According to the generally accepted point of view, Aetius Flavius was born in 390 in the city of Durostar, located on the Lower Danube. Today in its place is Silistra. The boy's parents occupied a prominent position in local public life, while the father of Gaudenz belonged to a barbarian family, and his mother was Italian in roots.
early years
The Aetius family had many connections in Rome. Thanks to them, Gaudentius (the master of cavalry himself) was able to attach his son to the court of the first ruler of the Western Roman Empire, Honorius.
Aetius Flavius became the bodyguard of the monarch. Honorius had many dangers. Often Flavius became an honorary hostage, whom the emperor sent as a guarantee of the implementation of new agreements with the barbarians. So the bodyguard had to spend three years with the Visigoths and the Huns.
Valuable close
From childhood, Aetius Flavius, accustomed to war, was distinguished by a strong physique. He expertly handled a bow and a sword. Outstanding talents, energy and industriousness made him indispensable in the imperial retinue.
In 423, Honorius died. By this time, the Western Roman Empire had lost legitimate tools for the transfer of power. All kinds of adventurers and military leaders captured her, and after the death of another Caesar, this process was repeated again and again. After the death of Honorius, John Flavius turned out to be the most quick. He became the new emperor. John gave Aetius an important position, appointing him the caretaker of his residence. At that time, the capital was already moved from Rome to Ravenna.
New turn
The coming to power of John provoked a protest in Constantinople. The Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II decided to recapture Italy from the usurper and give it to his seven-year-old cousin Valentinian. John, realizing the danger looming over him, sent Aetius for support to the Huns, whom he had known since the time when he was a hostage to the nomads. The approximate gathered a huge army of steppe inhabitants and returned with them to the territory of the empire. However, Aetius was late. Three days before his return, John was executed after being defeated on the battlefield.
Boy Valentinian could not rule a huge empire. The regent's son was his mother Galla Placidia. Aetius was made commander of the Gallic army. The choice was logical. The military leader possessed many military talents and could get along with barbarians.
Guard the frontier
The legions stationed in Gaul lived in a state of constant mobilization. They were located in the border region, which suffered from regular invasions of the Gentiles. Aetius, once in Gaul, was in his place and in his time. Each year, he successfully repelled the attacks of the barbarians and arranged devastating raids on their territories.
Aetius's sword smashed the Visigoths, Franks, and Vandals. Thanks to his victories, the military leader acquired an impeccable reputation. He was loved in the army and promoted up the power ladder. In 432, he actually began to lead the entire foreign policy of Rome and turned out to be the second person in the state.
Emperor's right hand
In 435, Aetius received the title of patrician and joined the privileged metropolitan nobility. On the eve of this event, the vandals captured Carthage and created their own kingdom in North Africa. Despite the lack of manpower, Aetius could not resist the barbarians in such a remote region, despite all his talents. Faced with a dilemma, he decided to focus on defending Gaul.
In 436, the commander defeated the Burgundians who tried to cross the Rhine. Another headache for the authorities was the regular uprisings of slaves. Finally, the Visigoths created their own Aquitaine kingdom and threatened many Roman provinces. The vandals that have gained a foothold in Africa are engaged in piracy in the Mediterranean. All these problems had to be solved by Aetius. Despite the complexity of the situation, he minimized the loss of the empire and was able to save it from collapse.
Relations with Attila
No matter how dramatic the life of Flavius Aetius in his youth took shape, his main test was the confrontation with the Huns, which began in 451. These barbarians, who came from the far eastern steppes and settled in Pannonia, threatened both the Romans and the Byzantines. At first, the Eastern Empire suffered the most, with which the Huns fought open wars. Aetius Flavius, thanks to skillful diplomacy, for a long time removed the threat from his native country.
The leader of the Huns was the famous Attila, whose name became synonymous with devastating destruction and terrible cruelty to opponents. During the period of aggravation of relations with Byzantium, he preferred to exchange gifts and ambassadors with Aetius. However, despite the shaky complacency, the nomads were thin neighbors. They could not live without raids and looted booty, and therefore, after the conclusion of peace with Byzantium, they turned their eyes to the west. Flavius Aetius and Attila simply could not help but collide on the battlefield.
War with the huns
In 451, the horde of Attila attacked Gaul. Flavius, realizing the weakness of the empire in front of a dangerous enemy, decided to make peace with his former enemies. He enlisted the support of the Visigoth king Theodorich and several other barbarian tribes. The army of this coalition marched towards the Huns. Two troops met in a battle on the Catalunian fields, which became one of the most iconic in the history of antiquity. The battle resulted in huge losses on both sides. The Huns had to return to their steppes. In the Middle Ages, Aetius gained the glory of the victor over the barbarians and the savior of all Christian Europe.
The commander, however, did not finish the defeat of the Huns, believing that having retained part of this tribe, he would leave a counterweight to the strengthened Visigoths. In the end, after a break, Attila was able to regain his strength. In 452, he attacked the empire, this time choosing Northern Italy as a target. Aetius Flavius again came out to meet him. The commander of the Roman Empire did not allow the nomads to break into the Apennine peninsula. The Byzantine army came to his rescue. But even this did not end the failure of the Hun troops. In their camp, an epidemic of plague began. Finally, Attila decided to return to the steppe. A year later, he died at one of the many feasts. The “scourge of God” is a thing of the past.
Death
The inhabitants of Rome deservedly believed that their main savior was Aetius Flavius. The biography of this commander is an example of an outstanding politician, diplomat and military tactic. All these features made him potentially dangerous for the central government. Growing up emperor Valentinian belonged to Aetius with considerable suspicion. Despite this, outwardly, their relationship looked warm and friendly. Aetius even got engaged to his son’s engagement with the emperor’s daughter.
Perhaps it was this step that became fatal for the commander. The emperor could decide that by intermarrying with him, Aetius would begin to demonstrate his power ambitions. Such a turn of events could very well be real. The last Roman emperors did not linger on the throne at all. They were often overthrown by their own close associates and military leaders.
Valentinian saw the plot everywhere. He believed that Aetius Flavius was hiding behind a possible network of spies. The death of the commander in such circumstances became a matter of time. September 21, 454 Aetius was summoned to the imperial palace. He had to report on tax revenues. Aetius, who did not expect an attack, was cut off by Valentinian and his retinue right in the palace. The Roman Empire collapsed just two decades after the death of the famous military leader. Many ancient historians linked these two events. They noted the great merit of Aetius in preserving the already chronically ill state.