On This Day In Roman History, March 16
Flavius Placidius Valentinianus Augustus is attacked and subsequently assassinated by two Scythian retainers on March 16, 455 CE. Valentinian III was finally beginning to feel secure in his position as the Hunnic threat to the north was once again pushed back. He began plotting against a political opponent named Flavius Aetius, who was a high-ranking Roman General in the closing moves of the Western Empire. With this political intrigue transpiring a high ranking senator by the name of Petronius Maximus continued to pressure the situation, egging it on. Finally, on March 16, Valentinian stepped down from his horse outside of Campus Martius where he was struck down by two Scythian followers of Aëtius.
Did you know?
The man ultimately behind the assassination, Petronius Maximus, had himself proclaimed Emperor by the vestiges of the Western Roman army just a few days later. This came, of course, after a large donative to the troops. His reign would be a short lived one and 11 weeks later he would be subject to a stoning from an angry Roman mob, which ended his life.
Pictured: Solidus minted in Thessalonica to celebrate Valentinian III's marriage to Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius II. On the reverse, the three of them in their wedding costume. Photo by Classical Numismatic Group, via Wikimedia Commons.
Today's selected quote is from author John Bangnall Bury: "Though he had ruled for thirty years, Valentinian had influenced the destinies of his empire even less than his uncle Honorius. He only flashed once into action, when, piqued by the presumption of Aetius in aspiring to connect himself with the imperial family, he struck him down. He thought he had slain his master; he found that he had slain his protector: and he fell a helpless victim to the first conspiracy which was hatched against his throne."
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! People who even remember Valentinian III remember his reign as marking the dismemberment of the West. Gibbon describes him as somewhat spoiled and ill-mannered; a perfect combination of incompetence that again and again plagues the leadership of the crumbling Western Empire. I'll leave you today with a quote from Gibbon: "Though he had ruled for thirty years, Valentinian had influenced the destinies of his empire even less than his uncle Honorius. He only flashed once into action, when, piqued by the presumption of Aetius in aspiring to connect himself with the imperial family, he struck him down. He thought he had slain his master; he found that he had slain his protector: and he fell a helpless victim to the first conspiracy which was hatched against his throne."
Sources
A History of the Later Roman Empire From Arcadius to Irene. (2014). Cambridge Univ Pr.
Cameron, A., & Garnsey, P. (1998). The late Empire, A.D. 337-425. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jones, A. H., Martindale, J. R., & Morris, J. (2006). The prosopography of the later Roman empire. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
Further Reading:
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