Valentinian III (A.D. 419-455) was emperor of the West Roman Empire. He was a weak ruler, and the empire lost much territory during his reign.
Valentinian was the son of Emperor Constantius III and grandson of Theodosius I. He was born on July 2, 419. He became emperor in 425, at the age of 6. Political power rested with his mother—Galla Placidia—and various military leaders, especially Flavius Aetius. Aetius campaigned in Gaul (now mainly France) and in 451 won a major victory over the invading Huns, who were led by Attila. But a Germanic tribe called the Vandals conquered northern Africa during Valentinian’s reign, and Roman Britain was lost to native rulers and Germanic invaders. The Visigoths and the Suevi, Germanic tribes that had settled in Gaul and Spain, also continually extended their territory. The empire’s loss of provinces and the revenues they had generated produced acute political tensions. In 454, Valentinian had Aetius murdered, and on March 16, 455, he was assassinated by Aetius’s followers.
