Optila (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

455 AD) was either a Hun or a Goth bodyguard working for general Aetius and later for Roman Emperor

Valentinian III Valentinian III (; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the Western Roman Empire, West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by civil wars among powerful general ...

. He is best known for being the assassin of Valentinian III, himself the assassin of Aetius.

History

He initially served as ''

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

'' and was later promoted to the imperial guard. In September 454, Emperor Valentinian killed with his own hands Aetius in

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, while the latter was delivering a financial account. With the death of Aetius,

Petronius Maximus Petronius Maximus (31 May 455) was Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire, West for two and a half months in 455. A wealthy Roman Senate, senator and a prominent aristocrat, he was instrumental in the murders of the Western Roman ''magister ...

looked forward to being made patrician in place of Aetius. However, he was blocked by the eunuch

Heraclius Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas. Heraclius's reign was ...

. Thus Maximus arranged with Optila and Thraustila, both Aetius' former bodyguards, for the assassination of both Heraclius and emperor Valentinian. Optila stabbed the emperor to death on 16 March 455, as he was dismounting in

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for 'Field of Mars'; Italian: ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

in preparation for a session of archery practice. Meanwhile, Thraustila killed Heraclius.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.

References

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