Europe 457: Elevation of Majorian

In April 457, shortly after the Western Roman victory at Campi Cannini, the general Majorian was proclaimed emperor by the troops. However, he initially seems to have lacked widespread support and it was not until the end of the year that he formally accepted the nomination.

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1 Apr 457 Acclamation of Majorian ▲

In the aftermath of the Roman defeat of the Alemanni at Campi Cannini in early 457, the troops proclaimed the magister militum Majorian emperor at ad Columellas, a site 9.5km outside Ravenna. Apparently lacking sufficient support at this stage, Majorian waited until the end of the year to formally accept this acclamation. in wikipedia

Jun 457 Battle of Portus Cale ▲

At the end of March 457 Theodoric II led his Visigothic army out of Augusta Emerita (Mérida) and proceeded to make his way back to Tolosa (Toulouse), dispatching his generals to suppress any attempts by the Romans to reassert themselves in northern Spain. In the meantime he sent a force to deal with the rebel Visigothic commander Aioulf, who had established his own ‘Suebian’ kingdom in Gallaecia. Theodoric’s men swiftly defeated Aioulf at Portus Cale (Porto), then beheaded him as a traitor in June. in wikipedia

457 Battle of Garigliano ▲

In the summer of 457 a Vandal expedition led by Gaiseric’s brother-in-law landed in Italy, probably near the mouth of the Garigliano river, with the intention of plundering Campania. However, as the Vandals dispatched Mauri horsemen to raid the countryside, the Roman general Ricimer suddenly appeared with his army and cut the Mauri off from the main body of Vandals. The Romans then drove the Vandals back to their ships, killing many of them and forcing the remainder to hurriedly escape out to sea. in wikipedia

457–459 Peroz vs Hormizd III ▲

On the death of Shah Yazdegerd II in 457, his son and heir succeeded him as ruler of the Sasanian Empire of Persia, becoming Shah Hormizd III. However, Hormizd was opposed by his brother Peroz—considered by some Persian sources to be the elder of the two and regarded as the more pious one—igniting a civil war which would fully occupy the two brothers, while their mother Denag governed the empire at Ctesiphon. After fleeing to Sakastan, in the east of the empire, Peroz opened up negotiations with the Hephthalites, who, despite initially deciding against military assistance in favor of gifting him with the town of Taloqan, eventually agreed to provide him with 30,000 troops. With their support, and that of the powerful noble Rahman Mihran, Peroz marched west in 459 and overthrew Hormizd at Ray. in wikipedia

457 Capture of Ulixippona ▲

At some point in 457 a faction of Suebi in Gallaecia broke away from Maldras’ rule and proclaimed Framta as their king. Undeterred, Maldras marched south into Lusitania, where, feigning peaceful intentions, he seized Ulixippona (Lisbon). in wikipedia

457? Battle of Crecganford ▲

In 457, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the Anglo-Saxon king Hengist and his son and co-ruler Oisc defeated the Brtions at Crecganford (probably Crayford), allegedly killing four thousand men and driving the rest back to London. This victory seems to have ended the British threat to the Anglo-Saxons in Kent for several years. in wikipedia

28 Dec 457–2 Aug 461 Reign of Majorian ▲

In December 457 the magister militum Majorian was officially proclaimed Western Roman emperor in Ravenna, after a 14-month interregnum following the overthrow of Avitus. Even so the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I—who may initially have accepted Majorian as a Caesar rather than an Augustus—would not officially recognize his claim until 459 or 460. Majorian spent the next three years campaigning to restore Roman rule in the West, but was assassinated in 461 in a plot orchestrated by the general Ricimer. in wikipedia