Aetius was one of the greatest generals in the history of the Roman Empire, remembered for his numerous victories over barbarian peoples, such as the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields against Attila. He is also known as 'the last of the Romans' for his great devotion to Rome and his strategic skills that proved crucial in the last defence of the Empire.

Born into a military family of Germanic descent, Aetius spent his youth as a Roman hostage in the court of the Huns, an experience that allowed him to better understand the enemy, their mentality and tactics. His bond with the Huns, which developed into a true antithesis, was crucial to his career and allowed him to later successfully take on the Hun armies in the field, as well as to understand the complicated nuances of diplomacy and culture of the barbarian populations subjected to the Huns.

From an early age, Aetius distinguished himself as an excellent soldier by serving under Emperor Valentinian III and rising through the ranks to become supreme commander of the Western Roman army. He led Rome's legions against invasions by the Visigoths, Vandals and Attila's Huns, and was able to manipulate enemies and negotiate with new allies in a complex intrigue of diplomatic interactions that helped keep Rome alive for several decades before its end. The culmination of such tactics was the creation of a vast coalition of 'federated' peoples, thus allies of Rome, who served as a shield against new invasions from the east. Peoples such as the Franks or Visigoths fought alongside Roman troops against new barbarian invasions by the Huns.

Unfortunately, despite his successes, Aetius fell victim to the intrigues of the Roman court, which, in its ruthlessness, did not spare even friends of the empire. Frightened by his charisma, Emperor Valentinian decided to have him assassinated in 454. Rome lost its greatest defender and, in less than two decades, met its final end with the deposition of Romulus Augustulus in 476.