Turnus - Mythology.

Turnus - Mythology. Roman King of the Rutuli people, who lived in a region 20 miles southeast of the hills of Rome, at the time that Aeneas arrived in Italy after the Trojan War; son of Daunus and his wife, the Nymph Venilia, and sister of Juturna. Turnus was betrothed to Lavinia, daughter of Latinus, king of neighboring Latium, but when Aeneas arrived on the shores of Italy, he fell in love with Lavinia. Facing pressure from Aeneas and his army, Latinus and his wife Amata broke their promise to Turnus and betrothed their daughter to the Trojan hero. This led to a war between the Rutuli king and the Trojan hero that involved the great gods who watched over Aeneas. Near the end of the war, which caused many deaths on both sides, Aeneas fought Turnus in onetoone combat. The Trojan finally defeated Turnus, and was about to spare his life, when Aeneas noticed that Turnus was wearing the belt of Pallas, a fallen Trojan. In vengeance, Aeneas killed Turnus.