18 Facts About Ricimer

Ricimer was a Romanized Germanic general who effectively ruled the remaining territory of the Western Roman Empire from 456 after defeating Avitus, until his death in 472, with a brief interlude in which he contested power with Anthemius.

Ricimer's death led to unrest across Italy and the establishment of a Germanic kingdom on the Italian Peninsula.

Avitus is subsequently thought to have appointed Ricimer as comes, a prominent military position, but this remains unclear and it is possible that Ricimer was comes before the elevation of Avitus.

Ricimer, nonetheless, raised an army and navy from the Germanic mercenaries available to him and commenced campaigns directed against "barbarian" tribes in conflict with the empire.

Ricimer achieved his first important victory in 456, when he defeated the Vandals in the Battle of Agrigentum and the Battle of Corsica.

Since Ricimer was a Germanic tribesman of Arian religious disposition, he was ineligible for the imperial throne himself.

Whether or not he wished to be emperor is unknown, but in many respects, Ricimer can be viewed as an "heir of Stilicho," a barbarian general who served the Roman Empire faithfully.

Ricimer ruled the West without an emperor for three months.

In 461, Ricimer suborned the Huns under Marcellinus, who was compelled to abandon Sicily.

Sometime in 463, Ricimer defeated a contingent of Visigoths at Orleans, formerly an Alan stronghold.

Ricimer proceeded to rule the West for eighteen months without an emperor as he waited for Leo to name Severus' successor.

Meanwhile, Ricimer married Anthemius's daughter Alypia, solidifying his connection to the emperor and providing the appearance of unity between the two-halves of the Empire.

Ricimer is born of an uncertain father, while a slavewoman was certainly his mother.

Ever since then he rages, because he knows that he [Ricimer] is the true grandson of the hero at whose sight the Vandals always turned in flight [Vallia].

Ricimer must have initially viewed Anthemius' appointment as undermining his position, for unlike Libius Severus, Anthemius had a proven history of military success and had family ties to the Theodosian Dynasty.

However, needing the support of the Eastern Empire, Ricimer was forced to accept him as the price for Leo's good will and for "eastern protection against the depredations of Geiseric".

Nonetheless, Ricimer had been a figure of major significance and historians Stephen Williams and Gerard Friell put this into context with the following:.

Ricimer's life was used as a subject of opera libretti in the 17th and 18th centuries, embellishing his biography with romantic and political intrigues.