The Fall Of The West (COMPLETED)

Part 4: Embers to ashes

Attila died in 453 AD. He had drunk too much at his latest wedding with an Ostrogothic beauty named Ildico. When they went to the wedding bed, Attila suffered from a severe nosebleed. Normally a person would have simply rolled over and dealt with the horrible mess of blood on his bed in the morning. However, Attila was so unconscious, he lay down on his back and drowned in his own blood.

When the Huns discovered his body the next morning, their sorrow was unmatched by any other. "Then, as is the custom of that race, they plucked out the hair of their heads and made their faces hideous with deep wounds, that the renowned warrior might be mourned, not by effeminate wailings and tears, but by the blood of men," writes Priscus.

Attila was buried in a three-layered coffin, the outermost and second layer gold and silver respectively to symbolize the dual tributes from both Roman empires, and the innermost of iron to symbolize his enforcement of that tribute. He was buried in an unknown location, the slaves who did the burying having been killed to prevent the divulge of their great king's grave.

Attila's empire was soon torn apart by civil war. He had designated no heir, and his sons fought each other to divide his empire. One of Attila's advisors, Ardaric, who was noted for his great loyalty to Attila, led a coalition of Ostrogoths and Gepids and rebelled against the Huns, throwing off the yoke of their oppressors. All of his sons were killed in battle. Within a decade of Attila's death, the Huns were nothing but a distant nightmare.

Attila's legacy, however, lives on. His name stands with the other great names of Antiquity, along with Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Nero. Because of his repeated successes against the Roman empires, he is not only just a great barbarian, but he was the great barbarian of the ancient world. He instilled great loyalty in all his men, including the captives who had opted to stay with the Huns. Many of his client rulers, like Ardaric and his co-ruler Valamir, never once rebelled against him, supporting him in every venture to his dying day. He was also quite a conservative person, allowing his nobles and close relatives to adorned themselves lavishly with jewelry and ornaments, but himself retaining simple clothes and manners.

Today, Attila is a popular name at Hungarian christenings.

Meanwhile, Aetius did not fare better. Without Attila as a threat, Aetius began to lose his hold on power within the western court. Valentinian began to resent his great influence over the court, and thus plotted with a senator, Petronius Maximus, and a chamberlain, Heraclius, to overthrow Aetius. On 21 September 454 AD, while Aetius was managing some financial issues in the court, Valentinian suddenly jumped up and accused Aetius of the troubles of the empire and of trying to steal it from him. While Aetius tried to defend himself from the charges, Valentinian, together with Heraclius, struck Aetius on the head with their swords and killed him. Later, when Valentinian boasted that he had done well in disposing of Aetius, someone at court responded, "Whether well or not, I do not know. But know that you have cut off your right hand with your left." Just like that, the last of the great Roman generals died.

Aetius's military legacy is impressive, being the man who had beaten back the seemingly invincible Attila. Certainly, he must be credited for being an effective military commander in his assembling of the allied forces at Chalons and many of his earlier successes against the various barbarian groups in Gaul.

Historians have also agreed that Aetius, for all his faults, had been loyal to the empire, doing his best to preserve some kind of imperial order in Europe. As Robert F. Pennel wrote,"The Empire was but a relic of its former self. Gaul, Spain, and Britain were practically lost; Illyria and Pannonia were in the hands of the Goths; and Africa was soon after seized by the barbarians. Valentinian was fortunate in the possession of AETIUS, a Scythian by birth, who for a time upheld the Roman name, winning for himself the title of LAST OF THE ROMANS. He was assassinated by his ungrateful master."

After Aetius's death, the empire had virtually no army to defend itself. The foederati under his command had no loyalty towards the emperor or any of the future generals, reducing the size of any commanded force drastically. Valentinian's fatal folly was killing the very man who was keeping the empire together.

Petronius Maximus expected to be made patrician, but was blocked by Heraclius. Resentful, he recruited two of Aetius's close Hunnic friends, and they stabbed Valentinian to death in a temple. Most of the soldiers present at the assassination had been loyal to Aetius, and none of them lifted a finger to save the emperor.

Petronius rode the political turmoil that followed rather well, and established himself as emperor in the same year.

Sorry for the short chapter, but that's all the content scheduled for this. Please give some feedback on how I might improve this guide, and don't forget to vote if you liked it.

Meow.