In about 454 he married the Imperial princess
Placidia. Shortly thereafter, Olybrius went to
Constantinople although his wife remained behind in
Rome. In 455, King
Gaiseric of the Vandals, sacked Rome and carried
Placidia, her mother
Empress Licinia Eudoxia, and her sister,
Eudoxia away to his capital of Carthage in North
Africa.
Gaiseric held the three ladies in Africa until he
secured the marriage of his son
Huneric to the maiden
Eudoxia. After this marriage, the two remaining
ladies were released and made their way to
Constantinople.
In Constantinople, Anicius Olybrius and his wife
were active in both politics and religion, renovating
a number of churches, and Anicius Olybrius was named
consul in 464 by the Emperor
Leo I. It was about this time that Anicius
Olybrius and his wife had their daughter,
Anicia Juliana.
In 472 Anicius Olybrius was sent by Emperor
Leo I to arbitrate between the Western Emperor
Anthemius and the barbarian general
Ricimer. It was discovered, however, that
Leo I and
Anthemius had devised a plot to kill both Anicius
Olybrius and
Ricimer. Upon discovery of this plot, Anicius
Olybrius allied himself to
Ricimer who named him Western Roman Emperor.
Universally recognized as
Ricimer's puppet Emperor, Anicius Olybrius
accomplished very little during his very short reign.
His only notable action was the elevation of
Ricimer's nephew, the Burgundian Gundobad, to the
rank of Roman patrician and Master of Soldiers.
Anicius Olybrius died shortly thereafter. His reign
has been given as being either a few days or a few
months, but either way, he was elevated to Emperor
and died in 472 and accomplished very little.
This being one of the better remembered Anicii,
there exists an excellent online biography of him on
the DIR site.
