For ancient generals, their fate is very strange, if the ability is not good, either let the opponent kill to achieve the prestige of the other party, or be deposed or even executed by their own side. And if you are highly capable and have great prestige, you may face the suspicion of the king, and once the general acts arrogantly, it is very easy to be taken advantage of by his opponents and go to the end of the road.
At the end of the Western Roman Empire, Aetius, known as the "last Roman", became the military pillar of the dynasty with his remarkable achievements. However, at the height of his power, he was killed by the suspicion of the then Emperor Valentinian III.
However, the death of Aetius was greatly related to his style of conduct, you know, the general had done something out of the ordinary more than once before taking power in the court, and even once supported the usurpers to seize the throne of the Theodosius family in the west.
Later, in order to consolidate the power in his hands, he slandered the Count of North Africa for rebellion, causing a gap between the royal family and North Africa, which eventually led to the loss of the western court's rule over North Africa. Although, in the end, the court forgave Aetius due to internal and external pressures, but from these things we can see that there is a natural distrust between the court and him.
This also foreshadowed his tragic end, after all, for the ancient emperors, once it was difficult to trust someone, even if they fully supported the other party for a period of time, they could not avoid suspicion of him. For Aetius, the best thing to do at this point was to keep a low profile and find a way to rebuild trust with the court.
However, this issue was never considered in the twenty years between he had won de facto control of the Western Roman Empire and his execution by the emperor. For Aetius, who had come from a military background, it seemed that as long as he had a heavy army and fought on the front line against the barbarians, the court and even the emperor could not risk himself.
Otherwise, who will suppress the barbarians? Without their own words, the western court is waiting to be besieged!
But what Aetius did not understand was that it was precisely because of his ability that the court allowed him to obtain everything he had now. Not only did he have the highest honor and prestige, but even the emperor was marrying him in Zhang Luo. In addition, a large number of his cronies held important positions in the Western Empire, which made Aetius's prestige close to that of the emperor.
At this time, if you are a careful and prudent person, you will inevitably walk on thin ice, especially when facing the emperor, you need to show loyalty. Because the general at this time was already a master of merit, for the emperor, if the throne could not sit in peace, what role did the entire dynasty have for him.
However, Aetius did not consider these things, and still regarded himself as the sole commander of the Empire's foreign wars, and his usual attitude was very arrogant, causing dissatisfaction among some people. They immediately framed Aetius in front of the emperor, saying that he had a disobedient heart, and considering that the commander was often extremely arrogant to the emperor, Valentinian III began to worry about his throne.
Although the emperor did nothing during his reign, as soon as someone endangered his throne, he instantly regained the courage to be a Roman - to execute this powerful general. Coincidentally, although Aetius knew that some people were very hostile to him, he still did not take the slightest precaution, giving his opponent an opportunity.
Once, when Aetius entered the deep palace alone and urged the emperor to hurry up and hold the marriage between his son and the emperor's daughter, the cowardly emperor suddenly drew his sword and stabbed him in the heart. This commander, who had turned the tide for the empire, died at the hands of his own people, which made people sigh.
However, the death of Aetius did not secure the throne of Valentinian III, and the unprovoked murder of the heroic commander made the emperor completely lose the support of the people, not to mention that he also did all kinds of other absurd things. Soon after, the emperor was killed by his bodyguards, ending his incompetent life.
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