Was Aetius right in sparing Attila ?

Should he have instead allowed Thorismund to attack the trapped Huns huddled together in their camp in order to avenge his father's death ? Would this have any impact or can we expect a roughly similar outcome for the western empire ?

Also, would the Romans backstabbing the Visigoths after these had defeated the Huns do more good or harm ?

I also imagine some butterflies regarding the papacy in this scenario, with no Pope Leo turning back the Scourge of God, but would those butterflies be exactly ?
 
If Huns were completely annihilated then Visigoths could break away from Rome and turn against her as they wouldnt feel threatened by Hunns anymore.

Aetius would love to see Attila dead and Hunnic danger gone forever but why substitute a now mild danger (weakened Huns) with a new powerful danger (Visigoths)?

So yes he was right... He didnt "saved" WRE from Hunns only to deliver her to Visigoths...
 
If Huns were completely annihilated then Visigoths could break away from Rome and turn against her as they wouldnt feel threatened by Hunns anymore.


They had already broken from Rome. Not only were they not paying taxes to Rome, local Gallo-Roman aristocrats were paying taxes to them.

They had already fought the Romans on several occasions since they were in Gaul (Arles in 425 and 430, Narbonne in 436, Mons Colubrarius in 438).

After Chalons, they went on to conquer Spain, technically in the name of the Emperor, but practically independent, with the aim of finally gaining a homeland for themselves.


By letting them destroy the Huns and then backstabbing them, Aetius had a chance to end the Visigothic threat. Or did he ?

But assuming that nobody backstabbs anyone, there should be no Hunnic invasion of Italy, Visigoths would be on their merry way conquering Spain and Aetius might get a shot at retaking the vital province of Africa from the Vandals, possibly leading to all sorts of interesting butterflies.
 
Still he could control Visigoths by playing the "Hunnic danger card"... Had the Hunns be annihilated then Aetius wouldnt be a able to control them anymore and in that case they could prove a worse danger than Hunns were...
 
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