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the era of aetius, 425,54 5
Why this should have happened has occasioned much debate. To my
mind, however, the key to these events is provided by the activities of the
Huns. It is well known that their western movements had pushed some of
the Goths later led by Alaric across the Danube in 376. What is less well
understood is that, as late as the 390s, the centre of Hunnic power still lay
north of the Black Sea, well to the east of the Carpathian mountains. By
425, as we have seen, they had moved in force into Hungary, and it was
almost certainly in response to this second wave of western Hunnic expansion
that Goths, Vandals, Alans, Sueves and Burgundians fled across the
Roman frontier during the first decade of the fifth century. 5 By 425, these
intrusions had caused, as we have seen, enormous difficulties for the
western empire, which the installation of Valentinian III in 425 did nothing
in itself to solve.
i. the era of aetius 425,54
The half-century of imperial history covered by this chapter can be divided
into two roughly equal parts, the watershed marked by the death of Aetius.
This is no artificial divide. The nearly thirty years of Aetius’ prominence
were characterized by a very different mode of political operation from the
last two decades of the western empire’s existence after his death. Broadly
speaking, Aetius was able to pursue a more traditional line of policy
towards the immigrant groups who had forced their way into the western
empire than was possible in the circumstances faced by his successors.
1. The struggle for power 425–33
The main contenders for power in the years after 425 were the leaders of
three of the main army groups in the west: Felix, senior magister militum praesentalis
and commander in Italy, Boniface, commander in Africa, and Aetius,
commander in Gaul. The latter post was Aetius’ pay-off for not using his
Hunnic army against Valentinian’s eastern forces in 425. Felix, it seems,
made the first move. Accusing Boniface of disloyalty, he ordered the latter
to return to Italy in 427. When Boniface refused, Felix sent a force to North
Africa, but it was defeated. Then Aetius stepped in. On the back of military
success against both Visigoths (426) and Franks (428), Aetius felt
confident enough to move against Felix. Perhaps these successes had
attracted political support from Valentinian’s mother, Galla Placidia, and
other key members of the court. They certainly secured for Aetius a transfer
to Italy and promotion to the post of junior magister militum praesentalis.
The surviving sources are too thin for us to be certain of the exact course
5 Heather (1995) 5–19.
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