Flavius Aetius Aëtius ( Latin : Flavius Aëtius , 396 – 454 ) , " dux et patricius " , was a Roman general of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire . He was an able military commander and the most influential man in the Western Roman Empire for two decades ( 433 - 454 ) . He managed policy in regard to the attacks of barbarian peoples pressing on the Empire . Notably , he mustered a large Roman and allied ( " foederati " ) army to stop the Huns in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains , ending the devastating Hunnic invasion of Attila in 451 . Along with his rival Count Boniface , he has often been called " the last of the Romans " . Edward Gibbon refers to him as " the man universally celebrated as the terror of Barbarians and the support of the Republic " for his victory at the Catalaunian Plains . Biography . Origins and Family . Aëtius was born at Durostorum in Moesia Inferior ( modern Silistra , Bulgaria ) , around 391 . His father was Flavius Gaudentius , was a Roman soldier of Scythian extraction , As the term " Scythian " was frequently used in the late - Roman period for East Germanic tribes , Joseph Cummins notes that Gaudentius was possibly of Gothic origin . Aetius ' mother , whose name is unknown , was a wealthy aristocratic woman of Italian ancestry . Before 425 Aëtius married the daughter of Carpilio , who gave him a son , also named Carpilio . Later he married Pelagia , widow of Bonifacius , from whom he had a son , Gaudentius . It is possible that he had also a daughter , wife of Thraustila who avenged Aëtius ' death by killing emperor Valentinian III . Early years and service under Joannes . As a boy , Aëtius was at the service of the imperial court , enrolled in the military unit of the " Protectores Domestici " and then elevated to the position of " tribuni praetoriani partis militaris " , setting him up for future political eligibility . Between 405 and 408 he was kept as hostage at the court of Alaric I , king of the Visigoths . In 408 Alaric asked to keep Aëtius as a hostage , but was refused , as Aëtius was sent to the court of Uldin , king of the Huns , where he would stay with the Huns throughout much of the reign of Octar , Uldin ' s successor . Aëtius ' s upbringing amongst militaristic peoples gave him a martial vigour not common in Roman generals of the time . In 423 the Western Emperor Honorius died . The most influential man in the West , Castinus , chose as his successor Joannes , a high - ranking officer . Joannes was not part of the Theodosian dynasty and he did not receive the recognition of the eastern court . The Eastern Emperor Theodosius II organized a military expedition westward , led by Ardaburius and his son Aspar , to put his cousin , the young Valentinian III ( who was a nephew of Honorius ) , on the western throne . Aëtius entered the service of the usurper as " cura palatii " and was sent by Joannes to ask the Huns for assistance . Joannes lacked a strong army and fortified himself in his capital , Ravenna , where he was killed in the summer of 425 . Shortly afterwards , Aëtius returned to Italy with a large force of Huns to find that power in the west was now in the hands of Valentinian III and his mother Galla Placidia . After fighting against Aspar ' s army , Aëtius managed to compromise with Galla Placidia . He sent back his army of Huns and in return obtained the rank of " comes et magister militum per Gallias " , the commander in chief of the Roman army in Gaul . First Gallic campaigns . In 427 , Aëtius arrived in southern Gaul with an army of roughly 40 , 000 to find Arelate , an important city in Septimania near the mouth of the Rhone , under siege from the Visigoths led by their king Theodoric I . Aëtius defeated Theodoric , lifted the Siege of Arelate , and drove the Visigoths back to their holdings in Aquitania . In 428 he fought the Salian Franks , defeating their king Chlodio and recovering some territory they had occupied along the Rhine . In 429 he was elevated to the rank of " magister militum " ; this was probably the " iunior " of the two offices of " magister militum praesentalis " , as the " senior " is known to have been the patrician Flavius Felix , the most influential man in those years , supporter of Galla Placidia . In 430 the Visigoths led by Anaolsus attacked Arelate again but were defeated by Aëtius at the Battle of Mons Colubrarius , establishing a peace treaty . In May 430 , Aëtius accused Felix of plotting against him and had him and his wife killed . Once Felix was dead , Aëtius was probably the most prominent among the " magistri militum " , even if he had not yet been granted the title of patrician . During late 430 and 431 Aëtius was in Raetia and Noricum , and is attested in the city of Vindelicia , re - establishing Roman rule on the Danube frontier and campaigning against the Juthungi . In 431 he returned to Gaul , he received Hydatius , bishop of Aquae Flaviae , who complained about the attacks of the Suebi . In 432 Aëtius again defeated the Franks , making peace with them , and he sent back Hydatius to the Suebi in Hispania . War with Bonifacius . While Aëtius was campaigning in Gaul , there was an ongoing power struggle between Aëtius , generals Felix and Bonifacius , and emperor Valentinian ' s mother and regent Galla Placidia . After the execution of Felix , Aëtius and Bonifacius remained as the empire ' s most influential generals , both constantly vying for the favor of Placidia . In 427 while Bonifacius was away as governor ( " comes " ) of Africa , Aëtius caused him to fall into disfavour with Placidia . Bonifacius was eventually returned to favor by Placidia , but not before revolting and causing the loss of most of Africa to the Vandals . In 432 Aëtius held the consulate , but Bonifacius was recalled to Italy and received warmly by Placidia . Bonifacius was given the rank of patrician , while Aëtius was stripped of his military command , which was given to Bonifacius . Aëtius , believing his fall now imminent , marched against Bonifacius and fought him at the Battle of Rimini . Boniface won the battle but was mortally wounded , dying a few months later . Aëtius escaped to Dalmatia and traveled to the court of his friend , Rugila , the king of the Huns . With their help he returned to power , receiving the title of " magister utriusque militiae " ; he had Bonifacius ' son - in - law , Sebastianus , who had succeeded to Bonifacius as " magister militum praesentalis " , exiled from Italy to Constantinople , bought the properties of Bonifacius and married his widow Pelagia . Campaigns against Burgundians , Bagaudae , and Visigoths . From 433 to 450 , Aëtius was the dominant personality in the Western Empire , obtaining the patrician rank ( 5 September 435 ) and playing the role of " protector " of Galla Placidia and Valentinian III while the Emperor was still young . At the same time he continued to devote attention to Gaul . In 436 , the Burgundians of King Gunther were defeated and obliged to accept peace by Aëtius , who , however , the following year sent the Huns to destroy them ; 20 , 000 Burgundians were killed in a slaughter which probably became the basis of the Nibelungenlied , a German epic . That same 436 Aetius was probably in Armorica with Litorius to suppress a rebellion of the Bacaudae . Year 437 saw his second consulship and the wedding of Valentinian and Licinia Eudoxia in Constantinople ; it is probable that Aetius attended at the ceremony that marked the beginning of the direct rule of the Emperor . The following two years were occupied by a campaign against the Suebi and by the war against the Visigoths ; in 438 Aetius won a major battle ( probably the battle of Mons Colubrarius ) , but in 439 the Visigoths defeated and killed his general Litorius and his Hunnic Foederati . Aetius returned to Gaul after Vetericus had stabilized the situation , and defeated the Visigoths and obtained a treaty . On his return to Italy , he was honoured by a statue erected by the Senate and the People of Rome by order of the Emperor ; this was probably the occasion for the panegyric written by Merobaudes . In 443 , Aëtius settled the remaining Burgundians in Savoy , south of Lake Geneva . His most pressing concern in the 440s was with problems in Gaul and Iberia , mainly with the Bagaudae . He settled Alans around Valence and Orléans to contain unrest around present - day Brittany . The Alans settled in Armorica caused problems in 447 or 448 . It was probably in that period that he fought a battle near Tours , followed by a Frankish attack under Clodio to the region near Arras , in Belgica Secunda ; the invaders were stopped by a battle around a river - crossing near " Vicus Helena " , where Aëtius directed the operations while his commander Majorian ( later Emperor ) fought with the cavalry . However , in 450 Aëtius had already returned in good terms with the Franks . In that year , in fact , the king of the Franks died , and the " patricius " supported his younger son ' s claim to the throne , adopting him as his own son and sending him from Rome , where he had been sent as ambassador , to the Frankish court with many presents . Victory over Attila at the Catalaunian Plains . Before 449 Aëtius had signed an agreement with the Huns , allowing some of them to settle in Pannonia , along the Sava River ; he also sent to Attila , the king of the Huns , a man called Constantius as a secretary . In 449 , Attila was angry for an alleged theft of a golden plate , and Aëtius sent him an embassy under Romulus to calm him ; Attila sent him as a present a dwarf , Zerco , whom Aëtius gave back to his original owner , Aspar . However , the good terms between Romans and Huns did not last , as Attila wanted to attack Gaul ; he knew that Aëtius was a serious obstacle to his enterprise , and tried to have him removed , but in 451 , when the Huns attacked , Aëtius was the commander of the Roman army in Gaul . The large Hunnish army captured several cities , and proceeded towards Orléans . When the Alans living in the region were ready to defect to Attila , Aëtius , with the help of the influential Gallo - Roman senator Avitus , convinced the Visigoths of king Theodoric I to join him against the external menace ; he also succeeded in preventing Sangiban us , a possible ally for Attila , from combining his army with the Hunnish one . Then the joint Roman and Visigothic armies moved to relieve the besieged city of Orléans , forcing the Huns to abandon the siege and retreat to open country . On June 20 , 451 ( some sources place the date on September 20 , 451 ) , Aëtius and Theodoric defeated Attila and his allies at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains . Theodoric died in the battle , and Aëtius suggested his son Thorismund to quickly reach Toulouse ( capital of the Kingdom of the Visigoths ) to secure his throne ; for this reason it is said that Aëtius kept all of the booty for his army . Attila returned in 452 to again press his claim of marriage to Honoria ; Aëtius did not take the necessary precautions to block the Alpine passes , and Attila invaded and ravaged Italy , sacking numerous cities and razing Aquileia completely , leaving no trace of it behind . Valentinian III fled from Ravenna to Rome ; Aëtius remained in the field but lacked the strength to offer battle . Gibbon however says Aëtius never showed his greatness more clearly in managing to harass and slow Attila ' s advance with only a shadow force . Attila finally halted at the Po , where he met an embassy including the prefect Trigetius , the ex - consul Gennadius Avienus , and Pope Leo I . After the meeting he turned his army back , having gained neither Honoria ' s hand nor the territories he desired . A number of practical factors induced Attila to retreat : his army was unable to obtain sufficient food and was suffering from disease ; Aetius ' army , busy harassing the Huns , had been reinforced by troops sent from the Eastern Empire by the Emperor Marcian , and , finally , Marcian had sent forces north of the Danube to attack the homelands of the Huns . Assassination . Although in 453 Aëtius had been able to betroth his son Gaudentius to Valentinian ' s daughter Placidia , Valentinian felt intimidated by Aëtius , who had once supported Joannes against him and who , Valentinian believed , wanted to place his son upon the imperial throne . The Roman senator Petronius Maximus and the chamberlain Heraclius were therefore able to enlist Valentinian in a plot to assassinate Aëtius . On September 21 , 454 , when at court in Ravenna delivering a financial account , Aëtius was slain by Valentinian ' s own hand . Edward Gibbon credits Sidonius Apollinaris with the famous observation , " I am ignorant , sir , of your motives or provocations ; I only know that you have acted like a man who has cut off his right hand with his left . " Maximus expected to be made patrician in place of Aëtius , but was blocked by Heraclius . Seeking revenge , Maximus arranged with two Hun friends of Aëtius , Optila and Thraustila , to assassinate both Valentinian III and Heraclius . On March 16 , 455 , Optila stabbed the emperor in the temple as he dismounted in the Campus Martius and prepared for a session of archery practice . As the stunned emperor turned to see who had struck him , Optila finished him off with another thrust of his blade . Meanwhile , Thraustila stepped forward and killed Heraclius . Most of the soldiers standing close by had been faithful followers of Aëtius and none lifted a hand to save the emperor . Legacy . Military legacy . Aëtius is generally viewed as a great military commander , indeed he was held in such high esteem by the Eastern Roman Empire , that he became known as the last true Roman of the west . Most historians also consider the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains as decisively important , crippling Attila by destroying his aura of invincibility . Gibbon eloquently states the majority view : John Julius Norwich caustically referred to the assassination of Valentinian III by his own guards as an act that Valentinian brought on himself by his foolish execution of Aëtius , the " Empire ' s greatest commander . " Certainly Aëtius ' military legacy is defined by Châlons , even though he effectively ruled the western empire from 433 - 450 , and attempted to stabilize its European borders under a deluge of barbarians , including foremost , Attila and the Huns . One of his greatest achievements was the assembling of the coalition against Attila . On this Arther Ferrill says : While J . B . Bury viewed Aëtius as a great military commander , and giant figure of history , he did not consider that the battle itself was particularly decisive . He argues that Aëtius attacked the Huns when they were already retreating from Orléans ( so the danger to Gaul was departing anyway ) ; and he declined to renew the attack on the Huns next day , precisely in order to preserve the balance of power . ( Others suggest that the Huns may have abandoned the siege of Orléans " because " Aëtius ' s armies were advancing on them . ) Bury suggests that the German victory over the Huns at the Battle of Nedao , three years later , was more important . This determined that there would be no long - term Hunnic Empire in Europe , which Bury thinks would have been unlikely even if they had crushed the Germans on that occasion . For Bury , the result of the battle of the Catalaunian Plains determined chiefly that Attila spent his last year looting Italy , rather than Gaul . Bury ' s view remains in the minority , and the battle is considered crucial by virtually every other major historian . Controversies . His legacy has been filled with controversy somewhat similar to that of Stilicho . The two best Roman generals of their time , both were killed by jealous emperors , and both left the Empire significantly weaker when they died . The main difference between the two was that all major historians hail Aëtius as a loyal Roman and a pillar of the Empire , while Bury finds Stilicho an unwitting traitor . While Stilicho was succeeded by Aëtius , the Empire simply had no one to take Aëtius ' s place . At the time of Aëtius ' s death , all the Roman provinces in western Europe had a significant barbarian presence . This had begun a full three generations earlier , when the barbarians were allowed to stay inside the Empire ' s borders in exchange for peace and their military service . Edward Gibbon maintains that Aëtius could not have expelled them if he had wanted to , as he lacked Roman troops to do the task , and the barbarians were the only army he had to keep the peace . Gibbon argues in great detail that Roman citizens had lost their martial vigour , with the consequence that the only troops available to Stilicho or Aëtius were mostly barbarians . Gibbon views Aëtius in a positive light , as do Norwich , Creasy , Ferrill , and Watson . In 1890 , Robert F . Pennel wrote in " Ancient Rome from the Earliest Times Down to 476 A . D . " Gibbon believes it was not indifference but rather preoccupation with the Huns and other barbarians that led Aëtius to neglect the navy . The subsequent loss of Africa came after Boniface invited the Vandals . Gibbon makes clear that Aëtius simply lacked the means to preserve the declining Western Empire in its entirety , while Norwich concludes that he guarded the Empire for three decades and that the after - effects of Aëtius ' s death lie at the feet of the Emperor who foolishly killed him . At a time when Romans did little or none of their own fighting , and no effective navy existed in the West , Aëtius had done all he could to preserve some vestige of order in continental Europe . One could argue that later Emperors Majorian , Leo I and Anthemius saw the necessity of regaining the African provinces . Should Aëtius have concentrated his efforts on saving Africa , to the detriment of maintaining some vestige of Empire in Europe ? Michael Grant in his " History of Rome " states flatly that Aëtius was powerless to stop the loss of Africa . Aëtius had begun to move against the Vandals when the forces he sent had to be recalled to fight Attila . Since Aëtius relied on barbarian federates , and as no other Roman General had the respect of those barbarian troops , his death left the Empire bereft of virtually any army in the west . It is notable that Bury , whilst not believing the Battle of Châlons was significant , did believe in the significance of Aëtius ' s rule in general , saying " From the end of the regency to his own death , Aëtius was master of the Empire in the west , and it must be imputed to his policy and arms that Imperial rule did not break down in all the provinces by the middle of the fifth century . " In the end , there is some disagreement among historians as to the historical place of Aëtius . Was he the protector of Rome for three decades described by Gibbon , Norwich and Bury , the hero of Châlons described by Sir Edward Creasy , or should he be condemned for the loss of Africa , though most historians say he was powerless to stop that loss ? Although Bury is cited as a critic of Aëtius , he was not , and said of Aëtius ' s death : " Who was now to save Italy from the Vandals ? " The answer was no one . There was not one figure in the Empire able to take Aëtius ' s place as the champion and defender of the West . The certain thing about Aëtius ' s place in history is that he will forever be remembered as the last great Western Roman General , and the General who defeated the dreaded Attila the Hun . Aëtius in the arts . Aëtius is the protagonist of several operas titled " Ezio " ( Italian for " Aetius " ) , as well as Verdi ' s opera " Attila " . Aëtius is played by Powers Boothe in the 2001 American TV Miniseries " Attila " . Here he is portrayed as an antagonist whose methods are contrasted with Attila . Aëtius is portrayed as the heroic ' Last of the Romans ' in William Napier ' s " Attila " trilogy ( 2005 ) , uniting the Romans and the Goths in one final , titanic battle to stop the Huns in their tracks , in the epochal Battle of the Catalaunian Fields . While he does not appear in person , Aëtius ' battle with Attila is documented in detail in Jack Whyte ' s book " The Eagle " , during a conversation between King Arthur and Seur Clothar . Aëtius , Galla Placidia and Stilicho all appear as central characters in Jose Gomez - Rivera ' s historical novel " Flavius Aëtius : The Last Conqueror " , published in 2004 . Aëtius , Attila and Theodoric all appear in Michael Curtis Ford ' s fourth novel entitled " The Sword of Attila " , published by Thomas Dunne Books in 2005 . Aëtius , Attila , Honoria , Leo and others figure in Louis de Wohl ' s vivid historical novel " Throne of the World " ( 1946 ) , later republished with the alternative title " Attila the Hun " . The movie " 476 A . D . " , about the period of Flavius Aëtius and his victory over Attila the Hun at the Battle of Châlons , as well as following the events leading to the End of the Roman Empire on September 4 , 476 A . D , will be released in 2013 , by .