Europe 432: Battle of Rimini

While Aetius was engaged in fighting Chlodio’s Franks near the Rhine in 432, the Western Roman empress regent Galla Placidia recalled Bonifatius from Africa—leaving the command there in the hands of the Eastern Roman general Aspar—and officially deposed Aetius himself. Alarmed by this turn of events, Aetius invaded Italy, but was defeated by Bonifatius near Rimini.

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Notes

Akatziri and the “Scythian Kingdom” (Kuban Huns)

Little is known about the region north and east of the Black Sea in the first half of the fifth century, except that in c. 400 a “Scythian King” (almost always assumed to be a Hun) lived in the Kuban region and by the 440s a Hunnic people known as the Akatziri lived east of the Dniester. Although fragmented, the Akatziri were powerful enough that, when the Eastern Romans aligned with all but one of their kingdoms in 447, it took over a year for Attila’s armies to crush them and install his son as their king. After this, Attila contemplated invading Persia, implying that suppressing the Akatziri had bought the periphery of his empire close to the Caucasus. All this suggests that the Akatziri may have extended into the North Caucasus and that the “Scythian King” may have been part of the Akatziri, although this is of course conjecture.

Main Events

431 Second Battle of Hippo Regius ▲

Encouraged by the arrival of Aspar and his combined Eastern and Western Roman army, Bonifatius decided to mount a second offensive against Gaiseric’s Vandals, who had withdrawn west of Hippo Regius in the summer of 431. However, the two Roman generals were badly defeated in the fierce battle that followed and fled east, leaving the Vandals to burn an undefended and largely abandoned Hippo Regius. It was in the wake of this battle that the future emperor Marcian, at the time Aspar’s domesticus, was captured by Gaiseric. in wikipedia

432 Recall of Bonifatius ▲

Taking advantage of the powerful general Aetius’ absence on the Rhine, the Western Roman empress regent Galla Placidia recalled Count Bonifatius from Africa in early 432, leaving the African command in the hands of the Eastern Roman general Aspar. Upon arriving in Rome, Bonifatius was promptly promoted to comes et magister utriusque militiae—the most powerful military office in the Western Empire—and Aetius was officially stripped of his command and position at court. As Aetius was of course still at large with his army in Gaul, these political actions effectively triggered a civil war between the two generals. in wikipedia

432 Aetius vs Chlodio ▲

In early or mid 432 the Western Roman magister militum Aetius marched against Chlodio’s Salian Franks—who had occupied Cambrai—and defeated them in battle. As a result, Chlodio accepted Aetius’ terms and the Franks returned to their own lands. Having achieved victory on the Rhine, Aetius now made moves to deal with the Suebi in Spain, when he learned that the empress Galla Placidia had deposed him in favor of Bonifatius in Italy. in wikipedia

? ?? 432–17 Mar 461 Saint Patrick ▲

In the early 5th century the 16-year-old Romano-British youth Patricius—better known today as Saint Patrick—was captured by Scoti (Irish) pirates and taken to Ireland, but, after six years captivity, escaped and found his way home. Encouraged by a vision of converting the Irish, Patrick studied Christianity at Auxerre, where he was ordained to the priesthood by Saint Germanus, then returned to Ireland in around 432. Traveling around the island over the next decades, Patrick reportedly “baptized thousands of people”, including members of the nobility, and, despite facing some opposition from the ruling elite, is traditionally credited with the Christianization of Ireland. in wikipedia

432 Battle of Rimini ▲

Concerned by the Western Roman empress regent Galla Placidia’s promotion of Bonifatius, the deposed magister militum Aetius invaded Italy with his troops from Gaul in late 432. Bonifatius, apparently advancing from Rome, met his opponent near Ariminum (Rimini) and defeated him, but was himself seriously wounded in the battle. As a result, it was agreed that Aetius would voluntarily step down from his command and retire to his estates in Italy. in wikipedia