Editing Attila (section)

== In the west ==
[[File:Attila in Gaul 451CE.svg|thumb|left|The general path of the Hun forces in the invasion of [[Gaul]].]]
In 450, Attila proclaimed his intent to attack the [[Visigoth]] kingdom of [[Toulouse]] by making an [[military alliance|alliance]] with Emperor [[Valentinian III|Valentinian&nbsp;III]]. He had previously been on good terms with the [[Western Roman Empire]] and its influential general [[Flavius Aetius|Flavius Aëtius]]. Aëtius had spent a brief [[exile]] among the Huns in 433, and the troops that Attila provided against the [[Goths]] and [[Bagaudae]] had helped earn him the largely honorary title of ''[[magister militum]]'' in the west. The gifts and diplomatic efforts of [[Geiseric]], who opposed and feared the Visigoths, may also have influenced Attila's plans.

However, Valentinian's sister was [[Justa Grata Honoria|Honoria]], who had sent the Hunnish king a plea for help—and her engagement ring—in order to escape her forced betrothal to a [[Roman Senate|Roman senator]] in the spring of 450. Honoria may not have intended a proposal of marriage, but Attila chose to interpret her message as such. He accepted, asking for half of the western Empire as dowry.

When Valentinian discovered the plan, only the influence of his mother [[Galla Placidia]] convinced him to exile Honoria, rather than killing her. He also wrote to Attila, strenuously denying the legitimacy of the supposed marriage proposal. Attila sent an emissary to [[Ravenna]] to proclaim that Honoria was innocent, that the proposal had been legitimate, and that he would come to claim what was rightfully his.

Attila interfered in a succession struggle after the death of a Frankish ruler. Attila supported the elder son, while Aëtius supported the younger. (The location and identity of these kings is not known and subject to conjecture.) Attila gathered his [[vassal]]s—[[Gepids]], [[Ostrogoths]], [[Rugians]], [[Scirians]], [[Heruls]], [[Thuringians]], [[Alans]], [[Burgundians]], among others—and began his march west. In 451, he arrived in [[Belgica]] with an army exaggerated by [[Jordanes]] to half a million strong.
[[File:Attila et les Huns par Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse.jpg|thumb|[[Roman villa]] in Gaul sacked by Attila's hordes, by French historial painter [[Georges Rochegrosse]]]]
On April&nbsp;7, he captured [[Metz]]. He also captured [[Sack of Strasbourg (451)|Strasbourg]]. Other cities attacked can be determined by the [[hagiographic]] ''[[biography|vitae]]'' written to commemorate their bishops: [[Nicasius of Rheims|Nicasius]] was slaughtered before the altar of his church in [[Rheims]]; [[Servatus]] is alleged to have saved [[Tongeren]] with his prayers, as Saint [[Genevieve]] is said to have saved Paris.{{r|Hodgkin}} [[Lupus of Troyes|Lupus]], bishop of [[Troyes]], is also credited with saving his city by meeting Attila in person.{{r|"Peterson" }}{{r|Goyau}}

Aëtius moved to oppose Attila, gathering troops from among the [[Franks]], the [[Burgundians]], and the [[Celts]]. A mission by [[Avitus]] and Attila's continued westward advance convinced the Visigoth king [[Theodoric I|Theodoric&nbsp;I]] (Theodorid) to ally with the Romans. The combined armies reached [[Orléans]] ahead of Attila, thus checking and turning back the Hunnish advance. Aëtius gave chase and caught the Huns at a place usually assumed to be near Catalaunum (modern [[Châlons-en-Champagne]]). Attila decided to fight the Romans on plains where he could use his cavalry.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/01-02/roman-empire-decline-attila-the-hun|title=Rome Halts the Huns|date=17 January 2017|access-date=28 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128140948/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/01-02/roman-empire-decline-attila-the-hun/|archive-date=28 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The two armies clashed in the [[Battle of the Catalaunian Plains]], the outcome of which is commonly considered to be a strategic victory for the Visigothic-Roman alliance. Theodoric was killed in the fighting, and Aëtius failed to press his advantage, according to Edward Gibbon and Edward Creasy, because he feared the consequences of an overwhelming Visigothic triumph as much as he did a defeat. From Aëtius' point of view, the best outcome was what occurred: Theodoric died, Attila was in retreat and disarray, and the Romans had the benefit of appearing victorious.