11īasiliscus reigned for twenty months and in that time he made himself extremely unpopular, chiefly by his ecclesiastical policy. He immediately crowned his wife Zenonis as Augusta, and conferred the rank of Caesar upon his youthful son Marcus, whom he afterwards crowned Augustus. 10 The circumstances of his elevation naturally led to a breach with Verina, and, having good reason to fear her capacity for intrigue, he took the precaution of putting Patricius to death. The choice of the ministers and Senate fell not on Patricius but on Basiliscus, who was proclaimed and crowned Emperor at the Hebdomon palace. Verina now hoped to reign as mistress of the palace, but she was outwitted by her brother, who was himself ambitious of the purple. Taking with him a large company of Isaurians, and supplying himself with treasure, he crossed over to Chalcedon (January 9, A.D. 475) and fled to Isauria. 9 Those who accompanied him were fortunate, for, when the Emperor's flight was known, the populace indulged in their inveterate hatred of the Isaurians by a colossal massacre. Heraclea on the Propontis, and Basiliscus succeeded in seducing the Isaurian brothers Illus and Trocundes to abandon their loyalty to Zeno. 8 When all the preparations were complete, the queen-mother, with consummate skill, persuaded Zeno that his life was in danger and that his only safety was in flight. She engaged the co-operation of her brother Basiliscus, who had been living in retirement at Her scheme was to raise to the throne and marry her paramour Patricius, who had formerly held the post of Master of Offices. A formidable conspiracy was formed against him, of which the leading spirit was his mother-in‑law, the Augusta Verina. 7 She had concurred in Zeno's elevation, but she did not like him, and being a woman of energy and ambition she found it distasteful to fall into the background, overshadowed by her daughter, the Augusta Ariadne. If the Emperor was able to cope with foreign foes by negotiation or arms, his position amid a hostile court and people was highly precarious. The Master of Soldiers in the Thracian provinces was captured and slain but Illus took the field and terminated the war. Meanwhile Zeno's coronation had provoked Aspar's Ostrogothic relative Theoderic Strabo to new hostilities in Thrace. A perpetual peace was then concluded between the two powers ( A.D. 474), 6 and was maintained for nearly sixty years. The king made him a present of all the captives who had fallen to the share of the royal family and allowed him to redeem others from any Vandals who willing to sell. He sent to Carthage Severus, a man of high repute, who made a favourable impression on Gaiseric by refusing all his gifts. After Leo's death, the Vandals descended on the western shores of Greece and captured Nicopolis. King Gaiseric must have been deeply displeased by the murder of the Arian Aspar, with whom he is said to have been on friendly terms. Vandals, Ostrogoths, Huns, and Arabs were all in arms against the Empire. The first year of the reign was crowded with anxieties. Historians of the time vent their feelings by describing him as physically horrible and morally abominable, 4 and he was said to be a coward. 5 His most trusted counsellor was the Isaurian Illus, who was, however, to prove a thorn in his side, and Trocundes, the brother of Illus, also rose into prominence. High places for the Emperor's fellow-countrymen, and more rude mountaineers in the capital. Zeno's accession meant Isaurian ascendancy, If we remember the depredations of the Isaurians in the reign of Arcadius, it is not surprising that they had an evil name, and it is more than probable that the soldiers introduced into the capital by Leo had not belied their reputation for rudeness and violence. Zeno was not beloved. 2 He was unpopular both with the Byzantine populace and in senatorial circles. 3 He was hated as an Isaurian. But with the consent of the Senate and the concurrence of the Empress Verina, the child conferred the Imperial dignity on his father, in the Hippodrome (February 9, A.D. 474) and died in the same year, leaving to Zeno nominally as well as actually the sole power (November 17). The new Emperor, Leo II, was a child of seven years, and the regency naturally devolved on his father Zeno. The Usurpation of Basiliscus ( A.D. 475‑476) The Reign of Zeno, and the German Viceroyalty in Italy
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