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:'''''Not to be confused with [[Marcion]] the heretic.'''''
'''Flavius Marcianus''' or '''Marcian''' (''c''. 390–January 457) was the [[List of Byzantine Emperors|Emperor]] of the [[Byzantine Empire]] from 450 until his death.
Marcian was born in Thrace or Illyria. He spent his early life as an obscure soldier. He subsequently served for nineteen years under Ardaburius and Aspar, and took part in the wars against the Persians and Vandals. In 431, Marcian was taken prisoner by the Vandals in the fighting near Hippo Regius; brought before the Vandal King [[Geiseric]] (428–477), he was released on his oath never to take up arms against the Vandals.
Through the influence of these generals he became a captain of the guards, and was later raised to the rank of [[tribune]] and [[senator]]. On the death of [[Theodosius II]] (408–450) he was chosen as consort by the latter's sister and successor, [[Pulcheria]], and called upon to govern an empire greatly humbled and impoverished by the ravages of the Huns.
Upon becoming Emperor, Marcian repudiated the embarrassing payments of tribute to [[Attila the Hun]] (434–453), which the latter had been accustomed to receiving from Theodosius II in order to refrain from attacks on the eastern empire. Aware that he could never capture the eastern capital of [[Constantinople]], Attila turned to the west and waged his famous campaigns in Gaul in 451 and Italy in 452 while leaving Marcian's dominions alone.
