Western Roman emperor (42555), born in Ravenna, Italy, the son of Flavius Constantius (r. as Constantius III in 421) and Galla Placidia. He was put on the throne by Theodosius II, Roman emperor of the East, under the regency of his mother, who ruled the West in his name until 437. Weak and ineffective, it was General Flavius Aëtius who wielded the power. Africa was seized (429) by Gaiseric, king of the Vandals, and the Danubian provinces of Gaul and Italy were overrun (441) by Attila, king of the Huns. Valentinian killed Aëtius in 454, but was himself murdered by two of the general's men.
| Valentinian III | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Western Roman Empire | ||
| Valentinian (on the left), with his sister Justa Grata Honoria and his mother Galla Placidia. | ||
| Reign |
423-424 (Caesar in the west); 425 - 16 March 455 (emperor in the west) |
|
| Full name | Flavius Placidius Valentinianus | |
| Born | 2 July 419 | |
| Ravenna | ||
| Died | 16 March 455 | |
| Predecessor | Honorius | |
| Successor | Petronius Maximus | |
| Wife/wives | Licinia Eudoxia | |
| Issue | Daughter, married to Aëtius | |
| Dynasty | Valentinian | |
| Father | Constantius III | |
| Mother | Galla Placidia | |
Flavius Placidius Valentinianus (July 2, 419 – March 16, 455), known in English as Valentinian III, was Western Roman Emperor (425-455).
Life
Born in western capital of Ravenna, Valentinian was the only son of later Emperor Constantius III and Galla Placidia, daughter of the Emperor Theodosius I and granddaughter of Emperor Valentinian I. In 425, after Joannes had been defeated in war, Valentinian was installed Western Emperor in Rome, on October 23, at the age of six.
In 454 Aëtius, whose son had married a daughter of the emperor, was treacherously murdered by Valentinian. These retainers may have been put up to the act by Petronius Maximus, a wealthy senator who the following day March 17 had himself proclaimed emperor by the remnants of the Western Roman army after the paying of a large donative.
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