Alypia (fl. 467–472 AD) was a noblewoman of the

Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...

, daughter of the Western Roman Emperor

Anthemius Procopius Anthemius (died 11 July 472) was western Roman emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: ...

Life

Alypia was the only daughter of

and Aelia Marcia Euphemia, and granddaughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor

Marcian Marcian (; la, Marcianus, link=no; grc-gre, Μαρκιανός, link=no ; 392 – 27 January 457) was Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457. Very little of his life before becoming emperor is known, other than that he was a (personal as ...

. The Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I appointed Anthemius Western Emperor in 467, and so Alypia's marriage became an important moment in Anthemius' rule. Anthemius married his daughter to

Ricimer Flavius Ricimer ( , ; – 18/19 August 472) was a Romanized Germanic general who effectively ruled the remaining territory of the Western Roman Empire from 461 until his death in 472, with a brief interlude in which he contested power with Ant ...

, the ''

magister militum (Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...

'' of the West and power-behind-the-throne; the aim of this bond was to strengthen the relationship between Anthemius and his ''magister militum'', who had already deposed three Western Emperors. However Alypia's marriage did not bring peace between the Emperor and his general, possibly because the two of them had no children. In April 472, Ricimer appointed

Olybrius Anicius Olybrius (died 2 November 472) was Roman emperor from July 472 until his death later that same year; his rule as ''Augustus'' in the western Roman Empire was not recognised as legitimate by the ruling ''Augustus'' in the eastern Roman ...

as Emperor, in opposition to Anthemius, who, together with his family, was besieged in Rome. Around the middle of July, Anthemius and his family were captured by Ricimer; Anthemius was beheaded, while Alypia's subsequent history is unknown. In the numismatic collection of

Dumbarton Oaks Dumbarton Oaks, formally the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, is a historic estate in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was the residence and garden of wealthy U.S. diplomat Robert Woods Bliss and his wife, ...

there is a coin (a ''

solidus Solidus (Latin for "solid") may refer to: * Solidus (coin) The ''solidus'' (Latin 'solid'; ''solidi'') or nomisma ( grc-gre, νόμισμα, ''nómisma'', 'coin') was a highly pure gold coin issued in the Late Roman Empire and By ...

'') on which Euphemia and Alypia are depicted. Here Alypia's figure is smaller than her mother's, as a sign of respect, but the two women dress using the same vestments, those typical of the '' Augusta''; it is therefore possible that both Euphemia and Alypia were appointed ''Augustae''.

Sources

* David L. Vagi, ''Coinage and History of the Roman Empire'', Taylor & Francis, 1999, {{ISBN, 1-57958-316-4, p. 573. 5th-century Romans 5th-century women Theodosian dynasty 5th-century Roman women Daughters of Roman emperors