FLAVIUS AETIUS 391 A.D. - 454 A.D.
EAGLE Flavius Aetius was a Roman general and a statesman of the last period of the Western Roman Empire. Aetius was born in 391 A.D. in Durostorum, Moesia Inferior which is now Silistra, Bulgaria. He was assasinated and died on Sep-
During the years 405 - 408 A.D., Aetius was kept hostage with the Visigoth king Alaric I, then he was sent to the court of Uldin, king of the Huns, and kept hostage throughout much of the reign of Uldin’s successor, Charaton. This experience,
tember 21, 454 A.D. The Roman according to modern historians, name Aetius had its origin from brougtht about two results that Greek meaning “eagle”.
Flavius Aetius was born son of
were later reflected in his life— Aetius knowledge of leading tribal peoples of his day, and
magister equitum, or the master martial vigour thanks to the of the calvar y in today’s language.
upbringing in the militar y.
Alaric I
Aetius mar tial vigour
Uldin the Hun
ACCOMPLISMENTS From 433 - 454 A.D., Aetius
Though not frequently mentioned
effectively ruled the Western
by modern historians compared
Roman Empire and successfully guarded the European
to other ancient figures such as Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great, Aetius was the most influen-
border against the invasion of
tial figure in the Western Rome for
the barbarians.
more than two decades.
From 435 - 437 A.D., Aetius destroyed te Burgundian king-
After the death of his rival Bonifacius, Aetius became the dominating influencer on the young
dom at Worms—an event that
emperor Valentinian III; he thereby
was recorded in the German
became the most powerful man in
literature.
the Western Rome. Though not a member of the royal
From 437 - 439 A.D., he de-
family, he was appointed the consul
feated King Theodoric I of the
three times (432, 437, 446).
Visigoths at Toulouse.
There was a rumor that envoys from provinces were sent to Aetius instead of the king.
BATTLE OF THE CATALAUNIAN PLAINS ROME’S LAST GREAT BATTLE
The battle was between the Huns led by Attila and the army of mixed Visigoth and the Roman soldiers under the command of Aetius and King Theodoric I. The battle took place in Champagne, eastern France. King Theodoric I died in the battle, but Aetius led the army to defeat the Huns and killed Attila.
The Western Roman Empire was entering its closing period, and its army became very weak; however, Aetius still managed to fight against the barbarians and safeguard Europe. That is the reason why this battle is called the Rome’s last great battle.
The victory of Aetius and king Theodoric’s army in this battle prevented the advance of the Huns into Europe.
THE MONUMENT
The monument of Aetius is the representation of bravery. The monument is depicted in a giant painting of a Roman calvary with a spear in one hand and a shield on the other. The horse that the soldier rides has its two feet in the air. The soldier has a resolute face expression, and the hand holding the spear rises in the air.
LOCATION 1 GMU Art and Design building
LOCATION 2 Regional History museum in Silistra, Bulgaria