Person

Avitus

c. 390–457 · 5th century · Also known as Eparchius Avitus

Avitus was a Gallo-Roman aristocrat who became Western Roman emperor in 455 with the backing of the Visigothic king Theodoric II. In his name Theodoric crushed the Suebi in Hispania in 456. Unpopular in Italy, Avitus was defeated by the generals Ricimer and Majorian in 456, deposed and made bishop of Placentia, and died soon afterwards.

Avitus
Image: Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG · CC BY-SA 3.0 ch · Wikimedia Commons

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Hispania TarraconensisDecline

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Avitus. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/avitus
MLA
“Avitus.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/avitus. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Avitus.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/avitus.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Avitus’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/avitus (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻