With the death of Theodosius the Great, the Roman Empire was divided in two, but the two courts were still under the rule of Theodosius the Great's heirs. However, the abilities of the later emperors were far inferior to those of their predecessors, especially the last emperor of the family in the Western Empire, who completely lost the support of the people and was assassinated by conspiracy.
And this emperor was Valentinian III, who personally ended the life of Aetius, the last famous general of the Roman Empire.
You know, at this time, Aetius almost single-handedly supported the crumbling Western Roman Empire, although the Romans had long been tired of joining the army and coveting comfort, but they were quite recognized by this general. When they heard that Emperor Valentinian III had executed Aetius, they were very surprised and disappointed in him.
Before that, everyone had the impression that this was a cowardly emperor with no real power, but although this emperor was incompetent, he was able to hand over the dynasty to capable people. I believe that the people's views on the emperor at this time, even if not positive, can be reluctantly accepted, and perhaps occasionally can be unfair to him.
After all, an emperor who should be in power can only become a puppet, at the mercy of others, and let people sincerely issue a sentence of why he was born in the emperor's family. However, the emperor executed Aetius, the pillar of the dynasty, without any evidence, and the people turned from contempt and pity to disgust for the emperor.
You know, Aetius is not only praised by historians now, but also became a thunderous hero at that time. Valentinian III's actions deprived himself of his roots as heir to the Theodosius family, like a rootless duckweed that would leave the place with a gentle stroke of wind.
And this "wind" soon came, and the cause of this result was also the emperor's wanton behavior, which angered the Senate, and finally lost his life because of carelessness by his opponents.
At that time, the Western Empire was already crumbling, and it was difficult for the court to establish stable rule everywhere. In order to gain sufficient support, the emperors had to cede some of their power to the Senate, which had long been a decoration, so that the Senate had the ability to constrain the imperial power.
While Aetius was alive, the commander, with his loyalty to his army, could have overwhelmed the Senate, and all the senators could do was to vigorously support the general. However, after the death of Aetius, the power of the court was greatly weakened, and it was difficult to effectively suppress the Senate, and the ambitious among them began to stir.
However, although the foundation of the emperor's rule has long been shaken, the long-term accumulation of power still shocks Xiaoxiao. Even ambitious and capable people like the members of the Senate were reluctant to take a risk.
However, Valentinian III soon gave himself an "assist", which strengthened the determination of Maximus, a member of the Senate, to kill the emperor. Whether it is their own ambitions or for their own face, this must be done.
And this incident is that the emperor used the conspiracy to bully the wife of the elder, and in the face of the crying wife and the ambition, he launched his own counterattack against the imperial power. Of course, there was also the responsibility of the emperor himself, otherwise Valentinian III would not have died soon.
For Maximus, in order to ensure that he can successfully seize the throne after the emperor's death, he must draw a clear line between himself and the yin. When he tried to find someone who was willing to kill the emperor, he found that the emperor had personally arranged several of Aetius's retinue and servants as his bodyguards!
You know, a fierce man like Aetius has a very strong personality charm, and those who often spend time with him will inevitably be impressed by him and willing to give everything for him. When the emperor executed Aetius for no reason, revenge for him became the wish of his followers.
When the powerful elders contacted them, they soon decided to kill the emperor to comfort Aetius's wronged soul. With the consent of these people, Emperor Valentinian III soon ushered in the end of his own life.
The death of the last Emperor of the Theodosius family to rule the Roman Empire is a sign that the family's influence on the Roman Empire lasted for more than eighty years. Overall, with the exception of Theodosius the Great, the performance of others was lackluster, especially the Western Empire, which was led to the abyss of destruction.
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