Europe 455: Petronius Maximus

In September 454 the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III suddenly attacked and murdered his generalissimo Aetius, only to be killed by Aetius’ former bodyguards six months later. As his successor, the army chose Petronius Maximus—a former consul suspected of not only bribing his way to the throne but of having orchestrated both assassinations.

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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

454–455? Collapse of the Western Huns ▲

Following their victory over Ellac’s Huns at the Battle of Nedao (454), the Gepids swiftly occupied most of Dacia north of the Danube, while many Huns and their allies fled south into the Roman Empire. At about the same time, the Ostrogoths, Rugi, Suebi, Sciri, Heruli, and Sarmatians threw off their Hunnic overlords to establish their own independent kingdoms. East of the Capathians, Ellac’s brothers Dengizich and Ernak also seem to have suffered setbacks, being “put to flight” near the Black Sea coast. in wikipedia

21 Sep 454 Assassination of Aetius ▲

In 454 the powerful Western Roman magister militum Flavius Aetius contrived to have his son Gaudentius betrothed to the emperor Valentinian III’s daughter Placidia, forcing the officer Majorian—the empress Eudoxia’s candidate for the marriage—into retirement. Concerned that Aetius had become too powerful, the former consul Petronius Maximus and the influential eunuch Heraclius conspired against him, convincing the emperor that Aetius was intent on killing him and seizing the throne. Deciding to act first, Valentinian summoned Aetius to the imperial palace in Ravenna, where, on 21 or 22 September, he and Heraclius suddenly attacked and killed him with their swords. in wikipedia

454 Revolt of Marcellinus ▲

When he learned of Valentinian III’s assassination of Aetius (September 454), Aetius’ friend Marcellinus broke his ties with the Western Roman emperor and seized power in Dalmatia, the most important province in the Diocese of Illyricum. With neither the Western nor the Eastern Romans willing to dislodge the pagan Marcellinus by force, Dalmatia remained effectively independent of both empires until his murder fourteen years later. in wikipedia

454? Revolt of Hengist and Horsa ▲

Learning of the successes of the Anglo-Saxons in the service of the Britons in the early 450s, many more Angles, Saxons, and Jutes traveled to Britain to serve as foederati. Their growing numbers encouraged the Anglo-Saxons to became increasingly demanding of British supplies and to begin raiding the British countryside when their demands were not met. Within a short time this situation escalated to the point that the Anglo-Saxons broke their treaty with the Britons and ravaged the island from the east to the west coast, forcing many Britons to flee to the mountains or the forests, or to migrate across the seas to places like Armorica (Brittany). Traditionally this revolt is associated with Rowena, daughter of the Anglo-Saxon chief Hengist, who seduced the British tyrant Vortigern in order to secure Kent for the Anglo-Saxons, but this version of events is not mentioned in sources before the 9th century and is generally considered unreliable by modern historians. in wikipedia

16 Mar 455 Assassination of Valentinian III ▲

Angered at not being promoted by Valentinian III after the murder of Aetius in September 454, the former consul Petronius Maximus turned to Optila and Thraustila, two barbarian bodyguards who had served Aetius but were now in the retinue of the emperor. Incited by Maximus to avenge their former master, the pair suddenly turned on Valentinian as he was practicing archery at Campus Martius, on the outskirts of Rome, in March. Upon killing both the emperor and the influential eunuch Heraclius—and facing no opposition from the other troops present—the assassins then took the imperial diadem back to Maximus, who pardoned them both soon afterwards. in wikipedia

17 Mar–31 May 455 Reign of Petronius Maximus ▲

After the assassination of Valentinian III on 16 March 455, the Western Roman military debated over which officer—Petronius Maximus, Maximianus, or Majorian—to proclaim as emperor, but the wealthy Maximus soon settled the matter with lavish bribes. To help legitimize his reign—which was not recognized by the Eastern Empire —Maximus then forced Valentinian’s widow Eudoxia to marry him and betrothed Valentinian’s daughter Eudocia to his son Palladius. This antagonized the Vandal king Gaiseric—whose own son had been promised Eudocia—and in late May, as the Vandals approached Rome, Maximus was torn apart by an enraged mob, having held power for less than three months. in wikipedia