ial officer who had established himself in
Africa. Valentinian, the five-year-old son of Placidia and Constantius,
was escorted to Italy by forces of the eastern empire and John was
deposed. His chief supporter Aetius, who had brought an army of Huns to
his aid, was induced to dismiss his troops and accept a command in Gaul
with the rank of count. Placidia, who had returned to Italy with
Valentinian, became regent with the title of Augusta.

*Aetius.* During the reign of Valentinian III interest centers about the
career of Aetius, "last of the Romans." In 429, after getting rid of his
enemy Felix, who had succeeded to the position of Castinus, Aetius himself
became master of the soldiers and the real ruler of the empire. However,
the Augusta Placidia endeavored to compass his downfall by an appeal to
Bonifacius, who after his revolt of 427 A. D. had fought in the imperial
cause against the Vandals. In 432 Bonifacius returned to Italy and was
appointed master of the soldiers in place of Aetius. The latter appealed
to arms, was defeated near Ariminum, and forced to flee for refuge to his
friends the Huns. But as Bonifacius died not long after his victory,
Aetius, with the backing of the Huns, was able to force the emperor to
reappoint him master of the soldiers in 433 A. D. From that time until his
death in 454 he directed the imperial policy in the West. He received
embassies from foreign peoples and the latter made treaties with him and
not with the emperor.

*Attila's invasion of Gaul, 451 A. D.* The chief efforts of Aetius were
directed towards the preservation of central and southeastern Gaul for the
empire. In this he was successful, holding in check the Franks on the
north, the Burgundians on the east, and the Goths in the southwest. But
though Gaul was saved, Africa was lost to the Vandals, Britain to the
Saxons and the greater part of Spain to the Suevi. The success of Aetius
in Gaul was principally due to his ability to draw into his service large
numbers of Hunnish troops, owing to the influence he had acquired with the
leaders of that people while a hostage among them. At this time the Huns
occupied the region of modern Hungary, Rumania, and South Russia. They
comprised a number of separate tribes, which in 444 A. D. were united
under the strong hand of King Attila, who also extended his sway over
neighboring Germanic and Scythian peoples.

At first Attila remained on friendly terms with Aetius but his ambiti