A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

VALENTINIANUS. VALENTINIANUS. 1213
ensued in which Litorius was defeated, and the'the expence both of the tax-payers and of the
Goths carried him a prisoner into the city which he Fiscus. Oppressive taxation is the symptom of
had hoped to take. Notwithstanding this success, vicious government and of the approaching ruin of
Theodoric concluded a peace with Aetius, who a state.
threatened with a formidable army to dispute the Theodosius II. died on the 28th of July A. D.
further conquests of the Gothic king. 450, and Marcianus succeeded him without waiting
The Western empire was gradually losing its esx- for the approbation of Valentinian, who, however,
treme possessions. Merida in Spain was taken confirmed his election. On the 27th of November
by Richila, king of the Suevi; and Genseric in the same year, Placidia, the emperor's mother,
seized Carthage by surprise on the 9th of October died at Rome just when hostilities were going to
A. D. 439. This was the more unexpected as a break out between Valentinian and Attila, king of
treaty had heen made with him in A. D. 435. the Huns. The result of this war was the defeat
The capture of Carthage, which had been in the of Attila by Aetius, near Chalons sur Marne in
hands of the Romans for near six hundred years, the former French province of Chamlpagne, in A. D.
destroyed the Roman power in a large part of 451. [AETIUS; ATTILA.] The history of Vawestern Africa; but Valentinian still retained the lentinian's unfortunate sister Honoria is connected
two provinces of Mauritania, and some other parts. with that of Attila. [GRATA, No. 2.]
Valentinian was at Rome in January and in The Western empire was in a deplorable state,
March A.D. 440. as appears from the date of several overrun by barbarians who brought with them
Novellae. In the month of June Genseric left " the detestable heresy of the Arians with which
Carthage with a great fleet. He landed in Sicily, they were infected." Italy however seems to have
ravaged the country and laid siege to Palermo. been free from barbarians, though it contained
Aetius was still in Gaul, where he restored tran- many Goths under the name of confederates; and
quillity and set out for Italy. It was about this they were Arians too. The Visigoths, whose capital
time that Salvianus wrote his work on the Judg- was Toulouse, had a new king in consequence of
ment of God. in which he shows that the Romans the death of Theodoric who fell in the great battle
had brought upon themselves, by their sins, the at ChAlons; fighting on the side of the Romans.
calamities under which they were then suffering. He was succeeded by his son Thorismond.
The grievous burden of taxation and the oppression In A. D. 452 Attila made a descent into Italy
of the powerful made the Romans prefer the form and spread consternation. Aetius had returned to
of servitude under the Franks, Huns, and Vandals, Italy, and he and Valentinian sent Pope Leo to
under which they enjoyed real liberty and paid no Attila to sue for peace, and the barbarian retired
taxes, to the semblance of liberty under the Roman after he had devastated the north of Italy. [ATgovernment whose exactions were intolerable. The TILA.] A constitution of Valentinian of this year,
barbarians were in possession of a large part of which a zealous Roman Catholic writer calls "a
Gaul and a still larger part of Spain; Italy had scandalous law and altogether unworthy of a
been ravaged several times, Rome had been be- Christian prince," declares that the law does not
sieged, Sicily and Sardinia devastated, and Africa allow bishops and priests to have jurisdiction in
was in the hands of the Vandals. Trdves had civil affairs, and that they call only take cognizance
been several times sacked, and yet, says Salvianus, of matters pertaining to religion; and it requires
while the place was reeking with the blood of the even bishops to appear before the ordinary judges
slain, the citizens still eagerly called for the games, in all suits to which they were parties, unless the
which were exhibited in their amphitheatre, the other party consented to submit to the judgment
rulns of which still exist on the site of the ancient of the church. It also forbids ecclesiastics to
city of the Treviri. traffic, or if they do, they are allowed no particular
By a constitution of the 20th of February A. D. privilege.
441, the emperor made some regulations for making Valentinian wras relieved in A. D. 453 from a
the property of the great dignitaries of the church formidable enemy by the death of Attila, and in
and of the city of Rome liable to equal taxation the same year Thorismond, king of the Visigoths,
with other property, and also liable for the repair who was of a restless and warlike character, was
of the roads and the walls of the towns and all murdered by his brothers, one of whom, Theoother imposts. In A. D. 442 Valentinian made doric II., succeeded him.
peace with the Vandals, who were left in undis- The power and influence of Aetius had long exturbed possession of part of Africa. cited the jealousy and fears of Valentinian, and the
In A. D. 446, the Romans abandoned Britain. suspicious temper of the unwarlike and feeble enmThe Picts and Scots were ravaging the country, peror was encouraged by the calumnies of the
and the Britons in vain applied for help to Aetius eunuch Heraclius. Aetius was too powerful to be
who was then consul. A revolt took place in the subject of a contemptible master; and the
Armorica in A. D. 448 which was however soon betrothal of his son Gaudentius to Eudoxia, the
settled. daughter of Valentinian, may have excited his amRavenna was the ordinary residence of the em- bitious designs and awakened his treacherous disperor; but he went to Romne early in A. D. 450 position. His pride and insolence were shown in
with his wife and mother, when by a constitution, a hostile declaration against his prince, which was
dated the 5th of March, he remitted all the taxes followed by a reconciliation and an alliance, the
that had become due up to the 1st of September terms.of which were dictated by Aetius. After
A. D. 448; from which we may conclude that the this insult he had the imprudence to venture into
people were unable to pay them. Sardinlia and the emperor's palace at Rome, in company with
Africa were excepted from this indulgence. The Boethius, Praefectus Praetorio, and to urge the
emperor spoke of the exactions of the comimissioners marriage of the emlperor's daughter with his son.
who were sent into the provinces to prevent the In a fit of irritation the emperor drew his sword
exactions of others; they enriched themselves at and plunged it into the genleral's body. Theslaughter