Alypia (daughter of Anthemius)
Encyclopedia
Alypia was a noblewoman of the Western Roman Empire
, daughter of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius
.
and Aelia Marcia Euphemia, and grand-daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Marcian
.
The Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I
appointed Anthemius Western Emperor in 467, and so Alypia's marriage became an important moment in Anthemius' rule. Anthemius married his daughter to Ricimer
, the magister militum
of the West and power-behind-the-throne; the aim of this bond was to strengthen the relationship between Anthemius and his magister militum, who had already deposed three Western Emperors.
However Alypia's marriage did not bring peace between the Emperor and his general, possibly because the two of them had no children. In April 472, Ricimer appointed Olybrius
as Emperor, in opposition to Anthemius, who, together with his family, was besieged in Rome. Around middle-July, Anthemius and his family were captured by Ricimer: Anthemius was beheaded, while no information is known about Alypia.
In the numismatic collection of Dumbarton Oaks
there is a coin, a solidus
on which Euphemia and Alypia are depicted. Here Alypia's figure is smaller than her mother's, as a sign of respect, but the two women dress the same vestments, those typical of the augusta
; it is therefore possible that both Euphemia and Alypia were appointed augustae.
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, daughter of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius was Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees;...
.
Life
Alypia was the only daughter of AnthemiusAnthemius
Procopius Anthemius was Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees;...
and Aelia Marcia Euphemia, and grand-daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Marcian
Marcian
Marcian was Byzantine Emperor from 450 to 457. Marcian's rule marked a recovery of the Eastern Empire, which the Emperor protected from external menaces and reformed economically and financially...
.
The Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I
Leo I (emperor)
Leo I was Byzantine Emperor from 457 to 474. A native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace, he was known as Leo the Thracian ....
appointed Anthemius Western Emperor in 467, and so Alypia's marriage became an important moment in Anthemius' rule. Anthemius married his daughter to Ricimer
Ricimer
Flavius Ricimer was a Germanic general who achieved effective control of the remaining parts of the Western Roman Empire, during the middle of the 5th century...
, the magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
of the West and power-behind-the-throne; the aim of this bond was to strengthen the relationship between Anthemius and his magister militum, who had already deposed three Western Emperors.
However Alypia's marriage did not bring peace between the Emperor and his general, possibly because the two of them had no children. In April 472, Ricimer appointed Olybrius
Olybrius
Anicius Olybrius was Western Roman Emperor from April or May 472 to his death. He was in reality a puppet ruler, put on the throne by the Roman general of Germanic descent Ricimer, and was mainly interested in religion, while the actual power was held by Ricimer and his nephew Gundobad.-Family and...
as Emperor, in opposition to Anthemius, who, together with his family, was besieged in Rome. Around middle-July, Anthemius and his family were captured by Ricimer: Anthemius was beheaded, while no information is known about Alypia.
In the numismatic collection of Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks is the conventional name for the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, situated on a historic property in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The institution is administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. Its founders, Robert Woods Bliss and his wife...
there is a coin, a solidus
Solidus (coin)
The solidus was originally a gold coin issued by the Romans, and a weight measure for gold more generally, corresponding to 4.5 grams.-Roman and Byzantine coinage:...
on which Euphemia and Alypia are depicted. Here Alypia's figure is smaller than her mother's, as a sign of respect, but the two women dress the same vestments, those typical of the augusta
Augusta (honorific)
Augusta was the imperial honorific title of empresses. It was given to the women of the Roman and Byzantine imperial families. In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum and Mater Patriae .The title implied the greatest prestige, with the Augustae able to...
; it is therefore possible that both Euphemia and Alypia were appointed augustae.
Sources
- David L. Vagi, Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, Taylor & Francis, 1999, ISBN 1-57958-316-4, p. 573.