Editing Olybrius

{{short description|Western Roman emperor in 472}}
{{other people|Olybrius|Olybrius (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Olybrius
| image        = Tremissis Olybrius (obverse).jpg
| alt          = Gold coin depicting diademed and cuirassed bust facing right
| caption      = ''[[Tremissis]]'' of Olybrius, marked:<br/>{{Smallcaps|{{Abbreviation|d·n·|DOMINUS NOSTER}} anicius olybrius {{Abbreviation|aug·|AUGUSTUS}}}}<br/>{{small|("''Our Lord Anicius Olybrius Augustus''")}}
| succession   = [[Roman emperor]] in the [[Western Roman Empire|West]]
| moretext     = <br/>(unrecognized in the [[Eastern Roman Empire|East]])
| reign        = <!--23 March or -->11 July – <!--23 October or -->2 November 472
| reign-type   = 
| predecessor  = [[Anthemius]]
| successor    = [[Glycerius]]
| regent       = [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]]
| reg-type     = {{nowrap|[[Eastern Roman Empire|Eastern]] emperor}}
| birth_date   = 
| birth_place  = [[Rome]], [[Roman Italy|Italy]]
| death_date   = 2 November 472
| death_place  = 
| burial_place = [[Mausoleum of Honorius]], [[Old St Peter's Basilica]] (probable)
| spouse       = [[Placidia]]
| issue        = [[Anicia Juliana]]
| full name    = Anicius Olybrius
| regnal name  = 
| royal house  = [[Anicia gens]]
| dynasty      = [[Valentinianic dynasty|Valentinianic]]<br/> [[Theodosian dynasty|Theodosian]] (both by marriage)
| house-type   = Family
| religion     = [[Chalcedonian Christianity]]
}}

'''Anicius Olybrius'''<ref>[[Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire]] II.796.</ref> (died 2 November 472) was [[Roman emperor]] from July 472 until his death later that same year; his rule as ''[[Augustus (title)|augustus]]'' in the [[western Roman Empire]] was not recognised as legitimate by the ruling ''augustus'' in the [[eastern Roman Empire]], [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]] ({{Reign|457|474}}). He was in reality a puppet ruler raised to power by [[Ricimer]], the ''[[magister militum]]'' of Germanic descent, and was mainly interested in religion, while the actual power was held by Ricimer and his nephew [[Gundobad]].

==Biography==
===Family and early career===
Olybrius was born in [[Rome]], in the ancient and powerful [[gens Anicia|''gens'' Anicia]],{{efn|His relationship with such a prominent family was so noteworthy, that on his coins he spelled his family name in full.<ref>{{cite book|author = Philip Grierson, Melinda Mays |title = Catalogue of late Roman coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection: from Arcadius and Honorius to the accession of Anastasius |publisher = Dumbarton Oaks |date = 1992 |isbn = 0-88402-193-9 |page = 262}}</ref>}} of Italian descent.

According to the consensus of historians, he was related to the consul [[Anicius Hermogenianus Olybrius]], whose wife and cousin, Anicia Juliana, had the same name that Olybrius gave to his own daughter. Other historians consider this questionable, as "Juliana" was a common name in the ''gens'' Anicia, and because Hermogenianus seems to have begotten only one daughter, who took chastity vows. Other possible fathers have therefore been proposed: either [[Anicius Probus]] (suggested by Settipani) or, according to some clues, [[Petronius Maximus]].<ref name="drinkwater_119">T.S. Mommaerts and D.H. Kelley, "The Anicii of Gaul and Rome", in Drinkwater and Hugh Elton, ''Fifth-Century Gaul: A Crisis of Identity?'', pp. 119—120.</ref>

Olybrius married [[Placidia]], younger daughter of western ''augustus'' [[Valentinian III]] ({{Reign|425|455}}) and his wife [[Licinia Eudoxia]], thus creating a bond between a member of the senatorial aristocracy and the conjoined [[Valentinianic dynasty|Valentinianic]]–[[Theodosian dynasty|Theodosian]] dynasties. The year of their wedding is not recorded, although the historian [[Priscus]] implies it took place before [[Gaiseric]]'s [[Vandals]] [[Sack of Rome (455)|sacked Rome]] (June 2–16, 455).<ref>Priscus, fragment 29; translated by C.D Gordon, ''The Age of Attila: Fifth Century Byzantium and the Barbarians'' (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1966), p. 118</ref> Oost has pointed out that in his chronicle [[Hydatius]] wrote Placidia was unmarried as of 455.<ref>Oost, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/266700 "Aëtius and Majorian", ''Classical Philology''], '''59''' (1964), p. 28</ref>

Steven Muhlberger points out that many of the events in the chronicle of Hydatius are based on hearsay, that problems with his chronology "resulted from delays and distortions in the best information to which he had access," and thus the evidence from Hydatius is not as decisive as Oost believed.<ref>Muhlberger, ''The Fifth-century chroniclers: Prosper, Hydatius, and the Gallic Chronicler of 452'' (Leeds: Francis Cairns, 1990), p. 211</ref> Regardless, the powerful ''magister militum'' [[Flavius Aetius|Aetius]] had forced Valentinian to betroth Placidia to his own son [[Gaudentius (son of Aëtius)|Gaudentius]], so Olybrius could not have married her before Aetius' death.

[[File:Genseric sacking rome 456.jpg|thumb|''Gaiseric sacks Rome'', by [[Karl Briullov]]. After the [[sack of Rome (455)]], Olybrius' wife [[Placidia]] was among the Roman captives whom the Vandals took to Africa; at that time Olybrius was in Constantinople.]]

Emperor Valentinian killed Aetius on 21 September 454.<ref>John of Antioch, fragment 201.2; translated by C.D Gordon, ''The Age of Attila'', p. 52</ref> The following year, Valentinian was killed by some soldiers who had served under Aetius, probably instigated by the ''[[Patrikios|patricius]]'' Petronius Maximus, who succeeded to the throne. Petronius, who was a high-ranking imperial officer and a member of a family belonging to the senatorial aristocracy, married the ''[[Augusta (title)|augusta]]'' Licinia Eudoxia, widow of Valentinian. He also elevated his own son [[Palladius (Caesar)|Palladius]] to the rank of [[Caesar (title)|''caesar'']] and had him marry [[Eudocia (daughter of Valentinian III)|Eudocia]], elder daughter of Valentinian.<ref name="drinkwater_119"/>

According to those historians who believe that Olybrius was Petronius' son, it was in 455 that Olybrius married Placidia, between 17 April, when Petronius was acclaimed ''augustus'', and 31 May, when he died; this would explain the marriage between Olybrius and Valentinian's younger daughter as a move to secure Petronius' legitimacy as emperor.<ref name="drinkwater_119"/>

Another possibility is that Olybrius and Placidia were engaged in 455, and only after Gaiseric freed her from his possession in the early 460s were they at last married. Oost mentions this possibility in his book ''Galla Placidia Augusta''.<ref>Oost, ''Galla Placidia Augusta: '' (Chicago: University Press, 1968), p. 306</ref> The surviving evidence is not sufficient to allow us to decide between these alternatives.

===Twice candidate for the throne===
The [[Vandals]], led by King [[Gaiseric]], took advantage of the confusion and weakness of the Western Empire in the wake of Valentinian's turbulent succession, moving into [[Italy]] and sacking Rome in June 455. Before returning to Africa, the Vandals took Licinia Eudoxia and her two daughters as hostages. According to the 6th-century historian [[John Malalas]], Olybrius was in [[Constantinople]] at the time.<ref>''Chronicle'', 366; [http://www.roman-emperors.org/olybrius.htm translated] by Ralph W. Mathisen.</ref> On the other hand, the 6th-century chronicler [[Evagrius Scholasticus]] writes that Olybrius had fled Rome on the approach of Gaiseric's army.<ref>''Historia Ecclesiastica'' 2.7; cited in Oost, "Aëtius and Majorian", p. 28.</ref>

During his residence in the Eastern capital, Olybrius expressed his interest in religious matters. He met [[Daniel the Stylite]], who, according to Christian tradition, prophesied the liberation of Licinia Eudoxia. In the meantime, the Western Empire went through a rapid succession of Emperors. After Petronius, the Gallic-Roman senator [[Avitus]] was proclaimed Emperor by the [[Visigoths|Visigoth]] king [[Theodoric II]] and ruled for two years; he was deposed by [[Majorian]], who ruled for four years before being killed by his general [[Ricimer]] in 461.

Gaiseric supported Olybrius to assume the vacant Western throne because Gaiseric's son [[Huneric]] and Olybrius had married the two daughters of Valentinian III, and with Olybrius on the throne, Gaiseric could exert great influence on the Western Empire. Therefore, Gaiseric freed Licinia Eudoxia (fulfilling Daniel's prophesy) and her daughter Placidia (Olybrius' wife), but he did not cease his raids on Italy's coasts. His project failed, however, as Ricimer, who had become the ''Magister militum'' of the West, chose [[Libius Severus]] as new Emperor (461–465). Placidia was now free, however, joining her husband at [[Constantinople]], where they had a daughter, [[Anicia Juliana]], in 462.

Olybrius was nearly chosen for the Western throne again in 465, after Libius Severus died. Gaiseric was again his major supporter, but the Eastern Emperor [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]] chose the noble [[Anthemius|Procopius Anthemius]]. Olybrius' association with Gaiseric did not harm his career, however, as the Eastern court chose him for the high honour of the [[Roman consul|consulate]] in 464.
[[File:Tremissis Olybrius (reverse).jpg|thumb|Reverse of a ''tremissis'' of Olybrius, with a Christian cross in a wreath]]

===Rise to the throne===
Sources agree that Olybrius rose to the western throne thanks to the western ''magister militum'' Ricimer. They differ over the timing and order of the events leading to his ascent.

In the version provided by [[John Malalas]], and championed by [[J. B. Bury]], Olybrius was sent to Italy in 472 by [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]], ostensibly to mediate between Ricimer and Anthemius, who was besieged by Ricimer in Rome. Once he had accomplished this, Olybrius would then continue to Carthage and offer a peace treaty to Gaiseric. Leo suspected that Olybrius favored the Vandal king, however, and would secretly take his side and betray the suspicious Emperor. Leo had Olybrius followed by another envoy bearing a letter for Anthemius stating:
: I have removed [[Aspar]] and [[Ardabur (consul 447)|Ardaburius]] from this world, so that no one who might oppose me would survive. But you also must kill your son-in-law Ricimer, lest there be anyone who might betray you. Moreover, I also have sent the patrician Olybrius to you; I wish you to kill him, so that you might reign, ruling rather than serving others.

Ricimer had placed a guard at [[Ostia Antica|Ostia]] who found the secret letter. Ricimer showed the document to Olybrius, which convinced Olybrius to accept the purple. From Ricimer's point of view, Olybrius was a good candidate, as a member of the Roman senatorial aristocracy and because of his marriage to Placidia; his marriage to her makes him the last emperor of the conjoined [[Valentinianic dynasty|Valentinianic]]–[[Theodosian dynasty|Theodosian]] dynasties to rule in the west. Ricimer had Anthemius killed and Olybrius acclaimed Emperor (11 July 472).<ref>[[John Malalas]], ''Chronicon'', 373–375.</ref>

The competing version of events does not mention the secret letter. Instead, after arriving in Rome, Olybrius was proclaimed emperor several months before Anthemius' death, in April or May 472. Ricimer then besieged the part of Rome where Anthemius was for several months until the lawful Emperor was abandoned by his partisans, captured in a church, and put to death by [[Gundobad]], Ricimer's nephew.<ref>[[John of Antioch (chronicler)|John of Antioch]], fragment 209.1–2, translated by C.D. Gordon, ''The Age of Attila'', pp. 122f; ''[[Fasti vindobonenses priores]]'', n. 606, ''sub anno'' 472; [[Cassiodorus]], ''sub anno'' 472.</ref> This version implies that Olybrius was secretly supported by the Emperor Leo, which explains why Leo sent him there. Three sources – [[Theophanes the Confessor|Theophanes]], the ''[[Paschal Chronicle]]'', and Paullus Diaconus – support this version. [[Edward Gibbon]] accepts this implication as fact, although none of the three sources explicitly state that Leo supported Olybrius. What other reason could there be, Bury asks, then answers his own rhetorical question: "the facts that Anthemius was Leo's chosen candidate, his ''filius'', and that Olybrius was the friend of his foe Genseric, are a strong counter-argument."<ref>Bury, "A note on the Emperor Olybrius", English Historical Review '''1''' (1886), pp. 507‑509</ref>

===Reign and death===
[[File:Anicius Olybrius.png|alt=A Solidus of Roman Emperor Olybrius|thumb|Obverse of a Solidus of Olybrius facing forward<ref>{{Cite web |title=The British Museum Images |url=https://www.bmimages.com/preview.asp?image=00195018001 |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=British Museum Images |language=en}}</ref>]]
The reign of Olybrius was short and uneventful. Soon after the death of Anthemius, Ricimer also died, on 9 or 19 August; his nephew Gundobad was elevated to ''magister militum'' in his place. Very little is known of Olybrius' policy; in his ''Vita Epifanius'', [[Magnus Felix Ennodius|Ennodius]] describes him as a pious man who acted accordingly. As evidence, he had minted a new series of gold coins bearing a cross and the new legend <small>SALVS MVNDI</small> ("Welfare of the World") instead of the usual <small>SALVS REIPVBLICAE</small> ("Welfare of the State").{{efn|Grieson and Mays, ''Chronology''. It is possible that this theme was chosen to mark an opposition to [[Anthemius]], who had studied in a neo-Platonic school and was suspected of planning to restore the pagan cults.}} It is also noteworthy that Olybrius is depicted on his coins without helm and spear, common symbols on his predecessors' coinage, suggesting he had little interest in military matters.<ref>Grieson and Mays, ''Chronology''</ref>

Olybrius had a palace in the Tenth region of Constantinople at one end of the [[Mese (Constantinople)|Mese]], the main street, along the ''Constantinianae''. Olybrius also paid for the restoration of the nearby church of [[Euphemia|Saint Euphemia]] in [[Chalcedon]], which had been chosen by the ''[[Augusta (title)|augusta]]'' [[Pulcheria]] ({{Reign|414|453}}), sister of [[Theodosius II]] ({{Reign|402|450}}), for the [[Council of Chalcedon]] in 451. This choice was a sign of the bond between Olybrius, a Roman senator, with the imperial Theodosian dynasty.<ref>Necipoğlu, Nevra, ''Byzantine Constantinople: monuments, topography and everyday life'', Brill Academic Publishers, {{ISBN|90-04-11625-7}}, pp. 58–60.</ref>

Olybrius died of [[dropsy]] after seven months of rule, most likely on 2 November.<ref>[[Prosper of Aquitaine]], [[iarchive:chronicaminorasa09momm/page/492/mode/1up|''Epitoma Chronicon'' IV.2]]: "Quo mortuo IIII non. Novembres." (November 2)</ref><ref>''[[Paschale campanum]]'' [[iarchive:chronicaminorasa09momm/page/746/mode/1up|472]]: "et Olybrius moritur IIII non. Novemb." (November 2)</ref><ref>''[[Fasti vindobonenses priores]]'', [[iarchive:chronicaminorasa09momm/page/306/mode/1up|n.609]]: "et defunctus est imp. Olybrius Romae X kl. Novemb." (October 23)</ref>

==Olybrius in culture==
In 1707, [[Apostolo Zeno]] and [[Pietro Pariati]] wrote a ''[[libretto]]'' entitled ''Flavio Anicio Olibrio''. The story told in the opera is quite different from the real one, despite the fact that Zeno claimed to use several historical sources ([[Evagrius Scholasticus]] l.2.c.7, [[Procopius of Caesarea]], ''Historia Vandalorum'', l.1, [[Paul the Deacon]], vi): Ricimer captures Rome, frees his sister [[Teodolinda]] and enslaves Placidia, daughter of Valentinian III; a little later, Olybrius frees Rome and Placidia, and marries her.<ref>Apostolo Zeno, ''Poesie drammatiche'', Volume 10, Giambattista Pasquali, 1744, Venezia, p. 385.</ref>

The ''libretto'' was written for a ''dramma per musica'' in three acts by [[Francesco Gasparini]], performed that same year in the [[Teatro San Cassiano]] in [[Venice]], but the same ''libretto'' was put to music also by [[Nicola Porpora]] (1711, in Naples, as ''Il trionfo di Flavio Anicio Olibrio''),{{efn|Performed in Rome in 1722, it was the début in that city of the then seventeen-years-old [[Farinelli]]<ref>Philip H. Highfill, Kalman A. Burnim, Edward A. Langhans, ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors'', Volume 5, SIU Press, 1978, {{ISBN|0-8093-0832-0}}, p. 146.</ref> by [[Leonardo Vinci]] (Naples, 1728, as ''Ricimero''),<ref>Kurt Sven Markstrom, ''The operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano'', Pendragon Press, 2007, {{ISBN|1-57647-094-6}}, p. 259.</ref> and by [[Andrea Bernasconi]] (1737, [[Wien]], as ''Flavio Anicio Olibrio o La tirannide debellata'').<ref>Eleanor Selfridge-Field, ''A new chronology of Venetian opera and related genres, 1660–1760'', Stanford University Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-8047-4437-8}}, p. 284.</ref> The ''libretto'' was also rewritten for the ''Ricimero'' by [[Niccolo Jommelli]], performed at the [[Teatro Argentina]] in [[Rome]] in 1740.<ref>Letizia Norci Cagiano, ''Lo specchio del viaggiatore. Scenari italiani tra Barocco e Romanticismo'', Ed. di Storia e Letteratura, 1992, pp. 54–55.</ref>}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==External links==
* Mathisen, Ralph W., [http://www.roman-emperors.org/olybrius.htm "Anicius Olybrius"], ''De Imperatoribus Romanis''

==Further reading==
*F.M. Clover, "The Family and Early Career of Anicius Olybrius", ''Historia'', '''27''' (1978), pp.&nbsp;169–96.

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{{s-bef |before=[[Anthemius]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=Western [[List of Roman emperors|Roman emperor]] | years=472}}
{{s-aft |after=[[Glycerius]]}}
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{{s-bef |before=[[Caecina Decius Basilius]]|before2=[[Flavius Antoninus Messala Vivianus|Vivianus]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[List of late imperial Roman consuls|Roman consul]]|years=464|regent1=Rusticius}}
{{s-aft |after=Hermenericus|after2=[[Basiliscus]]}}
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{{Roman emperors}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:472 deaths]]
[[Category:5th-century Western Roman emperors]]
[[Category:5th-century Roman consuls]]
[[Category:Anicii]]
[[Category:Deaths from edema]]
[[Category:Theodosian dynasty]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]