Member-only story
What Happened When the Western Roman Emperor Murdered His Most Valuable Commander
Flavius Aetius was the man who stood between Europe and total Hunnic domination.
On 21 September 454 A.D., Flavius Aetius, the Western Roman Empire’s most capable general, entered the imperial palace in Ravenna for an audience with Emperor Valentinian III.
It is not entirely clear whether Aetius himself requested the meeting or whether the emperor summoned him. Ancient sources are equally vague about what the two men discussed. Some historians believe the two argued over a financial report; others say the conversation concerned the political future of the empire and the marriage of Aetius’ son, Gaudentius, to the emperor’s daughter, a union that could have brought the general dangerously close to the imperial throne.
Whatever was said behind the palace doors, Aetius never emerged alive.
In a sudden outburst, Valentinian drew his sword and stabbed the empire’s last great general to death, aided by his chamberlain Heraclius. A courtier who witnessed the killing is said to have remarked to the emperor:
“Whether well or not, I do not know. But you have cut off your right hand with your left.”
