Chapter XIII: The world around Rome 484-486
Chapter XIII
The following years saw limited battles between the romans and the various barbarian tribes, usually small raids and skirmishes. Meanwhile the emperor continued to bring back order and to restore local Limitanei units under the command of officers detached from the main imperial army. Given the situation of Raetia, with many cities now in ruins, Nepos tried to recover the fleeing population in the campaigns, returning it to the remaining fortified cities like Curia or Augusta or occasionally providing with the reconstruction of cities of strategic importance. To relieve the local populations, Nepos granted them (and later also to the population of Noricum) a partial tax exemption, given the amount of damages they had suffered. For the time being, the only thing they were supposed to pay for was the maintenance of local units tasked with their defense. For this reason the emperor wrote to the Vicarius for Annonaria Idatius, giving him instructions concerning the reconquered territory and the offical attitude he was supposed to have with the locals: to alleviate to sufferings of the Raetians, to recognize them the right to recover from devastation before being subjected again to the full amount of their duties and to support them, economically, with the reconstruction. He also asked him to gradually implement in the region all roman decrees that were previously enacted by Nepos (and his immediate predecessors) in Italy and Dalmatia, in particular the one concerning the new Census and the recovery of abandoned land, and where a rightful heir was missing, to arrange a new distribution following the some procedures followed for the “Beneficiarii” in Italy. Later he also wrote a similar letter to the Vicarius of Illyria Severus Saturninus, asking him the same attitude towards the two provinces of Noricum subjected to his authority. Militarily the provinces of Noricum (and theoretically also the province of Pannonia I) were subjected to the Dux Pannonia I and Norici Ripenses under the command of Magister Militum Per Illyricum Gaudentius. Given that Vindobona was still outside roman control, the newly appointed Dux along with most of his units would take seat in the city of Lauriacum, one of the few surviving roman cities on the Danube, recently liberated from the Rugian threat thanks to the victory of Ecdicius and later Constantianus. Likewise the Dux Raetia I et II would reside in the city Augusta Vindelicorum, chosen due to its strategic position that made the city suitable to face north-western threats coming from Gaul.
Meanwhile the world around the emperor was constantly evolving. In addition to the death of King Euricus another king had died in 484: King Huneric of the Vandals. Succeeded by king Guntamund (Genseric’s grandson), the new rulers ended the open persecutions of Nicene Christians, as a means to strengthen his rule in Africa. The Vandalic kingdoms, after Genseric’s death, was facing increasingly problems both internally and externally, and Guntamund resorted to seek the support of the native roman population in order to recover the lost territory and to resume Genseric’s expansion. But for the time being the new king accepted to renovate king Huneric’s treaty with the roman emperor, albeit after failing to obtain an increase of the tribute paid by the romans for the control of Sicily.
In the East, the roman emperor Zeno was now involved in a new war against the Isaurian general Illus, forcing the eastern court to reach a deal with the leaders of the Goths: Theodoricus Strabo and Theodoricus Amalus would support with their Foederati Zeno in his war against Illus, meanwhile Zeno would return all properties and titles confiscated to the Gothic leaders. At the end of the war, he promised to discuss the problem of new lands for the Goths in the Balkans. But even more interesting was the fact that Marcianus, emperor Marcianus’ grandson and Nepos’ brother in law, the usurper against Zeno in 479 and now again in 484, escaped the control of general Illus (the real leader of the uprising) and fled west to the court of emperor Nepos. Illus continued his revolt against Zeno by appointing a new nominal emperor: Leontius. Meanwhile Marcianus was welcomed by Nepos and his family, his sister Alypia and the two surviving brothers Romulus and Procopius. Here Marcianus was awarded by his brother in law with the title of Patricius and Magister Officiorum despite some protest from the Eastern court while his predecessor Rufius Festus was awarded with a new consulate. This one along with many prominent western senators were sent by Nepos to the Eastern court to discuss about the Henotikon, an eastern document issued in 482 by emperor Zeno that recognized the Council of Chalcedon but prohibited further discussions about the nature of Christ. Nepos recognized the need of his colleague to bring back religious unit in the East, however under the pressure of Pope Felix III, and in order to gain back popularity among the clergy, he sent a delegation led by Rufius Festus to Constantinople to officially discuss about the document that risked to separate the two halves of the empire, something that Nepos had no intention to allow for political reasons. After the failure of the negotiation between East and West the churches of the two empire were now separated by a schism provoked by the unwillingness of Pope Felix III and Patriarch Acacius to compromise. Given the failure of the negotiations, emperor Nepos opted for a neutral and cautious stance: he once again recognized the validity of Chalcedon pleasing both Pope Felix and emperor Zeno but he avoided any further open condemnation of Monophysitism, Henotikon and the eastern Patriarch Acacius for the time being, leaving the Pope on his own in his struggle against the East. Attacking the Eastern positions would undermine the relations with emperor Zeno while open Christological declaration by a secular authority like Nepos would provoke the anger of the Roman Church. For this reasons Nepos resorted to neutrality, despite the accusation of indolence coming from his opposers: a strict neutrality until he understood which side would benefit more the western roman empire, would be his best choice in what seemed to be the first of many incoming religious troubles.
The following years saw limited battles between the romans and the various barbarian tribes, usually small raids and skirmishes. Meanwhile the emperor continued to bring back order and to restore local Limitanei units under the command of officers detached from the main imperial army. Given the situation of Raetia, with many cities now in ruins, Nepos tried to recover the fleeing population in the campaigns, returning it to the remaining fortified cities like Curia or Augusta or occasionally providing with the reconstruction of cities of strategic importance. To relieve the local populations, Nepos granted them (and later also to the population of Noricum) a partial tax exemption, given the amount of damages they had suffered. For the time being, the only thing they were supposed to pay for was the maintenance of local units tasked with their defense. For this reason the emperor wrote to the Vicarius for Annonaria Idatius, giving him instructions concerning the reconquered territory and the offical attitude he was supposed to have with the locals: to alleviate to sufferings of the Raetians, to recognize them the right to recover from devastation before being subjected again to the full amount of their duties and to support them, economically, with the reconstruction. He also asked him to gradually implement in the region all roman decrees that were previously enacted by Nepos (and his immediate predecessors) in Italy and Dalmatia, in particular the one concerning the new Census and the recovery of abandoned land, and where a rightful heir was missing, to arrange a new distribution following the some procedures followed for the “Beneficiarii” in Italy. Later he also wrote a similar letter to the Vicarius of Illyria Severus Saturninus, asking him the same attitude towards the two provinces of Noricum subjected to his authority. Militarily the provinces of Noricum (and theoretically also the province of Pannonia I) were subjected to the Dux Pannonia I and Norici Ripenses under the command of Magister Militum Per Illyricum Gaudentius. Given that Vindobona was still outside roman control, the newly appointed Dux along with most of his units would take seat in the city of Lauriacum, one of the few surviving roman cities on the Danube, recently liberated from the Rugian threat thanks to the victory of Ecdicius and later Constantianus. Likewise the Dux Raetia I et II would reside in the city Augusta Vindelicorum, chosen due to its strategic position that made the city suitable to face north-western threats coming from Gaul.
Meanwhile the world around the emperor was constantly evolving. In addition to the death of King Euricus another king had died in 484: King Huneric of the Vandals. Succeeded by king Guntamund (Genseric’s grandson), the new rulers ended the open persecutions of Nicene Christians, as a means to strengthen his rule in Africa. The Vandalic kingdoms, after Genseric’s death, was facing increasingly problems both internally and externally, and Guntamund resorted to seek the support of the native roman population in order to recover the lost territory and to resume Genseric’s expansion. But for the time being the new king accepted to renovate king Huneric’s treaty with the roman emperor, albeit after failing to obtain an increase of the tribute paid by the romans for the control of Sicily.
In the East, the roman emperor Zeno was now involved in a new war against the Isaurian general Illus, forcing the eastern court to reach a deal with the leaders of the Goths: Theodoricus Strabo and Theodoricus Amalus would support with their Foederati Zeno in his war against Illus, meanwhile Zeno would return all properties and titles confiscated to the Gothic leaders. At the end of the war, he promised to discuss the problem of new lands for the Goths in the Balkans. But even more interesting was the fact that Marcianus, emperor Marcianus’ grandson and Nepos’ brother in law, the usurper against Zeno in 479 and now again in 484, escaped the control of general Illus (the real leader of the uprising) and fled west to the court of emperor Nepos. Illus continued his revolt against Zeno by appointing a new nominal emperor: Leontius. Meanwhile Marcianus was welcomed by Nepos and his family, his sister Alypia and the two surviving brothers Romulus and Procopius. Here Marcianus was awarded by his brother in law with the title of Patricius and Magister Officiorum despite some protest from the Eastern court while his predecessor Rufius Festus was awarded with a new consulate. This one along with many prominent western senators were sent by Nepos to the Eastern court to discuss about the Henotikon, an eastern document issued in 482 by emperor Zeno that recognized the Council of Chalcedon but prohibited further discussions about the nature of Christ. Nepos recognized the need of his colleague to bring back religious unit in the East, however under the pressure of Pope Felix III, and in order to gain back popularity among the clergy, he sent a delegation led by Rufius Festus to Constantinople to officially discuss about the document that risked to separate the two halves of the empire, something that Nepos had no intention to allow for political reasons. After the failure of the negotiation between East and West the churches of the two empire were now separated by a schism provoked by the unwillingness of Pope Felix III and Patriarch Acacius to compromise. Given the failure of the negotiations, emperor Nepos opted for a neutral and cautious stance: he once again recognized the validity of Chalcedon pleasing both Pope Felix and emperor Zeno but he avoided any further open condemnation of Monophysitism, Henotikon and the eastern Patriarch Acacius for the time being, leaving the Pope on his own in his struggle against the East. Attacking the Eastern positions would undermine the relations with emperor Zeno while open Christological declaration by a secular authority like Nepos would provoke the anger of the Roman Church. For this reasons Nepos resorted to neutrality, despite the accusation of indolence coming from his opposers: a strict neutrality until he understood which side would benefit more the western roman empire, would be his best choice in what seemed to be the first of many incoming religious troubles.
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