176- The Quote Unquote Emperor 

For a well-known history of rome episode one seventy six the quote unquote temper.

When rickover arrested and executed the emperor maggiore in an august four sixty one is entirely likely that he didn't think it would be that big of a deal sure it might be a little scandalous but as pr problems go it would almost certainly well over after all remember was the real power behind the throne everyone knew it so it wasn't like this was a cooler something more like a ceo firing his ceo but ricker underestimated the popularity of majority living in italy and surrounded by a bunch of italian aristocrat to have soured on the emperor it might seem to rick or murder like the whole empire hated maggiore and i was ready for him to get but this was not so majority policies may have been taking off rick or any italian nobility but that did not mean that they were ticking off anyone else so when maggiore was killed these anyone else's work shocked and angry and eyes were about to see they were not going to take it lying down.

To appease anyone else's are of particular interest the first was the general i mentioned last week the guy whose name i told you to remember to member his name as right it the genius engineers had risen up through the ranks with maggiore and measure or call one of maggiore and first axis emperor was to make a judaism magister millets on the commander-in-chief of all engineers have been spent four years re- pacifying the region and getting it back under the thumb of the central imperial government that mission was about to take an ironic twist the judy's was up in northern gaul and four sixty one when word reached him that his old friend majority had been killed no i don't know if judy is his reaction to rick hirsch who took the form of a dramatic declaration or if it was just passive aggressive cold shouldering but the minute maggiore and head hit the ground to judy is stopped taking orders from italy the general who adjustment for years reminding everyone he came across that the imperial government was still the legal sovereign and as such fields he was not a suggestion but a duty yacht that guy is declaring his independence from ravenna and this would not turn out to be a short-lived thing historians will wind up calling the territory to judy is controlled in northern gaul the domain of switch song named after the modern french city of source on the dance roughly at the center of the gds 's little kingdom the domain would continue on as a quasi- roman rump state even after the fall of the western empire until this last little outpost of roman order finally overrun by the franks and forty six.

Well okay said bricker merck got a rogue general up in gaul refusing to take orders that not such a big deal i can handle at the that was not all recover was up against another of maggiore and general a man named mark salinas had exactly the same reaction to rick immersed to as judy or salinas was in control of dalmatia which at this point in history had drifted back into the western orbit though when maggiore died or salinas was in sicily he had been placed there to help run one arm of maggiore 's planned invasion of north africa the invasion that had stalled when maggiore and spanish fleet had been sunk by the vandals omar salinas found out that the emperor was dead he booked it back to his home territory doubletime and when he got there he found out that rickover had already tried to bribe the dalmatian garrisons mostly on mercenaries out from under martial units which as you can imagine he did not go over too well with mark salinas so i can call you judy is up in gaul marceline is simply stopped taking orders from italy.

But unlike a genius who was wedged between a failing empire some barbarian kingdoms and the english channel mark salinas was wedged in between the two halves of the empire rather than declaring de facto independence or selena simply turned east wrote to leo in constantinople and said hey this guy record just overthrew the guy you yourself recognize to be the lawful emperor i'm not going to follow him anymore but i'd be happy to follow you so consider this my declaration of the section.

But this was not all ricker murr was now up against although most of his problems were caused by people ticked off about his little coupe yet another problem was caused by a guy who was not so much ticked off as excited about the opportunity the two presented and here we are talking about our old friend kingdom ceric of the vandals now before i go on i would like to say that it sort of feels like an ceric has been around forever he first showed up back in four twenty eight ed which was the episode back when were talking about the rise of aegis and now thirty three years later still going strong so he's got a be getting old right like pretty soon were going to be dealing with the new king of the vandals right wrong dude is going to outlive the western empire he isn't going to die until january four seventy seven at the age of eighty eight and after having ruled for almost fifty years which is just now when you go and start.

So anyway against eric who was by a healthy margin now the senior statesman of the western empire and father-in-law of the imperial princess nokes to the younger took the death of maggiore and as an opportunity to influence who would be chosen as a successor demand insert act was a senator by the name of the nice use of the brigance y canisius only briefs while because he was married to close any the other imperial princess currently enjoying the hospitality of the vandals.

Once nearly engaged to majority and then formally engaged to easiest son placentia and finally wound up married to senator only bring us shortly after the murder of her father valentinian the third.

Though i don't believe there's any firm proof to this one where the other it is supposed that believers was related to valentinian 's executioner successor petronius maximus.

You recall that when maximus sees power he tried to give his new and ultimately short-lived regime the near of legitimacy by marrying the imperial widow lexie neve dokes yet and then marrying the younger utopia to his son.

That is supposed that only briefs was a cousin or something of maximus is and his marriage to city was a part of this larger legitimacy project.

But so far the marriage had not really amounted anything fully agree is admitting constantinople when concert sacked rome and then spirited away his new bride so it's not like the chu could have spent much time around one another but because he was in constantinople when maximus fell fully brief managed to survive the regime change and then because he remained in the east in a state of semi- exile managed to live through the next regime change as well so when rick america initiated the third regime change in six years only bruce was still alive still married to placentia and since he had been living in constantinople for half a decade on fairly good terms with leo in the court of the east.

When working the majority was dead insert stepped forward and boldly proclaimed that senator believed rios was the only man in the empire any kind of legitimate claim to the imperial throne a husband of the unjustly deposed the notion family he would return honor and dignity and blah blah blah the bottom line is that a lever is was now as much a part against eric 's family as he was at the goshen family so didn't start watching them on the front of the west was a no-brainer.

But ricker murr wasn't having this for a second if the problem with maggiore had been written or couldn't sufficiently control him and there is no way the general was going to except believers who would be part creature of the vandals and part creature of constantinople plus a libra uses legitimacy was going to flow from his marriage to placentia rather than from the patronage of ricker some rigorous mind i doubt there was a worse candidate for the throne then only burris.

Didn't start stepped up the pressure by intensifying vandal rates on the italian coast promising to shut them down only if only breeze was elevated to read from or refuse to botch after a three-month interregnum were finally found a candidate more to his liking someone dull weak willed and entirely dependent on rickover enter libya 's solaris dole weak willed entirely dependent on rickover libya solaris.

We know almost nothing about the new would be emperor until he suddenly appears in ravenna accepting the diadem in november of four sixty one.

Not that it really matters libya solaris is not exactly the linchpin of roman history during the reign of maggiore and report may have fancied himself the power behind the throne but it's pretty clear that maggiore in himself that a good number of other people considered to be more of a partnership with the elevation of solaris that this ambiguity was gone rick a murder was the power behind the throne these are the years we have references to king river not references mocking his hubris mind you but just straight up references to king rickover because that's basically what he now watch as i mentioned a few episodes back the famous historian jb bury one said rickover was the link between stiller co. and auto acer and was the first german to be virtual king of italy.

Fifteen years down the road were going to have a real german king of italy in the pro forma nature of odoacer seizure of power finds its roots here in the days work who during these years went so far as to possibly clean money in his own name were not hundred percent sure that he clean money in his own name but there are good reasons to believe that he did and i think it's telling that if it turns out to be true no one is going to be surprised in the slightest.

The elevation of taveras was of course only really recognized in italy and so king rick immersed power did not really extend that far up in gaul junius was essentially an revolt as was marshaling this can domination the eastern augustus leo for his part never recognized taveras though for the moment he was not looking to make or break relations with the west over the issue of majoris murder and subversive elevation omar salinas was apparently prepared to storm italy as soon as the spring of four sixty two arrived and asked for leo support for the east amber refused to give it instead counseling patients not wanting to make any bold moves without constantinople 's backing for salinas took the council and sat on his hands but he was done taking orders from rick.

The de facto kings first concern was the situation and all that he tried to attack more salinas first he might incur the wrath of leo so better to settle the north before worrying about the east but if you wanted to maintain his iron grip on italy redeemer knew he couldn't go marching off to retake gaul himself he needed to find a capable subordinate to do the job for him.

And he couldn't send the quote unquote and perseverance not only was he likely thoroughly inexperienced military affairs but sending an temper often went back gall at almost certainly been one of the keys to the breakdown in the relationship tween majorie rickover for jordan & fortune independent power base for himself and we can't have that better to find some suitably motivated underling and sent him off to get the job done quicker id perfect candidate an old soldier named agrippina 's.

What recommended agrippina 's for the job well for starters he had been of fetuses magister millets for golf which meant that he was the one who had been replaced by julius maggiore came to power the fund did not stop there a native of golf himself and her penis had not gone quietly into that good night nor had the genius given him any reason to.

Eventually the feud between the two men fled the gds to accuse agrippina 's of treason sent down to rome to stand for his crime agrippina 's was found guilty and sentenced to death.

He managed to escape his captivity however and then seek asylum in the old st. peter's where he remained until he was officially pardoned.

The details of all this are of course really vague but the assumption is that the official pardon came after the death of maggiore round about the time rigorously for someone to lead the effort to read pacified gaul and defeat the revel the julius and what better man to lead that effort in agrippina 's who had lost his job and then very nearly lost his life to judy 's.

When agrippina 's reach call sometime and four sixty two he did exactly the same thing maggiore had done once he entered gaul back in four fifty eight he made a beeline for the goss but unlike majority who was looking to defeat and re- pacify the goss agrippina 's was looking to befriend and re- empower them and when he arrived in aquitaine he found off very receptive to the imperial proposals because said proposals promise the goths something they had been hankering for since they first put down roots and all a mediterranean port to call their very own.

In exchange for golf support the campaign against the genius the quote unquote and versus eris was willing to cede them the city of narbonne the gough king theodore second jumped at the software all those battles between his father theodoric the elder and dts back in the day had been all about trying to win a mediterranean port for the goss and now the romans were just going to hand one over in exchange for what beating down a few revels will sign us up will be there.

But a genius was not leading some ramshackle band of ne'er-do-wells you'll recall that as i just mentioned the little rump state gds founded was going to outlast the western empire well if it's going to outlast the western empire isn't really room in the story for a crushing defeat at the hands of agrippina 's and the goths i mean maybe there is but that would become a pretty complicated story lucky for us they decided to keep things nice and simple agrippina synagogue army marched north that judy is heard they were coming in through his line at orléans the two sides met in battle at some point in late four sixty two and a judy is emerged for tauris agrippina 's and the goths and fled the no i have no idea what ultimately happened to him that's the last were going to hear from her penis whether he died in the battle or simply faded into security no idea he just drops off the face of the earth.

This nice and simple story is only complicated by one small matter but judy is had not been idle since the death of maggiore nor was he blind to the effect that pretty soon recover would be coming for him so he made a sort of mutual defense pact with france this fact obviously came into force when the cops started marching north and no frankish support was likely the difference between victory and defeat for julius it was also likely the difference between victory and total victory it seems that once they have the goths on the run the various french nobles fell into squabbling amongst themselves about who knows what shutting down any chance of judy's had a really crushing the goths once and for all at the franks held together it is possible that a gds could've made what was left of the goths into his personal vassals then between his alliance with frank's 's mastery over the goths and his control over the rest of ball well he might love of march and italy and overthrown bricker get marcelino 's onboard with that plan you know you invade italy from the east while i invade from the north red river and his quote " emperor don't stand a chance but instead the judy is his army got vapor locked up or i don't know judy us would never lose his domain in northern gaul neither would he ever expanded.

While this drama was unfolding in the north river was kept busy by concert in advance who were not taking his failure to elevate the liber yes lately throughout four sixty two and the four sixty three four sixty four and four sixty five the vandals continued to harass the italian coastline hitting and running and staying and fighting and then selling off again before popping up here and there and then here it.

The new fleet built my majority and was may be somewhat effective but it clearly wasn't the silver bullet the romans were looking for to shutdown the vandals plus insert was now moving forward with an ever more ambitious political program above and beyond his stated goal that the briefs are to be emperor of the west concert now began to make very sure that the hon asked claims on roman property after all this hundred had married you don't see the younger so wasn't he entitled some kind of gallery.

Not insert was not so bold as to demand half the western empire as attila had but he didn't claim a good chunk of the personal fortune control by the emperors which he further claimed had been stolen by rick merck and his ilk that fortune belong to the imperial women under his charge or at the very least their husbands not a bunch of thoughts who murdered valentinian the third that recorded have anything to do with valentinian 's death was immaterial the theater ocean family fortune belonged to the feed ocean family was just that simple.

Know the sort of legalistic arguments fell on deaf ears in the west it's not like rickover was going to just hand over the imperial fortune taken ceric and the exiled princesses so seems reasonable to assume that these arguments from mostly directed at constantinople.

Insert was well aware of the fact leo was not recognizing the legitimacy of some paris meant there would probably eventually be some sort of effort to remove him when that day came concert wanted to make sure that his own demands were on record plus he wanted to make it super obvious to everyone what the price for his help in any plush dislikes rickover considers was going to be but leo was in no hurry to go to war with rickover even if italy was increasingly politically economically and militarily isolated.

So the simmering tensions of early for sixties hit a nice equilibrium skirmishing jockeying and maneuvering amongst the fractured power centers of the west world the day with no one really taking anyone else down were suddenly grabbing up for territory.

Even the death of the gds in four sixty four did not disrupt thinks too much whether he died naturally or was poisoned by enemies within the frankish kingdom is on no oh stories are reported but everyone reports that he was simply succeeded by his son who continue the independent rule of his father and who would continue this independent role until he and what was left of his little roman kingdom were overrun by the franks and forty six.

This new equilibrium further survived and even more potentially transformative death in four sixty five during the summer the quote unquote emperor says aris apparently died of natural causes there is some dark hinting that rhythm or did him in but there is little reason to believe this story.

We have no idea how old sinners was when he died but he was allowed to call himself emperor for four years.

His death would do little to impact the wider political and military dynamics of the mediterranean world a testament to just how insignificant he was.

He was so insignificant fact that following his death the west was going to get a sneak preview of what the political order of the future was going to be richter merck had stalled for months before picking a new emperor after the deposition of obese and then stalled for months again after the execution of maggiore testing the waters to perhaps see what would happen if he just left the office vacant.

Next week rick am or will wait out even further into the post- imperial waters after the deaths of various the german general who refused to elevate successor and keep on refusing to elevate a successor for two full years until finally leo had to step in and put an end to this unprecedented interregnum