Campi Catalaunii
The Campi Catalaunii, or Catalaunian Plains, is a historical region located in central France, specifically in the Champagne area, which was once inhabited by the Gallic tribe known as the Catalauni. This region is historically significant for two major battles that took place there. The first occurred in AD 273 when the Roman Emperor Aurelian defeated Tetricus, marking the end of a breakaway Gallo-Roman empire. The second, and more renowned, battle took place in 451 AD, when the Roman general Aetius, along with his ally Theoderic I of the Visigoths, faced off against Attila the Hun and his forces. Despite Theoderic's death in battle, the Huns suffered a significant defeat, leading to their retreat from Gaul and contributing to the eventual disintegration of Attila's empire. The precise location of this battle remains a topic of debate, as the term 'Catalaunian Plains' could refer to various areas within the Champagne region. Various historical sources reference the engagement differently, adding to the complexity of its exact site. The Campi Catalaunii thus stands as a critical point of interest for those studying the late Roman Empire and the dynamics of early medieval warfare.
Campi Catalaunii
Catalaunian Plains
A region in Champagne (central France), settled by the Gallic tribe of the Catalauni, centered on Châlons-sur-Marne (Durocatalaunum). It was here that Aurelian eliminated the breakaway Gallo-Roman empire in AD 273, defeating the army of Tetricus, who deserted his own troops and changed sides while the fighting still continued.
But the most famous event in the history of the region was a second battle in 451, when Aetius—the leading general of the western emperor Valentinian III—and his Visigothic ally Theoderic I confronted Attila, king of the Huns, and the forces of his numerous German subjects. Although Theoderic, together with huge numbers of soldiers on either side, lost his life, the result was a very heavy defeat for the Huns, who evacuated Gaul; after an abortive push into Italy, Attila died four years later, and his enormous empire fell apart. The exact site of the historic engagement is uncertain. It has been designated the `battle of Châlons,’ because Jordanes and Hydatius ascribe it to the Catalaunian Plains; it took place, according to one suggestion, in the area northeast of Châlons, on the way to the Forest of Argonne. But the term `Catalaunian Plains’ could refer vaguely to almost any part of the territory of Champagne. In the Law of the Burgundians, the engagement is described as pugna Mauriacensis, which have led some to locate it south of Châlons, in the neighborhood of Troyes.