Majorian

Majorian
Solidus of Majorian, marked: d·n· iulius maiorianus p·f· aug·
Roman emperor in the West (unrecognized in the East)
Reign	28 December 457 – 2 August 461
Predecessor	Avitus
Successor	Libius Severus
Eastern emperor	Leo I
Died	7 August 461 Dertona, Roman Empire
Names Iulius Valerius Maiorianus[1]
Father	Domninus (possibly)
Mother	Daughter of Majorianus, magister militum
Religion	Chalcedonian Christianity

Majorian (Latin: Iulius Valerius Maiorianus; died 7 August 461) was the Western Roman emperor from 457 to 461. A prominent commander in the Western military, Majorian deposed Avitus in 457 with the aid of his ally Ricimer at the Battle of Placentia. Possessing little more than Italy, Dalmatia, as well as some territory in Hispania and northern Gaul, Majorian campaigned rigorously for three years against the Empire's enemies. In 461, he was murdered at Dertona in a conspiracy, and his successors until the Fall of the Empire in 476 were puppets either of barbarian generals or the Eastern Roman court.

After defeating a Vandal attack on Italy in 457, Majorian intercepted the Visigoths in the Battle of Arelate, defeating them and saving the city. Securing Septimania, he reduced the Goths to federate status, returning Hispania to the empire. Meanwhile, Marcellinus was convinced to recognise Majorian, reconquering Sicily in the emperor's name.

Majorian then attacked the Burgundians, reconquering Lugdunum and expelling them from the Rhone Valley. Marching into Gaul, he reintegrated the Gallo-Romans and appointed Aegidius commander of the region, whilst Nepotianus invaded the Suebian Kingdom and reconquered Scallabis.

In 460, Majorian entered Hispania and readied a fleet for an invasion of Africa. However, the Vandals bribed traitors into defection and destroyed the fleet in the Battle of Cartagena, forcing Majorian to return to Italy.

During his reign, the emperor instituted reforms to reduce corruption, rebuild the state's institutions and preserve ancient monuments. This led to an antagonistic relationship with the Roman Senate, which was exploited by Ricimer to murder Majorian upon his arrival in Italy in 461.

The 6th-century writer Procopius Caesariensis asserted that Majorian "surpassed in every virtue all who have ever been emperors of the Romans", whilst Sidonius Apollinaris, a contemporary of the emperor, stated, "That he was gentle to his subjects; that he was terrible to his enemies; and that he excelled in every virtue, all his predecessors who had reigned over the Romans."