Thraustila (fl. 455 AD) was a

Hun The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

or a

Goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

bodyguard of Roman general Aetius, who participated in the assassination of Emperor

Valentinian III Valentinian III ( la, Placidus Valentinianus; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Made emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying ...

, ordered by

Petronius Maximus Petronius Maximus ( 39731 May 455) was Roman emperor of the West for two and a half months in 455. A wealthy senator and a prominent aristocrat, he was instrumental in the murders of the Western Roman ''magister militum'', Aëtius, and the W ...

. He probably served Aetius as a ''

bucellarius Bucellarii (the Latin plural of ''Bucellarius''; literally "biscuit–eater", '' el, Βουκελλάριοι'') were formations of escort troops used in the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity. They were employed by high-ranking military figures (suc ...

''.

History

In September 454, Valentinian had killed with his own hands Aetius, whom he held responsible for the troubles of the Roman Empire. In March of the next year, Valentinian was stabbed to death by Thraustila's fellow bodyguard

Optila Optila ( fl. 455 AD) was a either a Hun or a Goth bodyguard working for general Aetius and later for Roman Emperor Valentinian III. He is best known for being the assassin of Valentinian III, himself the assassin of Aetius. History He initially s ...

, while Thraustila killed the eunuch

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...

. Most of the soldiers standing by, who had been followers of Aetius, did not move a finger to help the emperor.Given, John (2014). The Fragmentary History of Priscus: Attila, the Huns and the Roman Empire, AD 430–476. Arx Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-935228-14-1. Thraustila was probably married to a daughter of Aetius. He was a Hun, though he is described both as a "Hun" and a "Scythian", a term applied to the Huns at the time.

References

{{Huns Hun military leaders Western Roman people of Hunnic descent