Majorian's domestic policy is known thanks to some of the laws he issued, the so-called
Novellae Maioriani, that were included in a collection of
Roman law called the Breviary of Alaric, requested from some Gallo-Roman jurists in 506 by the Visigothic king
Alaric II . The preserved laws are: •
Novella Maioriani 1,
De ortu imperii domini Majoriani Augusti, "The Beginning of the Reign of Our Lord Majorian Augustus", opening speech of his reign, addressed to the
Roman Senate (given in
Ravenna, on 11 January 458); •
Novella Maioriani 2,
De indulgentiis reliquorum, "On the Remission of Past-Due Accounts" (given in Ravenna, on 11 March 458, to
Basilius,
Praetorian prefect of Italy); •
Novella Maioriani 3,
De defensoribus civitatum, "The Defenders of the Municipalities", on the office of
defensor civitatum (given in Ravenna, on 8 May 458, also in the name of
Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 4,
De aedificiis pubblicis, "Public Buildings", on the preservation of the monuments of Rome (given in Ravenna, on 11 July 458, to Aemilianus,
praefectus urbi of Rome, also in the name of Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 5,
De bonis caducis sive proscriptorum, "On Abandoned Property and That of Proscribed Persons" (given in Ravenna, on 4 September 458, to Ennodius,
comes privatae largitionis, also in the name of Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 6,
De sanctimonialibus vel viduis et de successionibus earum, "Holy Maidens, Widows, and Their Succession" (given in Ravenna, on 26 October 458, to Basilius, Praetorian prefect of Italy, also in the name of Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 7,
De curialibus et de agnatione vel distractione praediorum et de ceteris negotiis, "
Curiales, Their Children and The Sale of Their Landed Estates" (given in Ravenna, on 6 November 458, to Basilius, Praetorian prefect of Italy, also in the name of Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 8,
De reddito iure armorum, "On the Return of the Right to Bear Arms", whose text is lost; •
Novella Maioriani 9,
De adulteriis, "Adultery", confirming that the adulterers are to be put to death (given in Arelate, on 17 April 459, to Rogatianus, governor of Suburbicarian Tuscany, also in the name of Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 10, about the right of the Roman senators and of the Church to keep the goods received in a will, whose text is lost; •
Novella Maioriani 11,
De episcopali iudicio et ne quis invitus clericus ordinetur vel de ceteris negotiis, "Episcopal Courts; No Person Shall Be Ordained A Cleric Against His Will; Various Matters", (given in Arelate, on 28 March 460, to
Ricimer, also in the name of Leo I); •
Novella Maioriani 12,
De aurigis et seditiosis, "Charioteers and Seditious Persons", whose text is lost.
Fiscal policy and coinage minted by a Visigothic king in the name of Majorian. These coins were minted in
Arelate between 457 and 507 and showed the corrupted name iviivs haiorianvs. Even if their style was close to the Roman originals, Visigothic coins contained less precious metal; it was probably for this reason that Majorian issued a law obliging the tax collectors to accept golden coins at their nominal value, with the exception of the "Gallic" coin, of lesser value. Majorian understood that he could reign effectively only with the support of the senatorial aristocracy, whom he wanted to return to its pristine political prominence. At the same time, he planned to reduce the abuses perpetrated by the senators, many of whom cultivated their local interests disregarding the imperial policies, even refusing to pay taxes and keeping for themselves the taxes they had exacted. This fiscal evasion had a cascade effect that affected the small landowners, the citizens and the local civil magistrates. No series of
semisses are attested for these two mints, probably because the semisses were typically minted by the mint of
Rome and this mint was not active under Majorian, who never visited the ancient capital of his Empire during his four years of rule. The minting of solidi is attested for the mint of
Arelate in 458, a fact compatible with the presence of Majorian in Gaul in that year. This mint was again active in 460, when the Emperor returned from his campaign in Hispania. The
Visigoths minted some reproductions of his solidi, modelled after the issues of the
Arelate mint: as Arelate issued only solidi, the Visigoths used those designs also for the tremissis. This law, titled
De sanctimonialibus vel viduis et de successionibus earum ("Holy Maidens, Widows, and Their Succession"), imposed a minimum age of 40 for taking religious vows, considering that at this age the sexual drives of the initiated would be dormant. The law also granted women who had been forced to take religious vows, and were subsequently disinherited, the same rights on the legacy of parents as their brothers and sisters. By the same measure, departing in this from the policy of the Eastern Empire, Majorian insisted that a marriage without dowry and pre-wedding exchange of gifts (first from the bride's family to the groom, then in the opposite direction) was invalid; he simultaneously ended the practice of requesting pre-wedding gifts of a value considerably higher than the dowry.
Relationship with the senatorial aristocracy When Majorian took power by deposing
Avitus, the province of Gaul, where Avitus's power was based, did not recognize the new Emperor. When Majorian re-conquered the province, he chose to forgive this rebellion. The reason was that Majorian understood that one of the mistakes of his predecessor was to promote and trust only the senatorial aristocracy of Gaul, the region he came from, favouring it over the senatorial aristocracy of Italy. He followed through on his promises, as told by Sidonius Apollinaris, who had been anonymously accused of the authorship of a pamphlet against some influential figures: during a dinner together, Majorian defused the risky situation with a witticism.
Conservation of the monuments of Rome From the beginning of the 4th century, the monuments of Rome, and more generally all buildings of some value that were in a state of neglect for various reasons, were increasingly used as quarries for valuable building materials. This practice, in fact, was cheaper and more convenient than import from remote locations, which was sometimes rendered difficult or impossible by the control of the sea by the
Vandals. Roman officials conceded upon petition the use for construction of marble, stone and brick recovered from demolition of ancient monuments: To cope with this phenomenon, Majorian promulgated a law,
Novella Maioriani 4,
De aedificiis pubblicis ("Public Buildings"), in Ravenna on 11 July 459, addressed to Aemilianus,
praefectus urbi of Rome. The punishment for judges who had allowed the destruction of ancient public buildings was 50 pounds of gold, while their subordinates were whipped and had both hands amputated. Those who had removed materials from public buildings were to return them. The Senate had the power to decide whether there were extreme conditions that justified the demolition of an old building and, if it decided for the demolition, the Emperor still had the right to order that the resulting materials should be used to decorate other public buildings. ==Fall and death==