 Aetius' death came 21 September 454, when the Emperor Valentinian provoked a quarrel with him that ended with the Emperor killing Aetius with his own sword.The following year, Valentinian was killed by some soldiers who had served under Aetius, probably instigated by the "Patricius" Petronius Maximus, who succeeded to the throne.Petronius, who was a high-ranking imperial officer and a member of a family belonging to the senatorial aristocracy, married Empress Licinia Eudoxia, widow of Valentinian.