Editing Galla Placidia (section)

===Rise of Aetius===
With the generals loyal to her having either died or defected to Aetius, Placidia acknowledged Aetius' political role as legitimate. In 433, Aetius was given the titles ''magister militum'' and "patrician". The appointments effectively left Aetius in control of the entire Western Roman army and gave him considerable influence over imperial policy. Aetius later played a pivotal role in the defense of the Western Empire against [[Attila]]. Placidia continued to act as regent until 437, though her direct influence over decisions was diminished. She would continue to exercise political influence until her death in 450—no longer, however, the only power at court.<ref name="Ralph W. Mathisen, Galla Placidia"/>

During these years, Galla Placidia befriended bishop [[Peter Chrysologus]], both having a shared interest in building churches. She also befriended a certain [[Saint Barbatianus|Barbatianus]], whom she met in Rome. He came to Ravenna to be her confessor. According to his later biography, through his intercession she miraculously obtained a sandal of [[John the Evangelist]] for the church she had built to honour the saint. When Barbatianus died, Placidia and Chrysologus arranged his burial.<ref>{{citation |author=Kenneth Atkinson |title=Empress Galla Placidia and the Fall of the Roman Empire |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2020}}, pp. 119–120.</ref><ref>Oost (1968), p. 266</ref>

Attila was diverted from Constantinople towards Italy by a letter from Placidia's own daughter [[Justa Grata Honoria]] in the spring of 450, asking him to rescue her from an unwanted marriage to a [[Roman Senate|Roman senator]] that the Imperial family, including Placidia, was trying to force upon her. Honoria included her [[engagement ring]] with the letter. Though Honoria may not have intended a proposal of marriage, 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 Placidia persuaded him not to kill Honoria. Valentinian wrote to Attila denying the legitimacy of the supposed marriage proposal. Attila, unconvinced, 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. Honoria was quickly married to Flavius [[Bassus Herculanus]], though this did not prevent Attila from pressing his claim.<ref>{{Citation |chapter-url=http://www.roman-emperors.org/justa.htm |first=Ralph W. |last=Mathisen |chapter=Justa Grata Honoria |editor-last=Weigel |editor-first=Richard D. |title=An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors}}</ref>

Placidia died shortly afterwards at Rome, in November 450, and was buried in the Theodosian family mausoleum adjacent to [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]], later the chapel of [[Saint Petronilla]].<ref>[[Joyce E. Salisbury|Salisbury, Joyce E.]] Rome's Christian Empress: Galla Placidia Rules at the Twilight of the Empire. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015, p.194</ref> She did not live to see Attila ravage Gaul and Italy in 451 and 452, using Honoria's letter as his "legitimate" excuse.