Marcian
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Marcian was Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457. Very little is known of his life before becoming emperor, other than that he was a domesticus who served under the commanders Ardabur and his son
Emperor Theodosius II
Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, 1876 painting by Vasily Surikov
A detail of the Missorium of Aspar, depicting Aspar and his elder son Ardabur (c. 434).
Death of Marcian, who is succeeded by Leo I (right). Scene from the 12th century Manasses Chronicle.
Pulcheria
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Aelia Pulcheria was an Eastern Roman empress who advised her brother, the emperor Theodosius II, during his minority and then became wife to emperor Marcian from November 450 to her death in 453.
Marcian
…July 450, Marcian was made a candidate for the throne by Aspar, who held much influence because of his military power. After a month of negotiations Pulcheria, Theodosius's sister, agreed to marry Marcian. Zeno, a military leader whose influence was similar to Aspar's, may have been involved in these negotiations…
The Trier Ivory, representing a procession with royal figures theorized to depict Theodosius II and Pulcheria.