In Roman mythology, Turnus was a chieftain of the Rutuli whose conflict with Aeneas is the subject of the second half of the Aeneid.
He is the suitor of Lavinia until Aeneas arrives. This rivalry motivates the Latins to war against the Trojans.
Latinus, the wise king of the Latins, hosted Aeneas's army of exiled Trojans and let them reorganize their life in Latium. His daughter Lavinia had been promised to Turnus, king of the Rutuli , but Latinus preferred to offer her to Aeneas; Turnus consequently declared war on Aeneas (at the urging of Juno). The outcome was that Turnus was killed and his people subdued. Turnus's supporters included Latinus's wife, Amata, Mezentius, the deposed king of the Etruscans, and Queen Camilla of the Volsci, who helped him fight Aeneas.
