Placidius Valentinianus or Valentinien III (July 2nd 419, Ravenne - March 16th 455, Rome) was an Roman Emperor (of 424 with 455). He was the only son of Constance III and Galla Placidia, girl of large the Théodose Ier. He was named César the October 23rd 424 with Constantinople, and after a short war in Italy to eliminate the civil servant Jean installed on the throne, he was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire from Occident in Rome the October 23rd 425.

He was only six years old when he accepted the title of Auguste, it is thus his mother who made publish on her behalf the Loi of the quotations into 426 and reigned with Aetius until in 433. In October 437, he married with Constantinople his cousin Licinia Eudoxia, girl of Théodose II; he spent the winter to Thessalonique and returned in Ravenne the following year, where he resided until 450. From this marriage were born two girls, Eudoxie and Placidie.

Its reign was marked by the bursting of the Roman Empire of Occident, the conquest of the province of the Roman Africa by the Vandales in 439, the loss of part of the territories of Hispanie and Gaulle, where the cruel people settled and finally the devastations made in Sicily and on the Eastern coasts of the sea the Mediterranean by the fleets of Genséric.

Only Gaulle was defended successfully by Aetius during twenty years:

• it forced the Burgondes to settle as federate Peuple in Savoy
• it pushed back Attila in 451 between Troyes and Châlons
• it confined the Visigoths in the South of the Gaulle in 426, 429 and 436,
• it pushed back invaders coming from the the Rhine and the the Danube of 428 with 431.

The tax proved to be more and more intolerable for the provinces and deteriorated their fidelity towards Rome, while at the same time declined the power of the imperial capital. As regards religion, the third of Valentiniens was intolerant: according to the Théodosien Code, three edicts of general persecution were launched against the pagan ones into 435,438 and 451. Any act of paganism was from now on liable to the capital punishment, reaffirming in that the laws of Théodose Ier (391 and 392). As for the Christians not-catholics, a similar fate was reserved to them from 447.

Valentinien III settled in Rome in 450, qu ' it left to be locked up in Ravenne with the approach of Attila. In 452, Attila returns to attack Italy, but lets itself some draw aside by the promise of a tribute. Christian propaganda as for it rather rented the supernatural capacities or the capacity of negotiation of the pope Leon Ier.

In 454, the son of Aetius was to marry with the girl of the emperor, but Aetius was killed on the order of Valentinien. The March 16th of the following year, the emperor itself was assassinated at the instigation of the senator Pétrone Maxime.

On the one hand, it did not have the capacity to reign on the Empire in such a moment of crisis, on the other hand, it forever be lenient towards its victims.

See too