mission by Avitus , and Attila's continued westward advance, convinced the Visigoth king Theodoric I (Theodorid) to ally with the Romans. The combined armies reached Orleans ahead of Attila [3]  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila_the_Hun#endnote_orleans ) , thus checking and turning back the Hunnish advance. Aetius gave chase and caught the Huns at a