The birth of Valentinian
1,605 years ago, in Ravenna, Valentinian was born, the first son of the Empress Gala Placidia and the Emperor Constantius III. Gala Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I the Great, sister of the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius, widow of Ataúlfo and wife of Constantius III. Four years earlier, Gala Placidia and Ataúlfo had chosen Barcelona as the seat of the Visigothic court, but their stay there was interrupted by the murder of Ataúlfo.
The life of Gala Placidia
After the assassination of Ataúlfo, Gala Placidia was mistreated and imprisoned in the dungeons of Barcelona until her brother, Emperor Honorius, rescued her and gave her in marriage to General Constantius. Gala lived to be 62 years old and Valentiniano to 35 years old. During his lifetime, Valentinian had a series of difficult experiences, including exile in Constantinople and the usurpation of the throne by John the Secretary. However, with the help of his relative, Emperor Theodosius II, Valentinian managed to regain his legitimacy as emperor.
Valentinian’s tragic end
Unfortunately, Valentiniano’s life came to a tragic end. He was murdered at age 35 after raping the wife of the powerful senator Petronio Maximus. Valentinian was the last Western emperor of the Theodosian line.
