Battle of the Catalaunian Plains

Battle of the Catalaunian Plains
Part of the Hunnic invasion of Gaul
An anachronistic illustration of the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains depicting its combatants as armoured knights, from Jacob van Maerlant's Spieghel Historiael
Date 20 June 451 AD Location Around Champagne-Ardenne, northeastern France 49°00′N 4°30′E / 49.000°N 4.500°E / 49.000; 4.500 Result Disputed, see § Outcome
Belligerents
Western Roman Empire Visigoths Salian Franks Ripuarian Franks Burgundians Saxons Armoricans Alans Olibrones	Hunnic Empire Amali Goths Rugii Sciri Thuringii Franks Gepids Burgundians Heruli
Commanders and leaders
Flavius Aetius Theodoric † Sangiban Thorismund Merovech	Attila Valamir Thiudimer[1] Videmir[2] Ardaric Childeric I[3] Laudaricus †[4]
Strength
Modern estimates vary: see § Forces	Modern estimates vary: see § Forces
Casualties and losses
Modern estimates vary: see § Outcome	Modern estimates vary: see § Outcome

The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (or Fields), also called the Battle of the Campus Mauriacus, Battle of Châlons, Battle of Troyes^[5] or the Battle of Maurica, took place on June 20, 451 AD, between a coalition, led by the Roman general Flavius Aetius and the Visigothic king Theodoric I, against the Huns and their vassals, commanded by their king, Attila. It proved one of the last major military operations of the Western Roman Empire, although Germanic foederati composed the majority of the coalition army. Whether the battle was of strategic significance is disputed; historians generally agree that the siege of Aurelianum was the decisive moment in the campaign^{[citation needed]} and stopped the Huns' attempt to advance any further into Roman territory or establish vassals in Roman Gaul. However, the Huns successfully looted and pillaged much of Gaul and crippled the military capacity of the Romans and Visigoths. Attila died only two years later, in 453; after the Battle of Nedao in 454 AD, the coalition of the Huns and the incorporated Germanic vassals gradually disintegrated.