In AD 453 Attila, with a huge force composed of Huns, allies and
vassals drawn from his already-vast empire, was rampaging westward
across Gaul (essentially modern France), then still nominally part
of the Western Roman Empire. Laying siege to Orleans, he was only a
few days march from extending his empire from the Eurasian steppe
to the Atlantic. He was brought to battle on the Cataluanian Plain
and defeated by a coalition hastily assembled and led by Aetius.
Who was this man that saved Western Europe from the Hunnic yoke?
While Attila is a household name, his nemesis remains relatively
obscure. Aetius is one of the major figures in the history of the
Late Roman Empire and his actions helped maintain the integrity of
the West in the declining years of the Empire. During the course of
his life he was a hostage, first with Alaric and the Goths, and
then with Rugila, King of the Huns. His stay with these two peoples
helped to give him an unparalleled insight into the minds and
military techniques of these barbarians which he was to use in
later years to halt the depredations of the Huns. That this saviour
of Rome was himself half Scythian is indicative of the complexity
of the late Roman world. Ian Hughes assesses his fascinating career
and campaigns with the same accessible narrative and analysis he
brought to bear on Belisarius and Stilicho. This is a long-overdue
biography of a major, yet neglected, player in the Late Classical
world.
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