Leader of the Hun Empire:

Attila the Hun 

Main Life Accomplishments:

He was leader of the Hunnic Empire which stretched from the Netherlands to the Ural River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his rule he was one of the most fearsome of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires' enemies: he invaded the Balkans twice, he marched through Gaul (modern day France) as far as Orleans before being defeated at the Battle of Chalons; and he drove the western emperor Valentinian III from his capital at Ravenna in 452. He reached Constantinople and Rome but refrained from attacking either city.

 

In much of Western Europe, he is remembered as the epitome of cruelty and rapacity. In contrast, some histories lionize him as a great and noble king, and he plays major roles in three Norse sagas.

Basics:

Born: Born 406 AD

Died: Died 453

Nationality: Hungarian

Religion: 

Fields: Politics

Main Accomplishments: 

 

Chronology of Life Events:

395-423

Reign of Flavius Honorius, Western Roman Empire and brother of Arcadius. 

395-408

Reign of Arcadius, Byzantine Empire. 

 

406

Attila born. 

 

418

At age 12, following a peace negotiation, Attila was sent as a hostage to the Roman court of Emperor Honorius. The Romans sent their general Flavius Aetius as hostage. Attila tried to escape but was unsuccessful. He resigned himself to his situation and studied Roman internal and foreign policies. 

 

408-450 

Reign of Theodosius, Byzantine Empire.

 

432

The Huns were united under their leader Ruga.

 

434

Ruga died. Now his nephews, Attila and Bleda, were in control of the united Hun tribes.

435

The Huns bargained with Theodosius to return several renegade tribes then living within the Byzantine Empire. In a treaty Theodosius agreed to double the Empire's previous tribute, have open markets with the Huns and pay a ransom for each Roman taken prisoner held by the Huns.

The Huns turned now to invading the Persian Empire. A Persian counterattack resulted in the Huns giving up on their efforts to conquer Persia.

440

The Huns reappeared, threatening war. They said that the Romans did not live up to their end of the treaty and that the bishop of Margus desecrated the royal Hun graves on the Danube's north bank.

 

441

Attila and Bleda invaded the Balkans. 

 

442 

A lull prevailed for a while. Theodosius built up his forces and came to think he could successfully oppose the Huns.

 

443

The Huns go back to war, striking along the Danube. They took Sofia, Plovdiv and Arcadiopolis. Worse, the Huns almost took Constantinople (but lacked the proper siege equipment). Theodosius was defeated and now had to endure a new treaty with much worse terms. 

445

It is believed that Attila killed Bleda.

447

Attila attacked the Byzantine Empire again. He defeated the Roman army under Amegisclus. The Huns then freely rampaged through the Balkans.

As late as 450

With promised help from Valentinian III, Attila threatened to attack the powerful Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse. 

450 (spring) 

Then a new twist occurred. Valentinian's sister Honoria did not want to marry a senator who she did not love and so she sent a letter to Attila asking for his assistance. Attila interpreted the letter to mean that he and Honoria would marry. As dowry, he asked for half of the west Roman Empire. When he found out, Valentinian wanted to kill his sister, but he exiled her instead. He wrote Attila saying that no such proposal of marriage was offered. Attila responded by saying he would come to claim his promised bride. 

450

Theodosius died in a riding accident. 

 

450-457

Reign of Marcian, Byzantine Empire. He stopped paying tribute to the Huns. He decided to go west with his vassals (Gepids, Ostrogoths, Rugians, Scirians, Heruls, Thuringians, Alans, Burgundians, et al.). He said that he would ally himself with the Visigoths and the Romans.

451

As Attila moved west, Aetius gathered troops from the Franks, the Burgundians and the Celts to oppose him. The Visigoths under King Theodoric I also allied themselves with Rome. 

Aetius reached Orleans ahead of Attila and the Huns turned back. Aetius chased and caught up with the Huns and in the Battle of Chalons they were able to cement the Hun advance to the far west. But Rome and their allies suffered several setbacks: Theodoric was killed; Aetius failed to press his advantage, and the disbanded. Attila, on the other hand, continued his campaign against Italy.

 

452 

Attila came back to claim his bride. He ravaged Italy. Valentinian fled from Ravenna to Rome. Attila finally halted at the Po River. There he received Pope Leo I. After the meeting, Attila returned to his palace across the Danube. (No one really knows his reasons for the turn-around.)

 

453 

Attila contemplated attacking Constantinople again. But before he could do this he died. 

Attila celebrated his marriage to Ildico and drank way too much. He developed a severe nosebleed and drowned in his own blood. 

A different version of his death is that Hildico killed Attila by stabbing him. (No one really knows for sure.) 

Attila's empire soon fell apart. 

Early Life:

The origin of the European Huns has been the subject of debate for centuries; however it can be said with general agreement that they were a confederation of Central Asian and European tribes. They appeared or began to form in Europe in the 4th century. They achieved military superiority over their rivals (most of them highly cultured and civilized) by their readiness for combat, unusual mobility, and weapons like the Hun bow.

 

Wife Background:

 

The Eastern Roman Empire, ruled by Theodosius II, had paid Attila extreme amounts of money and gifts to keep an unsteady state of peace.
One of those gifts was a roman princess named Olivia Solitia. Flavius Solitius, a roman general, well-known for his cruelty, sentenced without any mercy, Olivia, his youngest daughter to a promised death when he agreed to give her to Attila. This was supposed to be a poisoned gift, as roman’s’ folklore sang the craziness of Olivia long after her death. But mesmerized by her dark beauty who matched harmoniously her madness, Attila fell in love with her. And Olivia of Rome became the sixth wife of Attila the Hun.

 

Father Background:

 

Mundzuk was the brother of Rugila, the Hunnish King. His sons, Bleda and Attila, shared the throne from 434 until 445AD, when Attila supposedly killed Bleda.

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