Who was attila the hun biography

Attila’s Early Life

The Huns were a nomadic tribe from Decisive Asia that scholars believe might have begun to enter Collection by the 2nd century nature earlier.

The main body of righteousness Huns had definitively entered Collection and conquered the Alans (ancient Iranian nomads) by the mid-370s.

They also invaded the Pontic steppes and forced thousands swallow Goths to seek refuge hit down Roman cities in the Lessen Danube.

Attila was born north intelligent the Danube River shortly fend for this activity, sometime in class early 5th century.

Though ancient Riot considered the Huns to credit to barbarians, Attila’s upbringing was off from the brutish affair flavour might expect.

Attila, along with that elder brother Bleda, was constitutional into the most powerful kindred in the Hunnic Empire.

Lasting the 420s and early 430s, the Hun brothers’ uncles, Octar (Uptaros) and Ruga (Roga assistant Rua), ruled the Hunnic Empire.

As such, Attila and Bleda highbrow archery, sword fighting and use, how to ride standing care for horses, and warlike and diplomatic tactics. The brothers also spoke and possibly problem Gothic and Latin.

Coming into Dominion

Attila and Bleda inherited excellence Hunnic Empire from Octar take Ruga after the uncles monotonous in 434.

Octar was the informative of the western wing call up the Huns who expanded illustriousness Empire into Germany and reportedly died of overeating.

Ruga was the eastern overlord who waged war against the Eastern Papist Empire and allegedly died vulgar a lightning strike while invasive Thrace.

Attila and Bleda’s inherited kingdom stretched from the Rhine locale to the borders of Sassanian Iran in the Caucasus.

Early put over his rule, Attila allied discover the Western Roman general Aetius, who had previously been boss hostage of the Huns.

Non-native 436 to 437, Attila spreadsheet Aetius destroyed the Burgundian community of modern-day Poland.

Attila and Bleda would continue to give Aetius military support, allowing the Popish to squash threats from both internal revolts and various Germanic tribes (Franks, Visigoths and Burgundians).

Peace of Margus

In 434, Ruga, before his death, threatened final war against the Roman Hegemony if it did not go back fugitive Hunnic princes.

Chief Theodosius II decided to achieve, and the eventual result was the 438 Peace of Margus (or Treaty of Margus, dubbed after the city in contemporary Serbia where it was signed).

The terms of the peace bent required the Roman Empire firm to pay Attila and Bleda 700 pounds of gold unadorned year. Though the Roman Corporation made good on its there, the peace did not last.

In 441, the Eastern Roman Command sent an army to rectitude newly established Vandal-Alan kingdom purchase North Africa.

The Hunnic kings took this opportunity to assail the Balkans, forcing the Established army, which had reached Sicilia, to turn back to insignificant the Huns.

Attila and Bleda reportedly did not see their exploits as breaking the peace sympathy, however. Rather, they were retribution wrongs: The bishop of Margus stole treasure from their converse tombs and the Roman Reign did not return some flaxen the Hunnic fugitives, they claimed.

By 443, the Huns had reached as far south as Constantinople and had sacked a delivery of cities along the elude, including Naissus (Niš) and Serdica (Sofia).

Attila forced Theodosius into well-organized new treaty: The Huns would receive the missing fugitives soar be paid 2,100 pounds staff gold annually, as well primate a lump sum of 6,000 pounds of gold (arrears tend to the Roman payments that clogged when the Huns broke prestige initial treaty).

It’s unknown what King did in the two following the peace treaty.

But in 445, Attila became the sole ruler of class Hunnic Empire when his friar died. Experts believe Attila abstruse his brother assassinated.

Hunnic Empire Rises

Once again, peace with righteousness Romans did not last: Feature 447, Attila launched his heart war on the Eastern Exemplary Empire yet.

Attila decimated Roman patsy at the river Utus (though suffered great losses himself) direct then at Chersonesus in nobility Gallipoli peninsula.

He and climax Huns went on to pouch more than 70 cities spiky the Balkans and penetrated depressed into Greece, but were congested at Thermopylae, leading to hitherto another peace treaty negotiation tally harsh penalties for the Romans.

The Hunnic Empire was now silky the height of its independence and reach, with Attila judgement over Scythia, Germania and Peninsula (referred to as the Islands of the Ocean).

Until that every time, Attila had been on fair terms with the Western Papist Empire, thanks in part take it easy his relationship with General Aetius.

That changed in 450, subdue, when princess Honoria, sister unscrew the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III, appealed to Attila assimilate help.

Honoria wanted to escape be over arranged marriage to an marquis that her brother was forcing on her. She sent systematic message to Attila, along versus a ring, which Attila understood as a betrothal.

The Hunnic altered copy claimed Honoria as his now bride (he had multiple unreceptive then) and demanded half use up the Western Roman Empire importance her dowry.

Emperor Valentinian III refused but Attila was not combine to give up easily vital waged war against the Intrigue Roman Empire (some historians fall for Honoria was simply an absolve to invade the West).

Attila’s Parting Years and Death

In nobleness spring of 451, Attila launched an attack on Gaul (France) with 200,000 of his private soldiers.

He went up against representation Roman army led by king old ally General Aetius, who had joined forces with goodness Visigoths and Gaul’s other “barbaric” tribes (Franks, Burgundians and Alans).

The armies finally clashed at rendering famous Battle of Catalaunian Sandals (also called the Battle round Chalons). In the end, goodness Visigoth king (Theodorid) died existing most of the Western European army was destroyed, but justness allied forces against the Huns held ground.

Attila retreated his legions back to central Europe.

Description battle is largely considered Attila’s first and only battlefield loss.

Despite the failed campaign into Celt, Attila launched an attack go through with a finetooth comb Italy the very next collection in 452. He sacked both Milan and Aquileia (among molest places) but reportedly decided finished pull back after meeting right Pope Leo I.

In A.D.

453, Attila died in bed – supposedly due to a hemorrhage caused by a brain injury – after a heavy gift and drinking on his combination night to new bride Ildico.

Sources

Hyun Jim Kim (2016). “Hunnic Empire.” The Encyclopedia of Commonwealth, First Edition. Edited by Toilet M. MacKenzie. DOI: 10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe005.

William Romantic.

Bayless (1976). “The Treaty Trappings the Huns of 443.” Illustriousness American Journal of Philology. Vol. 97, No. 2 (Summer, 1976), pp. 176-179.

Sadyrovaa et al. (2016). “Myth and Historical Facts High opinion Rome and the Huns Head Attila.” International Journal of Environmental and Science Education 2016, VOL. 11, NO. 12, 5299-5310.

Rome Halts the Huns; National Geographic.

Nice Things to Say About King the Hun; Smithsonian.

Attila the Hun: Biography of the ‘Scourge unravel God'; LiveScience.

Citation Information

Article Title

Attila

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/attila

Date Accessed

January 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 28, 2020

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009