Editing Valentinian III (section)

==Assassination==
With the Hun invasion thwarted, Valentinian felt secure enough to begin plotting to have Aetius killed, egged on by [[Petronius Maximus]], a high ranking senator who bore Aetius a personal grudge, and his chamberlain, the eunuch Heraclius.<ref name="Bury, pg. 299">Bury, p. 299</ref> Aetius, whose son had married Valentinian's youngest daughter, [[Placidia]], was murdered by Valentinian on 21 September 454.<ref name="Heather, pg. 18"/> The ancient historian [[Priscus]] reported that Aetius was presenting a financial statement before the Emperor when Valentinian suddenly leapt from his throne and accused him of drunken depravity. He held him responsible for the empire's tribulations and accused him of plotting to take the empire away from him. Valentinian then drew his sword and together with Heraclius, rushed at the weaponless Aetius and struck him on the head, killing him on the spot. When Valentinian later boasted that he had done well to dispose of Aetius in such a way, a counsellor famously replied "Whether well or not, I do not know. But know that you have cut off your right hand with your left."{{sfn|Priscus|2015|pp=125–127}}

On March 16 of the following year, the emperor himself was assassinated in Rome by two [[Scythian]] followers of Aetius: [[Optila|Optelas]] and [[Thraustila|Thraustelas]]. According to Priscus, these men were put up to it by Petronius Maximus, whose aims of political advancement were thwarted by Heraclius.{{sfn|Priscus|2015|p=128}} He may also have been taking revenge for the rape of his wife Lucina by Valentinian.<ref name="Bury, pg. 299"/> The assassination occurred as Valentinian rode his horse on the Campus Martius. As the emperor dismounted to practise archery, the conspirators attacked. Optelas struck Valentinian on the side of the head, and when he turned to see who had hit him, Optelas delivered the death-blow. Meanwhile, Thraustelas slew Heraclius. Priscus reports a curious occurrence: a swarm of bees descended on the corpse of Valentinian and sucked up his blood.{{sfn|Priscus|2015|p=129}}

The day after the assassination Petronius Maximus had himself proclaimed emperor by the remnants of the Western Roman army after paying a large donative.<ref>Bury, pp. 323–324</ref> He was not as prepared as he thought to take over and stabilize the depleted empire, however; after a reign of only 11 weeks, Maximus was stoned to death by a Roman mob.<ref>Bury, pp. 324–325</ref> King [[Gaiseric]] and his [[Vandals]] [[Sack of Rome (455)|captured Rome]] a few days later and sacked it for two weeks.<ref>Bury, p. 325</ref>