Aetius Flavius was a Roman general of the western Roman Empire. He was born in 396 and died in 454. As commander in the reign of Valentinian III he defended the empire against the Huns, Visigoths, Franks, Burgundians, etc, completely defeating the first in particular under Attila in a great battle at Chalons in 451. For twenty years he was at the head of public affairs, and latterly was murdered by Yalentinian from jealousy of his power. Research Aetius Flavius
Attila (Etzel) was King of the Huns. He was born in 406 and died in 453. The son of Mundzuk, and the successor, in conjunction with his brother Bleda, of his uncle Rhuas, he succeeded to the chieftainship in 434 when his people were masters of eastern Europe north of the Danube, and were terrorising western Europe as far as the Rhine and western Asia. They threatened the Eastern Empire, and twice compelled the weak Theodosius II to purchase an inglorious peace. Attila caused his brother Bleda to be murdered in 444, and in a short time extended his dominion over all the peoples of Germany and exacted tribute from the eastern and western emperors. The Vandals, the Ostrogoths, the Gepidse, and a part of the Franks united under his banners, and he speedily formed a pretext for leading them against the Empire of the East. He laid waste all the countries from the Black Sea to the Adriatic Sea, and in three encounters defeated the Emperor Theodoeius, but could not take Constantinople.
Thrace, Macedonia, and Greece all submitted to the invader, who destroyed seventy flourishing cities; and Theodosius was obliged to purchase a peace. Turning to the west, the 'scourge of God,' as the universal terror termed him, crossed with an immense army the Rhine, the Moselle, and the Seine, came to the Loire, and laid siege to Orleans. The inhabitants of this city repelled the first attack, and the united forces of the Romans under Aetius, and of the Visigoths under their king Theodoric, compelled Attila to raise the siege. He retreated to Champagne, and waited for the enemy in the plains of Chalons.
In apparent opposition to the prophecies of the soothsayers the ranks of the Romans and Goths were broken; but when the victory of Attila seemed assured the Gothic prince Thorismond, the son of Theodoric, poured down from the neighbouring height upon the Huns, who were defeated with great slaughter. Rather irritated more than discouraged, he sought in the following year a new opportunity to seize upon Italy, and demanded Honoria, the sister of Valentinian III, in marriage, with half the kingdom as a dowry. When this demand was refused he conquered and destroyed Aquileia, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, and Bergamo, laid waste the plains of Lombardy, and was marching on Rome when Pope Leo I went with the Roman ambassadors to his camp and succeeded in obtaining a peace. Attila went back to Hungary, and died on the night of his marriage with Hilda or Ildico in 453, either from the bursting of a blood-vessel or by her hand. The description that Jornandes has left us of him is in keeping with his Kalmuck-Tartar origin. He had a large head, a flat nose, broad shoulders, and a short and ill-formed body; but his eyes were brilliant, his walk stately, and his voice strong and well-toned. Research Attila
The Huns were a nomadic and warlike people of Asia, of Mongolian race, part of whom entered Europe, probably in the 4th century AD, conquered the Alans, and drove the Goths out of Dacia. They continued to extend their dominion along the Danube until the time of Attila (434 AD), who, uniting the whole Hunnish power in one hand became the most powerful prince of his time. Soon after Attila's death in 453 the Hunnish empire declined and disappeared and the Hun race became extinct. Research Huns
Saint Genevieve is the patron saint of Paris. She was born in 423 at Nanterre, about 5 miles from Paris died about the beginning of the 6th century. She devoted herself while still a child to the conventual life. Her prayers and fastings are credited with having saved Paris from the threatened destruction by Attila in 451. Many legends are told respecting her, and several churches have been dedicated to her. Her festival is held on the 3rd of January.
Saint Genevieve (by birth the Duchess of Brabant) was the wife of Siegfried, countpalatine in the reign of Charles Martel about 750. According to the legend, which is the subject of several tales and dramas, she was accused of adultery during her husband's absence and condemned to death;
but was allowed to escape, and she lived six years in a cave upon nothing but herbs. She was finally found, and carried home by her husband, who in the meantime had become convinced of her innocence. Research Saint Genevieve
Valentinian III was Roman emperor of the West, from 425 to 455. He was born in 419 and died in 455. Son of Constantius and Placidia, daughter of Theodosius, he succeeded Honorius, his mother acting as regent. The Vandals, who had conquered Roman Africa and set up a kingdom there, concluded an alliance with Attila, who, after defeat by Aetius near Chalons, invaded northern Italy, while the Vandal fleet ravaged the coasts of Sicily. Aetius was treacherously put to death by Valentinian III who a year later shared the same fate. Research Valentinian III
Brescia is an historic industrial city in northern Italy 84 km east of Milan. It is the capital of Brescia province. Brescia is beautifully situated at the foot of the Alps. Brescia was the seat of a school of painting of great merit, including Alessandro Bonvicino, commonly called 'Il Moretto', who flourished in the 16th century. The city was originally the chief town of the Cenomanni, and became the seat of a Roman colony under Augustus about 15 BC. It was burned by the Goths in 412, was again destroyed by Attila, was taken by Charlemagne in 774, and was declared a free city by Otho I of Saxony in 936. In 1426 it put itself under the protection of Venice. In 1796 it was taken by the French, and was assigned to Austria by the Vienna treaty of 1815. In 1849 its streets were barricaded by insurgents, but were carried by the Austrians under General Haynau. It was ceded to Sardinia by the treaty of Zurich, 1859. Research Brescia
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Abbreviations
Research Aetius Flavius
