In June 451, on the plains of northern Gaul near Chalons, the Roman general Aetius and the Visigothic king Theodoric I led a coalition of Romans, Visigoths, Franks and others against the Huns led by Attila, who had invaded Gaul with a huge army. After a day of bloody fighting Theodoric was killed, and Attila withdrew behind his wagons. The Huns retreated, but attacked Italy in 452, and Attila died in 453, after which his empire quickly fell apart. The battle saved the Roman presence in Gaul for a few more decades.
Before and after
- from 439 CE to 442 CEVandal War (439-442)
- c. 450 CEConstruction of Takht-e Soleyman
- 450 CEBirth of Hormisdas
- c. 450 CEEruption of Ilopango
- 451 CEAetius and Theodoric stop Attila at the Catalaunian Plains
- 1 November 451 CECouncil of Chalcedon
- 12 May 454 CEBirth of Theodoric the Great
- c. 455 CEOrigins of Tbilisi
- from 2 June 455 CE to 16 June 455 CEThe Vandals sack Rome
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 264 BCE to 241 BCEFirst Punic War
- from 149 BCE to 146 BCEThird Punic War
- from 58 BCE to 51 BCEGallic War
- 49 BCECaesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus
- from 66 CE to 74 CEFirst Jewish-Roman War
- from June 68 CE to December 69 CEYear of the Four Emperors
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century.