So You Want To Know About Attila the Hun?

Written By Clarissa O'Neil

You may know of the Huns from films such as Mulan or Night at the Museum and his depictions as violent and barbaric were more that accurate. You think the name barbarian would give that away.

Nevertheless he was a very effective leader, between 445 and 453 he expanded his empire from, you guessed it, Hungary to Northern Italy at which point his troops ran low on supplies and medicine, meaning after a lil’ chat with Pope Leo I he decided to go home and die, from apparently a nosebleed (allegedly, it's possibly it was caused by chronic alcoholism.)

However before he died a very uneventful death he did manage to make a name for himself, literally. It’s speculated that Attila (little father) was not his birth name, though as so little is known about Attila’s past it’s difficult to know if this is accurate (I personally hope his real name was Fred). 

Although one thing that is known is in 434 AD Attila was not the only leader of the Huns, he was the co-leader with his brother Bleda. Both trained in warfare and council, they were a good leadership team and brokered the Treaty of Margus in 439AD creating a steady income for the Hunnic Empire in return for Roman safety. This income could be used to expand the army, buy better weapons and armour. Smart, to give the army you’re scared of more power. Brilliant tactics.

Though the treaty did send refugees of the Huns back while also allowing roman forces to be moved towards Sicily where Roman provinces were being threatened, so provided the Huns were trustworthy the treaty benefited each party greatly. Unfortunately as soon as a messenger reported Roman troops had retreated from the Danube region Attila and Bleda decided it was a nice spot starting the Danube offensive on the grounds that the Romans started it (by desecrating graves of Huns and retaining refugees). The Romans refused to accept the accusation and while the Emperor Theodosius II was confident in the treaty the Huns decided to amass an army and begin to tear Rome apart, razing Constantinople to the ground.

Theodosius refused defeat but instead tripled the value of money he would give to the Huns for peace. When returning to Hungary 445AD Bleda disappeared from history, possibly from a case of knife to the back, or an illness, either way Attila was now the commander of one of the most feared armies in Europe.

Attila was known to claim he carried the swords of Mars (Roman God of war), as he played on the superstitious beliefs of his enemies and soldiers, according to Will Durant “trusting cunning more than force” showed how he may be an effective leader.

With the power of his army Attila was able to invade almost anywhere he chose, once amassing an army for Rome in 450 after Valentine’s sister Honoria asked for help to escape an arranged marriage. Apparently this meant she wanted to marry Attila as he took the plea as a proposal threatening war if denied. He was and after taking burgundy he marched for Rome, delayed by the battle of Cataluanin fields until 452 when he decided to destroy everything. Rome’s Aetius no longer had the numbers to stop the Huns and cities fled, the city of Aquileia was crushed so harshly it is unknown where it is, People sought refuge in the marshes building the city of bridges or - as you may know it - Venice. Stopping at the Po River, possibly due to superstition, the Huns returned to Hungary forgetting to bring Attila’s fiancé Honoria, so instead he married Ildico, but was found dead the next morning.

It was speculated that so his body could not be reached Attila’s men diverted a river over his grave but his grave is yet to have been found. After his death in 453 AD the empire was divided between Attila’s sons but after major arguments between siblings over who got what the empire was destroyed 16 years after Attila’s death.

And that's a short lesson on a subject you probably don't need to know about. But thanks for reading anyway.

Sources: http://www.ancient.eu/Attila_the_Hun  , http://www.history.com/topics/atilla, http://www.biography.com/people/attila-the-hun-9191831 .