orig. Flavius Ricimer
died Aug. 18, 472
Roman general.
The son of a Visigothic princess and a Germanic chieftain, he rose high in the Roman army, but he was barred from the imperial throne as a barbarian and instead became a kingmaker in the empire. He defeated the Vandals in Sicily and deposed the emperor Avitus for Majorian (457), who elevated him to consul. In 461 Ricimer deposed and executed Majorian and appointed Libius Severus as Western emperor. The Eastern emperor later made Anthemius ruler in the West, but Ricimer elevated Olybrius (472) and killed Anthemius.