Julius Nepos's wife
The wife of Julius Nepos was the last empress of the Western Roman Empire, whose husband reigned from 474 through 480, although he was in exile from his capital after 475. Her name is not recorded, and sources only report her as the neptis of the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I (r. 457–74) and his wife Verina. The word neptis could translate as granddaughter, niece or close relative, but it is usually assumed that Julius' wife was Leo's niece, and more likely related by blood to Verina rather than Leo. The historian Malchus reports, "Verina also joined in urging this, giving a helping hand to the wife of Nepos, her relative".[1][2] It is sometimes thought that Julius adopted the name "Nepos" after the marriage, but the name actually belongs to a Dalmatian family.[3]
Julius' marriage may have been part of a pattern of family patronage: "marriage into the imperial family was a highly advantageous affair, and marriage to an emperor's daughter allowed the son-in-law to hope for the purple". Both emperors and empresses once elevated to their position would attempt to promote relatives to high offices and help them marry into illustrious lineages. While these extended families on occasion failed to succeed to the throne, they did manage to endure political upheavals and remain prominent for generations.[4]
Verina certainly seems to have played her part in advancing relatives. Between 468 and 476, Basiliscus, Armatus and Nepos assumed high-ranking military positions. All three were related to her by blood or marriage. During the same period, Verina's daughters Ariadne and Leontia were married respectively to Zeno and Marcian, later an emperor and a usurper, respectively. She may even had something to do with the rise to prominence of the barbarian Odoacer, theorised to be her nephew.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Ralph W. Mathisen (1998). "Julius Nepos" DIR
- ^ LATdict - An Online Latin Dictionary: "neptis
- ^ MacGeorge, Penny (2002). Late Roman Warlords. OUP Oxford. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-19-153091-3.
- ^ a b Cameron, Ward-Perkins & Whitby 2000, pp. 148–49.
Sources
[edit]- Cameron, Averil; Ward-Perkins, Bryan; Whitby, Michael (2000), The Cambridge Ancient History 14: Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, A.D. 425–600, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-32591-9