindale |first2=J. R. |last3=Morris |first3=J. |date=1980 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-20159-9 |volume=2 |location=Cambridge |pages=702–703 |chapter=Maiorianus |author-link1=A. H. M. Jones |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/plre-ii/page/702/mode/1up}}</ref> Majorian assumed the consulate for the year 458; it was customary that a new Emperor took this magistracy on the first year started as Emperor.<ref name="mathisen" /> He apparently never obtained recognition from the eastern court, as almost all contemporary eastern sources refer to [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]] as sole consul.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roger S. Bagnall |url=http://archive.org/details/bagnall-clre |title=Consuls of the later Roman Empire |date=1987 |publisher=American Philological Association by Scholars Press |isbn=978-1-55540-099-6 |pages=451 (s.a. 458)}}</ref>