Patricius, the magister officiorum and lover of Verina, had been executed to prevent her aspirations to elevate him to the throne.
As a consequence, Verina later intrigues against Basiliscus, because of her lover's execution.
Theodoric and Armatus are promoted to magister millitum and magister militum praesentialis and are vying for authority.
Finally, the support of Illus is most likely wavering, given the massacre of the Isaurians allowed by Basiliscus.
Basiliscus has reigned at Constantinople for twenty months, but his religious beliefs make him highly unpopular.
As emperor, he has stirred up discontent because he favors the Monophysite heresy, which holds that the human and divine elements in Christ's nature were inseparable.
During his reign, a disastrous fire in Constantinople destroys much of the city along with many Greek works of art.
With the help of Illus and Armatus, who change their allegiance, Zeno returns to besiege Constantinople in August 476.
The leader of the Pannonian Goths, Theodoric the Amal (later known as Theodoric the Great) had allied to Zeno, and would have attacked Basiliscus and his Thracian Goth foederati led by Theodoric Strabo, receiving, in exchange, the title of magister militum held by Strabo and the payments previously given to the Thracian Goths.
It has been suggested that Constantinople was defenseless during Zeno's siege because the Magister Militum Strabo had moved north to counter this menace.
The Senate opens the gates of the city to the Isaurian, allowing the deposed emperor to resume the throne.
Ariadne is still his Empress consort.
Basiliscus is exiled to a fortress in Cappadocia, where he will die from starvation.
