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MAJORIAN (Juuus VALERIUS MAJOR1ANUS)

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 451 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MAJORIAN (Juuus See also:VALERIUS MAJOR1ANUS) , See also:emperor of the See also:West from 457 to 461. He had distinguished himself as a See also:general by victories over the See also:Franks and Alemanni, and six months after the deposition of Avitus he was declared emperor by the See also:regent See also:Ricimer. After repelling an attack by the See also:Vandals upon See also:Campania (458) he prepared a large force, composed chiefly of barbarians, to invade See also:Africa, which he previously visited in disguise. Having during his stay in See also:Gaul defeated and concluded an See also:alliance with See also:Theodoric the Visigoth, at the beginning of 460 he crossed the See also:Pyrenees for the purpose of joining the powerful See also:fleet which he had collected at Carthagena. The Vandal See also:king Genseric, however, after all overtures of See also:peace had been rejected, succeeded through the treachery of certain See also:officers in surprising the See also:Roman fleet, most of the See also:ships being either taken or destroyed. Majorian thereupon made peace with Genseric. But his See also:ill-success had destroyed his military reputation; his efforts to pat down abuses and improve the See also:condition of the See also:people had roused the hatred of the officials; and Ricimer, jealous of his fame and See also:influence, stirred up the See also:foreign troops against him. A See also:mutiny See also:broke out in See also:Lombardy, and on the 2nd of See also:August 461 Majorian was forced to resign. He died five days afterwards, either of See also:dysentery or by violence. Majorian was the author of a number of remarkable See also:laws, contained in the Theodosian See also:Code. He remitted all arrears of taxes, the collection of which was for the future placed in the hands of the See also:local officials. He revived the institution of defensores, defenders of cities, whose See also:duty it was to protect the poor and inform the emperor of abuses committed in his name.

The practice of pulling down the See also:

ancient monuments to be used as See also:building material, which was connived at by venal officials, was strictly prohibited. He also passed laws against compulsory ordination and premature vows of See also:celibacy. See Sidonius See also:Apollinaris, See also:Panegyric of Majorian; See also:Gibbon, Decline and Fall, ch. See also:xxxvi. (where an outline of the " novels " of Majorian is given); J. B. See also:Bury, Later Roman See also:Empire, bk. iii.

End of Article: MAJORIAN (Juuus VALERIUS MAJOR1ANUS)

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