Attila the Hun
By Vickie Chao
Since its debut in 27 B.C., the Roman Empire had been
a superpower. At the peak of its time, the empire conquered
and controlled a vast territory that stretched across three
continents -- Europe, Africa, and Asia. For nearly 400
years, the Roman soldiers represented a formidable force.
Known for their rigorous training and superior weaponry,
they rarely lost a battle. Even after the empire's official split
in 395 A.D., both the eastern and western kingdoms still
had a considerable influence over the regions nearby. The
eastern half was called the Eastern Roman Empire or the
Byzantine Empire, whereas the western half the Western Roman Empire or,
simply, the Roman Empire.
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The big break-up in 395 A.D. was one of the many signs that the
Romans were slowly losing their authority. Their decline in power was no
secret. Thus, many tribes previously under the Romans' control became
restless. They were eager to take the Romans' place and become the next
superpower. Of those tribes who tried, the Huns were probably the most
famous. Even though the Huns were never able to overtake either the
Byzantine or the Roman Empires, they plundered both and inflicted
tremendous damage. As a result, back in those days, the mere mentioning of
their name, especially their leader's name -- Attila or Attila the Hun -- would
probably be scary enough to quiet any misbehaving children!
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Attila was born around 406 A.D. At the time of his birth, the Huns were
nomadic tribes scattered across Central Asia and Europe. By 432 A.D.,
however, they were all forged into a single nation under the command of
Rua (also spelled as Ruga or Rugulas). Rua was an ambitious leader, but
sadly, he did not live long to enjoy his success. Merely two years after he
brought the Huns together, he passed away. Upon his death, the power went
to his two nephews, Attila and Bleda, who co-ruled the country for nearly a
decade. At the time of their accession, the Huns had grown very strong and
very aggressive. Their first line of business was to negotiate with the
emperor Theodosius II of the Byzantine Empire. It did not take long for both
sides to reach an agreement. For Attila and Bleda's part, they would
withhold from advancing their forceful troops. In exchange, Theodosius II
would pay the Huns an annual tribute of 660 Roman pounds (about 216
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kilograms) of gold. Pleased with the result, Attila and Bleda withdrew their
armies and returned home.
Theodosius II was relieved to see the Huns go. He probably thought that
this would be the last time he ever had to deal with them, but he was wrong.
In 440 A.D., the Huns came back. They claimed that the Romans failed to
fulfill the obligations that they had agreed to five years earlier. Furthermore,
they claimed that the bishop of Margus (near modern day's Belgrade, Serbia)
had crossed the Danube River to ransack the royal Hun graves on the
northern bank. To retaliate, Attila and Bleda crossed the Danube River and
attacked the Romans. Everywhere they went, victories followed. By 443
A.D., they were alarmingly close to the Byzantine Empire's capital,
Constantinople (today's Istanbul, Turkey). In haste, Theodosius II admitted
defeat and dispatched a government official to negotiate with the Huns. The
new treaty carried many harsh terms and conditions against the Byzantine
Empire. For example, the Romans would need to pay the Huns 6,000 Roman
pounds (about 1,963 kilograms) of gold for not honoring the previous
agreement. They would also have to triple their annual tribute to the Huns to
2,100 Roman pounds (about 687 kilograms) of gold. As ludicrous as the
demands were, Theodosius II had no choice but to accept them all. With
their coffers full of extorted fortune, Attila and Bleda withdrew their armies
once again and returned home. Two years later, Bleda died. Rumor had it
that Attila was the one who killed him.
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With Bleda out of the picture, Attila became the sole ruler of the empire.
His standing was supreme and undisputed among his people. Shortly after he
ascended the throne, he started to plot another round of attacks against the
Byzantine Empire. Theodosius II was not ready to throw in the towel so
easily. He dispatched troops to fight head-on with Attila's men.
Unfortunately, like all the prior battles, the Romans lost this one, too, and
were forced to give more gold to the Huns. For the next several years, the
Huns continued to harass the Byzantine Empire and plunder its wealth.
Slowly, they stripped this once affluent kingdom to its bare bones.
Throughout the entire time, they left the Western Roman Empire alone.
Little did the emperor Valentinian III know that his luck was about to run
out!
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In 450 A.D., Theodosius II fell from his horse and died. His successor,
Marcian, took a hard line on the Huns. He announced that he would stop
paying them the annual tribute. This unexpected news made Attila very
angry. But he decided to take his fury out on the Western Roman Empire
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who was now weaker than the Byzantine Empire. Aside from that reason,
Attila had come across a perfect pretense for attacking the Western Roman
Empire. Several months prior, Honoria, the sister of Valentinian III, was
caught having an affair. For punishment, she was locked up and her lover
executed. To seek a way out, Honoria smuggled a ring to Attila, asking for
his help. Attila was thrilled to receive the ring. He decided to take it as a
gesture of a wedding proposal. He told Valentinian III that he wanted to
marry Honoria and asked for half of the kingdom as her dowry. Not
surprisingly, Valentinian III was unhappy with Honoria and her treacherous
act. He told Attila that the marriage proposal was not binding, leaving no
ground for the claim of dowry. Undeterred by the refusal, Attila led his
troops westward, ready for a showdown against the Western Roman Empire.
The two sides collided in 451 A.D. Attila had an upper hand at first. He
captured Mez in early April and pressed on. By mid-year, however, things
took a different turn. Challenged by the allied forces between the Romans
and the Visigoths, Attila suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Chalons. He
withdrew his men and turned southward to attack Italy. For the next few
months, he ransacked many cities, forcing Valentinian III to flee from his
capital of Ravenna to Rome. Just as Attila was getting dangerously close to
Rome, he met Pope Leo I. After the meeting, he turned his troops back. He
claimed that he no longer wanted to marry Honoria and had no interest in
gaining more land. That surprising turn of events left many historians
scratching their heads and wondering why Attila suddenly halted the attacks.
One possible reason was the spread of the plague. Another concerned the
troops that Marcian had recently sent across the Danube River to aid the
Western Roman Empire. Whatever the true reason might be, it would
forever remain a mystery.
After Attila retreated back to his palace, he planned to strike at
Constantinople again. He wanted to reclaim the annual tribute that Marcian
had suspended several years ago. However, he never got around to do it. In
early 453 A.D., Attila died unexpectedly after a night of celebration for his
latest marriage. According to the official account, Attila suffered a severe
nosebleed after the feast and choked to death on his own blood. This cause
of death was often challenged. Some people believed that Attila's bride,
Ildico, murdered Attila on their wedding night, but some said that Marcian
might have played a role in killing Attila.
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Attila's death was a huge blow to his empire. None of his sons were
competent enough to lead the kingdom. To make matters worse, they fought
among themselves all the time! In less than a year, both the Byzantine and
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the Western Roman Empires' worst enemy ceased to exist. The Hun Empire
crumbled and faded into history.
Attila, in the eyes of many historians, was a barbarian who had little
regard for civilizations. For every city he conquered, he allowed his men to
loot the place inside out. He also allowed them to kill and rape its residents.
As he rampaged across Europe, he terrorized the entire continent.
Subsequently, he had earned a reputation of extreme cruelty and a fitting
nickname - the Scourge of God!
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Copyright © 2007 edHelper
Name
_____________________________
Date
___________________
Attila the Hun
1. Which of the following about
Attila the Hun is true?
He captured and ransacked
Rome in 452 A.D.
He co-ruled with Bleda for
nearly two decades.
He defeated and conquered
the Byzantine Empire in 443 A.D.
He was the king of the Hun
Empire.
3. Who united the Huns?
Bleda
Rua
Attila
Ellak
5. Where was the Eastern Roman
Empire's capital?
Constantinople
2. Which Roman emperor refused to
pay Attila annual tribute and got
away with it?
Marcian
Theodosius I
Valentinian III
Theodosius II
4. What kind of dowry did Attila
demand for marrying Honoria?
2,100 Roman pounds of
gold
Half of the Byzantine
Empire
6,000 Roman pounds of
gold
Half of the Western Roman
Empire
6. Where was the Western Roman
Empire's capital during Attila the
Hun's attacks?
Rome
Ravenna
Chalons
7. After meeting with whom did
Attila suddenly decide to spare
Rome and withdraw his troops?
Honoria
Pope Leo I
Ildico
Valentinian III
Chalons
Rome
Constantinople
Ravenna
8. For how many years did Attila
reign?
32 years
27 years
12 years
19 years