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Battle of the Catalaunian Plains
In 451 Attila's invasion of Gaul ended in a massive battle on the Catalaunian Plains against Aetius and a coalition of Visigoths, Franks and Burgundi…
Timeline
- 451Orléans · Loire ValleyAttila led his army into Gaul and besieged the strategic stronghold of Orléans; Aetius rushed to its relief and allied with the Visigoths and other peoples, forcing the Huns to raise the siege and move east.
- 451Catalaunian Plains · ChampagneThe Huns and the Roman-barbarian coalition fought all day on the plains; the Visigothic king Theodoric I was killed, both sides suffered enormous losses, Attila held his camp, and the coalition was unable to pursue, resulting in a strategic stalemate.
- 451East of the Rhine · Central EuropeAfter the battle Attila withdrew eastward and the crisis in Gaul temporarily eased, but the Western Roman Empire was gravely weakened, barbarian powers grew further, and the empire's decline accelerated.
Sources
- Jordanes, Getica — Jordanes
- The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor, Barbarians, and the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields — Alessandro Barbero (2005)