ons
and his interference in the affairs of Gaul led to friction and to his
demand for the hand of Honoria, sister of Valentinian III, with half of
the western empire as her dowry. When the emperor refused to comply Attila
led a great army across the Rhine into Gaul and laid siege to Orleans.
Their common danger brought together the Romans and the Germanic peoples
of Gaul, and Aetius was able to face the Huns with an army strengthened by
the presence of the kings of the Visigoths and the Franks. Repulsed at
Orleans, Attila withdrew to the Mauric plains where, in the vicinity of
Troyes, a memorable battle was fought between the Huns and the forces of
Aetius. Although the result was indecisive, Attila would not risk another
engagement and recrossed the Rhine. The next year he invaded Italy, but
the presence of famine and disease among his own forces and the arrival of
troops from the Eastern Empire induced him to listen to the appeal of a
Roman embassy, led by the Roman bishop Leo, and to withdraw from the
peninsula without occupying Rome. Upon his death in 453 A. D. his empire
fell to pieces and the power of the Huns began to decline.

*Maximus and Avitus, 455-6 A. D.* The death of Attila was soon followed by
that of Aetius, who was murdered by Valentinian at the instigation of his
chamberlain Heraclius (454 A. D.). This rash act deprived him of the best
support of his authority and in the next year Valentinian himself fell a
victim to the vengeance of followers of Aetius. With him ended the dynasty
of Theodosius in the West. The new emperor, a senator named Petronius
Maximus, compelled Valentinian's widow, Eudoxia, to marry him, but when
the Vandal Gaiseric appeared in Italy in answer to her call he offered no
resistance and perished in flight. Maximus was succeeded by Avitus, a
Gallic follower of Aetius, whom he had made master of the soldiers. But
after ruling little more than a year Avitus was deposed by his own master
of the soldiers, Ricimer (456 A. D.).

*Ricimer.* Ricimer, a German of Suevic and Gothic ancestry, who succeeded
to the power of Aetius, was the virtual ruler of the western empire from
456 until his death in 472. Backed by his mercenary troops he made and
unmade emperors at his pleasure, and never permitted his nominees to be
more than his puppets. Majorian, who was appointed emperor in 457 A. D.,
was overthrown by Ricimer in 461, and was followed by Severus. After the
death of Severus in 465 no empero