450-469 Attila the Hun & Gaiseric the Vandal Sacks Rome
In this 20 year period Theodosius, Emperor of the east, died and Attila (pictured) murdered his brother Rugila and became King of the Huns.
Valentinian III was emperor in the west, and because Theodosius had no heir he was replaced by general Marcian who married Pulcheria, Theodosius's sister.
Marcian died in 457, no male hier, and the new emperor was selected by Aspar, a senior Germanic general who was barred from the position because of his ethnicity and Arian faith. He chose Leo who set about weakening German power in the east by founding an army of Isaurian warriors and marrying his daughter to their chieftain, Zeno.
Both emperors staged a massive campaign against the Vandals in 468, but Gaiseric, King of the Vandals, prevailed.
The Huns had been helpful to the empire but things changed when Attila murdered his brother Rugila and became King of the Huns.
Attila not only demanded a marriage with Valentinian III's older sister, Honoria, but also half the territory of the western empire as her dowry!
Valentinian III refused and Attila, the new King of the Huns, responded by invading Gaul in co-operation with Gaiseric, King of the Vandals. Faced with a massive army that Aetius had put together -- including the Franks, Burgundians, Celtics and Theoderic of the Visigoths -- Attila withdrew but Aetius pursued and was victorious at the Battle of Chalons-sur-Marne in 452. Theoderic died.
Attila was allowed to leave in peace, only to return in 452 to invade Italy but was stopped by plague. In 453 Attila died, and the Huns were finally defeated in 454.
Valentinian III resented Aetius' prestige, and in conspiracy with the senator Petronius Maximus murdered Aetius, but then they fell out and Valentinian III was assassinated in 455.
Petronius Maximus then declared himself emperor, married Valentinian's widow and betrothed her daughter to his son.
King Gaiseric seized the opportunity of imperial chaos to sieze more land in Africa, take Sardinia and land a fleet at Rome. Petronius Maximus got killed while fleeing.
The Bishop of Rome persuaded Gaiseric to refrain from murder -- which he did -- but for 10 days the Romans had to suffer the Teutonic Vandals ransacking their city.
Valentinian III was emperor in the west, and because Theodosius had no heir he was replaced by general Marcian who married Pulcheria, Theodosius's sister.
Marcian died in 457, no male hier, and the new emperor was selected by Aspar, a senior Germanic general who was barred from the position because of his ethnicity and Arian faith. He chose Leo who set about weakening German power in the east by founding an army of Isaurian warriors and marrying his daughter to their chieftain, Zeno.
Both emperors staged a massive campaign against the Vandals in 468, but Gaiseric, King of the Vandals, prevailed.
The Huns had been helpful to the empire but things changed when Attila murdered his brother Rugila and became King of the Huns.
Attila not only demanded a marriage with Valentinian III's older sister, Honoria, but also half the territory of the western empire as her dowry!
Valentinian III refused and Attila, the new King of the Huns, responded by invading Gaul in co-operation with Gaiseric, King of the Vandals. Faced with a massive army that Aetius had put together -- including the Franks, Burgundians, Celtics and Theoderic of the Visigoths -- Attila withdrew but Aetius pursued and was victorious at the Battle of Chalons-sur-Marne in 452. Theoderic died.
Attila was allowed to leave in peace, only to return in 452 to invade Italy but was stopped by plague. In 453 Attila died, and the Huns were finally defeated in 454.
Valentinian III resented Aetius' prestige, and in conspiracy with the senator Petronius Maximus murdered Aetius, but then they fell out and Valentinian III was assassinated in 455.
Petronius Maximus then declared himself emperor, married Valentinian's widow and betrothed her daughter to his son.
King Gaiseric seized the opportunity of imperial chaos to sieze more land in Africa, take Sardinia and land a fleet at Rome. Petronius Maximus got killed while fleeing.
The Bishop of Rome persuaded Gaiseric to refrain from murder -- which he did -- but for 10 days the Romans had to suffer the Teutonic Vandals ransacking their city.
Labels: 450, aspar, attila, gaiseric, huns, marcian, rugila, theodosius, valentinian iii, zeno
<< Home