Hello, and welcome to the history of Rome, episode 172, Showdown.

So last week, we left off in 450 AD with two imperial marriages.

The first in the east, between Flavius Marcianus and Ilya Polcheria, that saw the man we

call Marcian, elevated to the rank of Augustus.

The second, in the west, was between Hanoia and the Senator Bosses Herculonus, which

saw the western empire brought to the brink of ruin.

But just to the brink of ruin.

As we will see today, whatever criticisms and judgments you want to lob at Itius for

being a conniving backstabber or for letting North Africa slip away and hardly lifting a

finger.

It must be offset at a minimum by his handling of the invasion of Attila the Hun.

Itius, of course, had many positive qualities that already offset those negatives.

But even if he didn't, I think the way he managed to hold the line against Attila is

enough to balance any scale.

Itius was at his best when the chips were down, and he would be at his absolute best in

451 when it came time to face Attila in battle.

The western empire was falling, but not yet.

Itius is a big reason why.

So as I alluded at the end of the last episode, in 458D the court of Valentini in the Third

had a problem, namely the Emperor's older sister, Hanoia.

Unlike the imperial ladies of the court in Constantinople, who had all taken vows of

chastity, a vow by the way that Marcian had been forced to respect when he married

...