Editing Valentinian III (section)

== Family and infancy ==
Valentinian was born in [[Ravenna]], the capital of the [[Western Roman Empire]], as the only son of [[Galla Placidia]] and [[Constantius III]], who briefly ruled as emperor in 421.{{sfn|Martindale|1980|pp=1138–1139}} His mother was the younger half-sister of the western emperor [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] ({{Reign|393|423}}), while his father was at the time a [[Patrician (ancient Rome)#Patrician families|patrician]] and the [[power behind the throne]].{{sfn|Martindale|1980|p=323}}

Through his mother, Valentinian was a descendant both of [[Theodosius I]], who was his maternal grandfather, and of [[Valentinian I]], who was the father of his [[Galla, wife of Theodosius I|maternal grandmother]]. It was also through his mother's side of the family that he was the nephew of Honorius and first cousin to [[Theodosius II]] (the son of Honorius' brother [[Arcadius]]), who was eastern emperor for most of Valentinian's life. Valentinian had a full sister, [[Justa Grata Honoria]]. His mother had previously been married to [[Ataulf]] of the [[Visigoths]], and had borne a son, Theodosius, in [[Barcelona]] in 414; but the child had died early in the following year, thus eliminating an opportunity for a Romano-Visigothic line.<ref>Ralph W. Mathisen (1996) [https://web.archive.org/web/20220304135922/http://www.roman-emperors.org/galla.htm "Galla Placidia"]. ''DIR''</ref>

In either 421 or 423, Valentinian was given the title of ''[[nobilissimus]]'' by Honorius, although this title was not initially recognized in the eastern court of Theodosius II.{{sfn|Martindale|1980|pp=1138–1139}} After the death of Constantius in 421, court intrigue forced Galla Placidia to flee from Honorius and move to [[Constantinople]], where she, Valentinian and Honoria were taken in by Theodosius.<ref name="Blockley, pg. 136">Blockley, p. 136</ref>