VALERIAN 



0021 



VALLADOLID 



Valentinian died of apoplexy during a cam- 

 paign against the Quadi, a German tribe living 

 in the present Hungary. Many improvements 

 in the administration of law and in everyday 

 life were introduced by Valentinian. He pro- 

 vided free medical attendance for the poor, 

 opened schools and decreed that all judicial 

 proceedings should be public. Although an 

 orthodox Catholic, he allowed complete re- 

 ligious freedom to his people. 



Valentinian III (419-455) was a grandson of 

 Theodosius the Great, by whom he was raised 

 to the imperial rank in 425. His mother, Pla- 

 cidia, governed for him during his minority; 

 after her death he proved a weak and purpose- 

 less ruler. On all sides the empire was being 

 attacked by the barbarians, and although Valen- 

 tinian's general, Aetius, won a great victory 

 over the Huns under Attila and defeated tin- 

 roths in Southern Gaul, the empire had 

 grown too feeble for effective resistance, and 

 Africa was lost to the Vandals, Britain to the 

 Scots and Picts, and much of Spain and Gaul 

 to the Visigoths and Suevi. Taxes throughout 

 the empire were very heavy, and the spirit of 

 loyalty seemed rapidly dying out. Valentinian 

 met his death at the hands of the adherents of 

 Aetius, whom he had himself murdered. 



Consult Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the 

 Roman Empire. 



VALERIAN, vale'rian [PuBLius LICINIUS 

 VALERIAN us] (about 190-260), emperor of Rome 

 from 253 to 260. In 251 he was chosen censor, 

 and under Emperor Gallus held a position of 

 trust in the army. On the death of Gallus he 

 was declared emperor by the soldiers; but 

 though a man of ability and honesty, he was 

 too old and enfeebled to rule at such a troubled 

 time, for the Goths and the Germans were 



itening the western provinces and the 

 Persians had taken Armenia. Intrusting the 



'pean wars to his son, Valerian went to the 

 East, where after some temporary successes he 

 was taken prisoner. After his death th<- Per- 

 sian king had his skin stuffed with straw and 



1 in the temple as a sign of triumph. 

 VALHALLA, valhal'a (the II ,11 of the Cho- 

 sen Slain), according to Northern mythology, 



most magnificent palace of Asgard, where 

 Odin feasted with his heroes. The great build- 

 ing had golden walls and a floor and roof of 



Ids. Its ceiling was supported by spears so 



ly polished that the light from them served 

 to illuminate the hall. Coats of mail and other 



'* of armor, the gifts of the god to his men, 

 So enormous was this great 



building that it had five hundred forty doors, 

 each so wide that eight hundred men might 

 enter side by side. Long tables set about the 

 hall accommodated the guests, the soldiers 

 slain in battle who had been brought to Val- 

 halla by the Valkyrs (which see). These maid- 

 ens waited upon the tables and supplied the 

 men with delicious mead, a drink made of 

 honey. For food, they had the flesh of a 

 mighty boar, which daily recovered the flesh he 

 had given to the feast. Every day these heroes, 

 rode out to the field, where in pastime they 

 fought and often wounded each other sorely, 

 but they were entirely restored every night 

 after feasting in Valhalla. 



VALKYRS, val'kirs,or VALKYRIES, valkir 

 iz, in Norse mythology, were warlike maidens 

 mounted on horses and armed with helmets, 

 shields and spears, who were sent by Odin to 

 every battle field to choose the bravest of mili- 



VALKYRS RIDING TO BATTLE 

 From a painting by Arbo. 



tary heroes and carry thrm to Valhalla (which 

 see). Half of those dei.l th<v selected and 

 <1 on their fleet steeds ov ulge 



Bifrtist into the hall, \\hnv. donning pure \\ . 

 robes, they waited on the heroes during tin u 

 long feast. 



VALLADOLID, val yah tho leet h ', an inter- 

 esting old city in tl. northern part of Spain, 

 capital of the province of Vall.idohd .m<l 

 time the seat of go <>!' the \\hol<- king- 



dom. It is situated on the Pisuerga River, 102 



