Valentinian III

Valentinian III, Flavius Placidia - Roman emperor in 425-455 years. Son of Constantius III and Galla Placidia. Genus. July 24 419 g. + 16 March 455
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His father Valentinian died shortly after his birth. Then he and his mother and sister had been expelled from Ravenna uncle, Honorius, and spent his first years in the palace in Constantinople, Theodosius II. After the death of Pope Honorius Theodosius and Valentinian helped his mother establish itself in power in the western part of the empire. In Thessaloniki Valentinian clothed in a garment of Caesar. He was then the sixth year. After the usurper John was killed, Valentinian and his mother Galla Placidia came to Ravenna. Then he was captured by Rome, and here Valentinian solemnly clothed in imperial robes (Olympiodorus: 40, 41). Real power was concentrated in the hands of Galla Placidia, and that the rules of Western empire until his death. With intent or folly, she was raised and educated his son in the dissolved tender and delicate, and so he gave himself every vice of childhood. He mostly talked with doctors and with those who are wondering at the stars, he indulged in mad love affairs with the wives of others, introducing lawless way of life, while his wife Eudoxia (daughter of Theodosius II) was an exceptional beauty. So he not only returned to power anything from what was previously ejected, but lost to Libya. Happened, according to Procopius, as follows. There were two Roman commander Aetius and Boniface, both exceptional valor. As experience in military matters they are not inferior to any of his contemporaries. One of them, Boniface,

Placidia appointed commander of all military forces in Libya. It had not liking Aetsiyu. When Boniface was already far away, Aetius had slandered him in front of Placidia, saying that he wants to usurp authority over Libya, depriving her and the Emperor this area. At the same time, he wrote to Boniface, the mother of Emperor evil to him and wants him to kill. Thus, he deceived them both. When Placidia to recall Boniface wanted from Africa, he refused to obey her orders, and entered into negotiations with the king of the Vandals Gizerihom, inviting him to move from Spain (where vandals had oppressed the Goths) in rich Africa. 429 g. Vandals crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, and after a decade of war captured the whole province (dig: 'War of Justinian', 3, 3).

In subsequent years, the Roman and barbarian world was alarmed at the invasion of the Huns. Destroyed and devastated in the 40-ies. V in. possession of Theodosius II, Attila in the next decade unleashed their hordes of Western Empire. Discord in the family of Valentinian gave him a pretext for war. The sister of Emperor Honorius at the will of her brother kept in captivity in a virgin state for the honor of the palace, she secretly sent a eunuch to Attila and invited him to protect her brother from the love of power (Jordan: 224). Attila sent to Valentinian envoys, demanding that Honorius had been no harassment, because it is a conspiracy for him, he threatened to avenge her if she did not get the throne. Messengers were told that Yunoriya may not be issued for Attila, because she had already married another man, the throne that she should not, because the supreme authority of the Romans belong to a male rather than female sex. But the lord of the Huns continued to demand Honoria. He claimed, . that she was engaged to him (in the proof of which resulted sent her a ring), . and claimed, . Valentinian that should give him half of his powers, . For Honorius had inherited after his father's power, . taken away from her brother's greed (Prisk: 12, . 13),
. Was rebuffed, Attila in 451 g. started the war with the Empire. Before that he was trying to embroil federates (especially the Visigoths) to Valentinian, but the real danger of those forced to unite against a common enemy. Roman general Aetsiyu managed to gather under his banner than the Visigoths and auxiliary units Franks, Alans, Burgundians and the Saxons. In a cruel and terribly bloody battle on the fields Catalaunian Huns were defeated. In 452 g. Attila repeated his invasion. At this time, the unity between the emperor and federates was. The Huns invaded Italy, took and razed Aquileia, devastated Mediolan and moved to Rome. On the way Attila met with the embassy from the emperor peace proposals (Jordan: 186, 191 - 223). Atilla graciously listened to the ambassadors and agreed to divert troops from Italy. Gibbon wrote that peace was bought at the cost of a huge ransom. But by all appearances, it was not peace, but only the postponement. The following year, Attila was going to repeat its invasion, but the sudden death that befell him in 453 g. During the wedding, put an end to the gains of the Huns (Gibbon: 35).

Valentinian long outlived his enemies. Procopius writes that among the Roman senators was a man of Maxim, who had a wife, a very modest and is exceptionally beautiful. Valentinian seized by the desire to join with her in connection. So how to do it with her consent was impossible for him, he decided to profane it, and brought him in pursuance. Inviting Maxima to the palace, he began to play chess. The loser had to pay a fine assigned amount of gold. Emperor won, and given as a pledge the ring, he sent him to the house of Maxim and ordered him to tell his wife that her husband tells her as soon as possible to come to the palace to greet the Empress Eudoxia. That saw the ring, sat down in a stretcher and went to the palace. Those who ordered the emperor to carry out its affairs, have made it into space, is very far from the female half of. Here Valentinian subjected her to violence. Maxim was extremely upset by this incident and immediately began to concoct something against the emperor. Seeing that Aetius conceived the extraordinary force after its victory over Attila, he decided to first eliminate its. Since all the eunuchs who surrounded the Emperor, were located to Maxim, he was with them through convince the emperor that Aetius was preparing a coup (Procopius: 'War of Justinian', 3, 4). Jealous of glory and valor of the military commander, Valentinian ordered his eunuch Heraklion to kill him (Theophanes: 446). Then Maxim managed to introduce a number of bodyguards Valentinian two servants Aetius. Once, when the emperor entertained the Champ de Mars spectacle of war games, they suddenly rushed upon him with drawn swords and stabbed in full view of the large suite. Along with him was killed Heraklion (Gibbon: 45).