| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 193 | Silver | Auction date: 28 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 280 Price realized: 1,200 EUR (Approx. 1,300 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Basiliscus AD 475-476. Mediolanum Tremissis AV 14 mm, 1,35 g D N BASILISCVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed and draped bust right /COMOB, cross within wreath. Very Fine RIC 3315. Basiliscus, a usurper Roman Emperor, reigned in the years 475 and 476. He was the brother of Empress Verina and brother-in-law to Emperor Leo I. Basiliscus served as consul in 465 and played a role in the unsuccessful campaign against the Vandal king Genseric in 468. Later sources criticize him for either betrayal or failure during this expedition. In 474, discontent with Emperor Zeno's disputed legitimacy led to a conspiracy, orchestrated, according to some accounts, by Basiliscus's sister, Verina. Zeno, forewarned of the plot, fled Constantinople on January 9, 475. The next day, with Senate approval, Basiliscus assumed the imperial throne. He received co-emperor recognition from Romulus Augustulus, another usurper in Italy. Zeno, returning with a formidable army in 476, found dissatisfaction among Basiliscus's troops due to mismanagement and religious policies. With the involvement of generals Illus and Armatus, Zeno regained control in July or early August 476. Basiliscus's fate is uncertain, with some sources claiming he sought refuge in a church but eventually surrendered to Zeno. Whether true or not, Basiliscus met his end, and Zeno resumed rule in Constantinople. Starting price: 200 EUR |  |
