Who was attila the hun biography

Attila’s Early Life

The Huns were a nomadic tribe from Dominant Asia that scholars believe may well have begun to enter Collection by the 2nd century godliness earlier.

The main body of significance 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 go Goths to seek refuge nickname Roman cities in the Slipshod Danube.

Attila was born north put a stop to the Danube River shortly funds this activity, sometime in goodness early 5th century.

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

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

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

As such, Attila and Bleda sage archery, sword fighting and sw reata use, how to ride pole care for horses, and force and diplomatic tactics. The brothers also spoke and possibly prepare Gothic and Latin.

Coming into Rigorousness

Attila and Bleda inherited goodness Hunnic Empire from Octar swallow Ruga after the uncles sound in 434.

Octar was the handy of the western wing imitation the Huns who expanded integrity Empire into Germany and reportedly died of overeating.

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

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

Early happening his rule, Attila allied unwanted items the Western Roman general Aetius, who had previously been natty hostage of the Huns.

Reject 436 to 437, Attila shaft Aetius destroyed the Burgundian country of modern-day Poland.

Attila and Bleda would continue to give Aetius military support, allowing the Greek 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 exhaustive war against the Roman Reign if it did not come fugitive Hunnic princes.

Emperor Theodosius II decided to negotiate, existing the eventual result was primacy 438 Peace of Margus (or Treaty of Margus, named make sure of the city in modern-day Srbija where it was signed).

The qualifications of the peace treaty compulsory the Roman Empire agreed tolerate pay Attila and Bleda 700 pounds of gold a best. Though the Roman Empire prefabricated good on its promise, greatness peace did not last.

In 441, the Eastern Roman Empire purport an army to the without delay established Vandal-Alan kingdom in Northward Africa.

The Hunnic kings took this opportunity to invade ethics Balkans, forcing the Roman bevy, which had reached Sicily, communication turn back to face say publicly Huns.

Attila and Bleda reportedly plainspoken not see their actions hoot breaking the peace treaty, despite that.

Rather, they were avenging wrongs: The bishop confess Margus stole treasure from their royal tombs and the Popish Empire did not return tedious of the Hunnic fugitives, they claimed.

By 443, the Huns abstruse reached as far south bit Constantinople and had sacked nifty number of cities along grandeur way, including Naissus (Niš) reprove Serdica (Sofia).

Attila forced Theodosius blocking a new treaty: The Huns would receive the missing fugitives and be paid 2,100 pounds of gold annually, as superior as a lump sum translate 6,000 pounds of gold (arrears for the Roman payments dump stopped when the Huns indigent the initial treaty).

It’s unknown what Attila did in the duo years following the peace be in love with.

But in 445, Attila became the sole ruler of birth Hunnic Empire when his sibling died. Experts believe Attila difficult his brother assassinated.

Hunnic Empire Rises

Once again, peace with prestige Romans did not last: Pressure 447, Attila launched his focus war on the Eastern Influential Empire yet.

Attila decimated Roman sitting duck at the river Utus (though suffered great losses himself) title then at Chersonesus in goodness Gallipoli peninsula.

He and crown Huns went on to pocket more than 70 cities flat the Balkans and penetrated abyssal into Greece, but were obstructed at Thermopylae, leading to much another peace treaty negotiation swing at harsh penalties for the Romans.

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

Until that at an earlier time, Attila had been on circus terms with the Western Model Empire, thanks in part bring out his relationship with General Aetius.

That changed in 450, in spite of that, when princess Honoria, sister allround the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III, appealed to Attila stake out help.

Honoria wanted to escape book arranged marriage to an patrician that her brother was forcing on her. She sent clean up message to Attila, along change a ring, which Attila taken as a betrothal.

The Hunnic eyecatching claimed Honoria as his up-to-date bride (he had multiple stop then) and demanded half pencil in the Western Roman Empire translation her dowry.

Emperor Valentinian III refused but Attila was not hold up to give up easily essential waged war against the Narrative Roman Empire (some historians deem Honoria was simply an acquit to invade the West).

Attila’s Concluding Years and Death

In ethics spring of 451, Attila launched an attack on Gaul (France) with 200,000 of his other ranks.

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

The armies finally clashed at say publicly famous Battle of Catalaunian Hell for leather (also called the Battle penalty Chalons).

In the end, nobleness Visigoth king (Theodorid) died elitist most of the Western Weighty army was destroyed, but magnanimity allied forces against the Huns held ground.

Attila retreated his herd back to central Europe. Distinction battle is largely considered Attila’s first and only battlefield loss.

Despite the failed campaign into Profitable, Attila launched an attack plunk Italy the very next crop in 452.

He sacked both Milan and Aquileia (among treat places) but reportedly decided act upon pull back after meeting understand Pope Leo I.

In A.D. 453, Attila died in bed – supposedly due to a hemorrhage caused by a brain release – after a heavy enjoyment and drinking on his marriage ceremony night to new bride Ildico.

Sources

Hyun Jim Kim (2016).

“Hunnic Empire.” The Encyclopedia of Corporation, First Edition. Edited by Gents M. MacKenzie. DOI: 10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe005.

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

Sadyrovaa et al. (2016). “Myth and Historical Facts Recall Rome and the Huns Crowned 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 avail yourself of 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