Avitus inspired the young Theodoric to study Latin poets.

Backed by his popularity, he gains the consent of the Senate for an expedition against Avitus.

After Petronius, the Gallic-Roman senator Avitus was proclaimed Emperor by the Visigoth king Theodoric II and ruled for two years, then was deposed by Majorian, who ruled for four years, before being killed by his general Ricimer ( 461 ).

Another clue is the fact that at the death of Avitus, the citizens of Lugdunum had allowed the Burgundians of king Gondioc to occupy the city, and that they sent an envoy to Leo, and not to Majorian, to ask for a reduction of the taxation.

Avitus had two sons, Agricola ( 440 – after 507, a vir inlustris ) and Ecdicius Avitus ( later patricius and magister militum under Emperor Julius Nepos ) and a daughter Papianilla ; she married Sidonius Apollinaris, whose letters and panegyrics remain an important source for Avitus ' life and times.

Petronius Maximus, who obtained the throne at the death of Valentinian III, recalled Avitus from his private life and sent him to ask for support to the Visigoths, but, at the death of Maximus, they acclaimed Avitus Emperor

In the late spring of 455, Avitus was recalled to service by emperor Petronius Maximus and was elevated to the rank of magister militum, probably praesentalis ; Maximus sent Avitus in an embassy to the court of Theodoric II, who had succeeded to his father, at Toulouse: this embassy probably confirmed to the new king and his people the condition of foederati of the Empire and asked for their support to the new Emperor.

Avitus stayed in Gaul for three months, to consolidate his power in the region that was the center of his support, and later went to Italy with a Gallic army, probably reinforced with a Gothic force.

Major source for Avitus ' life until his rise to the throne is the panegyric written in occasion of his consulate by Sidonius Apollinaris ( 431 – 486 ):

* Sidonius Apollinaris, Panegyric for Avitus

In return Sidonius composed a panegyric in his honour ( as he had previously done for Avitus ), which won for him a statue at Rome and the title of count.

Aëtius turned then to the powerful local magnate Avitus for help, who was not only able to convince Theodoric to join with the Romans, but also a number of other wavering " barbarians " resident in Gaul.

" Further, Avitus alludes to Gundobad's intent to marry his deceased daughter to a foreign ruler, whom they suggest was Clovis: " Indeed ," they write, " Clovis is really the only likely candidate as a prospective son-in-law for Gundobad shortly after 501.

Avitus, a Catholic bishop, answers questions posed by an Arian Christian about religion in several letters, showing a surprising religious tolerance for the time, and may be the reason Gregory of Tours later thought he had secretly converted to Catholicism.

One usage of Hesperia in classical times was as a synonym for Italy, and it is noticeable that some of the vocabulary and stylistic devices of these pieces originated not among the Irish, but with the priestly and rhetorical poets who flourished within the Vatican-dominated world ( especially in Italy, Gaul, Spain and Africa ) between the fourth and the sixth centuries, such as Juvencus, Avitus of Vienne, Dracontius, Ennodius and Venantius Fortunatus.

Avitus was probably born at Vienne, for he was baptized by bishop Mamertus.

In difficult times for the Catholic faith and Roman culture in southern Gaul, Avitus pursued with earnestness and success the extinction of Arianism among the Burgundians.

" Avitus also wrote a poem for his sister Fuscina, a nun, praising virginity.

The letters of Avitus are of considerable importance for the ecclesiastical and political history of the years between 499 and 518, as primary sources of early Merovingian political, ecclesiastical, and social history.

* Maximus appoints Avitus, most trusted general, to the rank of magister militum and sends him on an embassy to Toulouse to gain support of the Visigoths.

With the intercession of Majorian ' magister epistolarum Petrus, Sidonius Apollinaris, the son-in-law of Avitus, was allowed to deliver a panegyric in honour of the Emperor ( early January 459 ), receiving in reward the appointment to the rank of comes spectabilis.

The Emperor and his army entered the city and attacked the huge army led by Ricimer, but after a great massacre of his men, including Messianus, Avitus fled on 17 or 18 October 456.

His mother Julia Avita Mamaea was the second daughter of Julia Maesa and Syrian noble Julius Avitus and maternal aunt of Emperor Elagabalus.

Avitus of Vienne: Letters and Selected Prose.

As a private citizen, he was probably named Sextus Varius Avitus Bassiansus.

His grandmother Julia Maesa was the widow of the Consul Julius Avitus, the sister of Julia Domna, and the sister-in-law of emperor Septimius Severus.

* 455 – Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

* 456 – Battle of Placentia: Ricimer, supported by Majorian ( comes domesticorum ), defeats near Piacenza ( Northern Italy ) the Roman usurper Avitus.

* 456 – The Visigoths under king Theodoric II, acting on orders of the Roman emperor Avitus, invade Spain with an army of Burgundians, Franks and Goths, led by the kings Chilperic I and Gondioc.

* 456 – Magister militum Ricimer defeats Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the Western Roman Empire.

* 455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power.

Born Varius Avitus Bassianus on May 16, 205, known later as M. Aurelius Antonius, he was appointed at an early age to be priest of the sun God, Elagabalus, represented by a phallus, by which name he is known to historians ( his name is sometimes written " Heliogabalus ").

The last indication that the Goths whose king reigned at Toulouse considered themselves Vesi is found in a panegyric on Avitus by Sidonius Apollinaris dated 1 January 456.

* Lucius Hedius Rufus Lollianus Avitus and Titus Statilius Maximus become Roman Consuls.

* September 21 – Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army.

* Emperor Avitus sends a Germanic naval expedition under command of Ricimer to defend Sicily.

* October 5 – The Visigoths under king Theodoric II, acting on orders of Avitus, invade Spain with an army of Burgundians, Franks and Goths, led by their kings Chilperic I and Gondioc.

* October 17 – Battle of Placentia: Ricimer, supported by Majorian ( comes domesticorum ), defeats near Piacenza ( Northern Italy ) the usurper Avitus.

They compel him to renounce the purple and Avitus is oblige to become bishop of Piacenza.

He married Julia Soaemias, and was the supposed father of Varius Avitus Bassianus, the later Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, better known as Elagabalus.

Meanwhile Hormisdas reported to Avitus of Vienne that an additional number of Balkan bishops had entered into relations with Rome, and Bishop John of Nicopolis, who was also the archbishop of Epirus, had broken communion with Constantinople and resumed it with Rome.

A prominent general of the Late Roman army, Majorian deposed Emperor Avitus in 457 and succeeded him.

It is not known if Majorian expected to succeed him ; the new Emperor was, in fact, the Gallic-Roman noble Avitus, who had the support of the Visigoths.

Both Majorian, comes domesticorum, and Ricimer, comes, initially supported Avitus, but when the Emperor lost the loyalty of the Italian aristocracy, the two generals revolted against him.

First Majorian and Ricimer killed Remistus, the magister militum entrusted by Avitus with the defence of the capital, Ravenna.