The Roman Empire and the Triumph of Agatha Christie

Aparcius avitus has been popping up off and on over the past 25 years, usually when it comes time broker some kind of deal between rome and the goths. After becoming emperor, maximus wanted to make sure that the goths would back him, and so he promoted avitus to magister militum of gaul. But since maximus was only emperor for two months before the sack of rome, that meant that avitus was just barely getting started when the news came that maximus was dead. The union produced the future da king, hilderic, who had both vandal and theodosian royal blood running through his veins.