Valentinian III

Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor (419-455), son of Constantius III and Galla Placidia, ascended to the throne in 425, immediately following the death of Honorius.

He began his career as Caesar in 424, at the age of only 5, when he was designated by Emperor Theodosius II. During his childhood, his true regent was his mother, Galla Placidia. The Western Empire under Valentinian's rule faced an unprecedented crisis: much of its regions had fallen under the control of barbarians, while North Africa was rapidly conquered by the Vandals. His political weakness and dissolute life made him the object of hatred and contempt, exacerbated by his assassination of the highly respected Roman general Aetius in Rome. All of this led to his tragic end at the hands of conspirators in 455.