Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

60 2. the eastern empire: theodosius to anastasius
army and increased the potential for ambitious generals to exert a dominating
influence on political life – a potential realized in the careers of Stilicho,
Aetius and Ricimer in the west. That this trend was less evident in the east
can be attributed in large part to differences in the military command structure
in the two halves of the empire. In the early-fifth-century west (probably
as a result of Stilicho’s actions) all forces were ultimately under the
authority of one general, whereas in the east the field armies were throughout
the fifth century divided amongst five generals. 157 This arrangement
not only acted as a safeguard against the concentration of military power
in the hands of one individual, it also diverted commanders’ energies into
rivalries between themselves. Moreover, it enlarged the scope for others –
civilian officials, prominent courtiers, female members of the imperial
family – to compete for power and counterbalance the political weight of
the military. 158
In the middle of the fifth century, to be sure, Aspar came to exercise
influence analogous to that of the western ‘generalissimos’, yet when Leo
began to assert his independence, Aspar never gave any sign of contemplating
his removal in the way that Ricimer eliminated Majorian and
Anthemius, thereby seriously devaluing the authority of the imperial office
in the west. Whether from choice or necessity, Aspar pursued the much less
destructive strategy of establishing a marital alliance with Leo in the expectation
that his son would succeed to the throne in due course. In the event,
Aspar lost out to another general of ambition and ability. Unencumbered
by Aspar’s dual handicap of barbarian origin and religious heterodoxy,
Zeno was able to assume the imperial purple himself via the same strategy
of marriage into the imperial family, so preserving the integrity of the
imperial office in the east and helping to ensure that it never came to be
viewed as an irrelevancy or an anachronism. Granted Zeno did not prove
to be a popular emperor and the political turmoil of his reign raised the
spectre of the eastern empire disintegrating into anarchy, yet it is noteworthy
that, of those who challenged him for power, Basiliscus and
Marcian had dynastic links, while Illus and Leontius came from the same
provincial background as Zeno himself. Even if any of them had succeeded
in removing Zeno permanently, therefore, there was never any
question of the imperial office itself being done away with. 159 Had the reign
of his successor been as tumultuous as Zeno’s, then perhaps questions
might have been asked. As it was, Anastasius proved to be a very capable
157 Jones, LRE 609–10.
158 Through their marriages, the two most important imperial females – Pulcheria and Ariadne –
also played a crucial role in maintaining a high degree of dynastic continuity during the fifth century
(Leo’s accession marks the only break), and the significance of that continuity for preserving the integrity
of the imperial office ought not to be underestimated.
159 Basiliscus, of course, actually adopted the title of emperor during his twenty-month occupation
of Constantinople.
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