Meanwhile relations with the Vandals though suffered, as king Geiseric was still angry at the assassination of Aspar, a fellow German, and clearly had preferred his influence over the east to that of Zeno. For the current western emperor, Julius Nepos, was related by marriage to Zeno’s wife. On his accession Zeno enjoyed a good relationship with the west. There were rumours that Zeno had killed his own son to have the throne for himself. But already on 9 February Zeno was appointed co-Augustus by the senate.īefore the year AD 474 was over Leo II was dead. On 18 January AD 474 Leo died and Leo II was sole emperor, with Zeno as regent of the eastern empire. In October AD 473 Leo elevated his five year-old grandson, who was the son of Zeno and Aelia Ariadne, to be co-emperor Leo II. Next, in AD 473 Zeno was made ‘Master of Soldiers’ of the eastern empire, taking Aspar’s place. Among the mayhem and rioting which ensued, Zeno arranged the assassination of Aspar and Ardaburius (AD 471). Aspar’s attempts to see his son made heir to the throne had outraged many in the capital, as his Arian beliefs were a heresy to the orthodox Christians of Constantinople. Zeno moved back to Chalcedon from where he could influence matters in Constantinople. Further still Aspar, through his elder son Ardaburius, was trying to win the support of Zeno’s power base, the Isaurian guard, in order to regain supremacy over his rival. In this role he set out to deal with brigandry and banditry of the Isaurian warlord Indacus.īut Zeno’s ambitious suffered a setback as Leo elevated Aspar’s son Patricius to the rank of Caesar and betrothed him to his daughter Leontia. Thereafter he was granted the post of ‘Master of Soldiers’ of the eastern provinces. An assassination attempt was made by a group of soldiers at his behest, but Zeno managed to escape to Serdica (Sofia) in advance. Though Aspar, the powerful German ‘Master of Soldiers’ of the eastern empire, well understood Zeno as an ambitious new opponent and sought to see him out of the way. In AD 467-8 Zeno was given the powerful position of ‘Master of Soldiers’ in Thrace to repel an assault by the Huns under the son of Attila, Denzig (Densegich). To further increase the bond with his new Isaurian guardsmen, Leo married his elder daughter Aelia Ariadne to Zeno. Apparently it was the name of a dignitary of high standing back in Isauria, and Zeno thought it more befitting of his new high office to have a name less common than Tarasicodissa. It was only at that stage that he assumed the name Zeno. Also a special imperial guard was set up, made up entirely of Isaurians, and Zeno was granted command of this highly important force. The emperor Leo called him to Constantinople as the leader of a force of Isaurians in order to counter the ever-growing German influence over the empire. Zeno was from Rosoumblada in the province in south-eastern Asia Minor known as Isauria. ‘Zeno the Isaurian’ Tarasicodissa (died AD 491)