Attila, the King of the Huns—or the “Scourge of God”—is known by many names. Under his leadership, his people greatly expanded their empire. After a raid on Italy, Attila is now back in Hungary. There is something important to celebrate: the feared ruler is getting married. But before that, he tells us a little more about his life.
Hungary, 453 A.D. Attila, a somewhat stocky man with broad shoulders and a large head with relatively small eyes, is seated at a lavishly set wooden table. His sparse beard, streaked with white hair, looks well-groomed. The King of the Huns is dressed in ceremonial attire and greets me with a raised goblet of wine.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
Attila: Thank you. I’m looking forward to marrying the lovely German woman, Ildico. Even though she’ll just be another woman in my extensive harem. The celebration is also a small token of appreciation for my brave men after a successful raid.
Their reputation really does precede them. But how did they come to become leaders of the Huns?
Attila: It’s a long story. In the past, our tribes were scattered everywhere and disorganized. Then my two uncles, Ruga and Octar, took matters into their own hands. They united our horsemen into larger groups. A few years before I was born, they forced the Gepids—the inhabitants of the Hungarian Plain, which we had occupied—to submit to our authority. As a result, we gained a great deal of power and influence.
In the year 410, my people joined forces with Alaric, King of the Visigoths, and together we attacked Rome. I was there as a 15-year-old when Alaric blocked the twelve city gates and starved the population. Eventually, they gave in and paid 5,000 pounds of gold so we would withdraw. That’s when I knew: I want to do that someday, too.
My uncles died one after another within a few years. One died gloriously on the battlefield; the other, Ruga, was struck by lightning. After their deaths, my older brother Bleda and I came to power in the year 434.
It must have been difficult to grow up as a child in such a violent environment
Attila: My family did what had to be done. Even as a child, I was prepared for a life on the battlefield. I learned to ride a horse before I could even walk properly. Lessons in military tactics, combat techniques, and diplomatic negotiations were part of my daily routine. A good education was extremely important to my father. I also learned several languages: Latin, Gothic, and a little Greek. My Greek is a bit rusty, though.
Do you have a good relationship with your brother?
Attila: He’s been dead for several years now. However, there are some people who think I killed him. That’s totally ridiculous. It was a very unfortunate hunting accident. Bleda was a great guy. I’m very glad that a monument was erected in his honor. His name in Hungarian is “Buda.” So the city of Buda* is a tribute to him. After his death, I was left solely responsible for our entire empire.
You govern in a somewhat unusual way. For example, you don't have any ministers?
Attila: That's right. In my opinion, they aren't important. That's why I have trustworthy generals and military advisors. When you work hard, you should have a little distraction. That's why we have heroic bards who perform at our victory celebrations and sing songs of praise for us. We also have a court jester.
Let's take a look at their achievements.
Attila: Oh, there are plenty. For example, in 441, Bleda and I sacked several Eastern Roman capitals. After that, we demanded 350 kilograms of gold a year from them as protection money. It was a win-win situation. We had a steady income and didn’t have to get our hands dirty. The cities, on the other hand, had the guarantee that they were safe. Unfortunately, that didn’t always work out so well. Once, around 446, we had to go to Constantinople because they simply refused to pay anymore.
We had some allies with us at the time to provide support. We rode in there with Germanic tribes. Unfortunately, due to the size of our column, we made only slow progress. This allowed the Moesians, the inhabitants of Bulgaria, to block our path. Unfortunately, we couldn’t defeat them, but at least we were able to drive them back. I realize now that this might have been a rather poor example. But at least, after peace negotiations, we returned home with nearly 4,000 kilograms of gold—and an annual tribute of a good 1,000 kilograms.
The year before, in 445, there had already been payment difficulties in the Eastern Roman Empire. You really have to stay on top of things there; otherwise, they’ll walk all over you. By the way, I already controlled more than a hundred cities in the region back then.
That's really impressive. What was it like back then, in 451, with Gaul?
Attila: Oh, that was a huge misunderstanding. A really silly thing. We Huns joined forces with the Romans in 450 to fight a common enemy that was growing ever stronger—the Visigoths. I was dealing with Valentinian III, who had a lovely sister named Honoris. She was to be forced into marriage with a high-ranking Roman official and wrote me a letter asking for help. She enclosed a ring with the letter. Naturally, I thought she wanted to marry me instead. As usual, I demanded the dowry I was entitled to—half the empire.
An envoy from Valentinian III came to me to clarify the matter. But this diplomat portrayed me as an idiot. He ridiculed me in front of my warriors. I had no choice but to put them in their place. So that year, I marched into Gaul. We razed cities like Strasbourg, Mainz, Cologne, Tier, and many others to the ground.
That’s probably why there’s a saying from that time: “Where Attila passes, no grass grows anymore.”
Attila: There’s definitely some truth to that. The art of war is simply in our blood. To protect ourselves from injury, we wear leather armor that we waterproof with fat. A helmet is also part of our standard equipment. Our special composite bows have great penetrating power, and as a mounted people, we operate in smaller groups. This makes us more flexible and allows us to strike quickly and unexpectedly. We also unsettle our opponents with battle cries and a bold demeanor. My favorite tactic, though, is to stay in cover until the enemy is within range of our bows. That way, we keep our own losses as low as possible.
You say you unsettle your opponents. That’s a bit of an understatement. Here are a few myths circulating about your people:
“The Huns do not cook or season their food. They subsist solely on wild roots or the raw meat of whatever animal they can find, warming the meat for a time between their thighs while riding on the backs of their horses. They flatten their children’s noses so they’ll fit better under their battle helmets. They burn their infants’ cheeks with acid to prevent beard growth. And their precise hail of arrows are sure harbingers of death. They have emerged straight from the depths of hell.”
What do you think?
Attila: Almost none of that is true! The part about the hail of arrows and the sure harbinger of death—yes. But other than that—it's all just malicious rumors.
In June 451, their winning streak on the Catalan battlefields came to an end …
Attila: That was actually on the left bank of the Seine, but at least the general area is correct. It was a disaster. We ran into the Visigoths along with our allies, some Germanic tribes in Gaul. I was shocked when I realized they were fighting alongside the Romans. The Roman general Aëtius fought side by side with the Visigoth king Theoderic I. We had 200,000 men on the battlefield; the enemy had roughly the same number. It was a brutal and extremely bloody battle—even by our standards. Tens of thousands of brave warriors died on both sides. As the fighting progressed, I realized the battle was turning against us. So I withdrew with my men to the camp to devise a new strategy.
However, according to rumors, you are said to have suffered a defeat there.
Attila: I don't know that word. However, I took steps to ensure I wouldn't fall into the enemy's hands. In the end, though, it wasn't necessary, since Aëtius broke the siege.
Measures? What did they look like?
Attila: I ordered my men to pile up all the horse saddles in my tent. If the enemy had come too close and surrounded me, I would have set the saddles on fire and died an honorable death by fire.
Did you ever find out why the siege was lifted?
Attila: I can only speculate. Perhaps the Roman general thought that their allies, the Visigoths, might turn against him after we left?
You'd think they'd take a break after such a traumatic experience. After all, they only narrowly escaped death.
Attila: No, I got back on my horse right away. After all, I still had to settle things with Honoris. You just don’t mock a king of the Huns. The people of Italy found that out the hard way in early 452. Milan, Bergamo, Verona, Padua, Pavia—we razed everything there to the ground.
This eyewitness account also supports that:
“They were among us, and we didn’t know where they came from,” writes an eyewitness. “They watered their horses at the fountains of the gods. On the steps of the temples, they took our women. They smashed the heads of our children against the columns of our city. Thrown naked over the necks of the horses—that is how our daughters left us. We will never see them again.”
Attila: That’s exactly how it happened. You can’t be squeamish in war. We then continued our march toward Rome. Just outside the city, a delegate from the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III asked to speak with me. I was surprised to find that it was the leader of the Christians, Pope Leo I.
The Pope wanted to speak with you?
Attila: He asked me to spare the Eternal City. He actually tried to appeal to my compassion. *grins and shakes his head* But he was truly respectful. That’s why I granted his request. At least, that’s what I led him to believe. In reality, we had simply run out of supplies, and my men were plagued by disease. So calling off the operation was the only right thing to do.
That was their last battle before the wedding. Do you already have plans for what comes next?
Attila: I can't say anything about that. You don't warn your enemies, after all.
Thank you very much for the interview!
Addendum:
Just a few hours after our conversation, Attila passed away. He was found dead in the bridal chamber at noon the next day. His wife, Ildico, sat sobbing in the corner, staring at the blood-soaked bed where her lifeless husband lay.
There is a lot of speculation about exactly what happened. The most likely explanation, however, is that he suffocated from a nosebleed. The blood flowed into his windpipe because he had fallen asleep on his back while heavily intoxicated. Another theory suggests he was assassinated by his new wife. She is said to have poisoned him to take revenge for the atrocities committed against her people.
The funeral took place at a secret location. Rumor has it that the ceremony was held somewhere along the Tisza River. The body was buried in three coffins: one made of gold (for power), one made of silver (for wealth), and one made of iron (for strength in battle).
Just one year after his death, the peoples he had oppressed rose up in revolution. Attila’s son Ellac was defeated in the Battle of Nedao in 454, and the Gepid Empire regained its independence. Thus, Attila’s life’s work was destroyed in a very short time.
* The city would later merge with “Pest” and become known as Budapest.
Disclaimer: Of course, this isn't a real interview. However, all the facts and figures mentioned by "Attila" are actually based on my research using the sources listed below.
References:
https://unpackedhistory.com/de/ancient/attilas-last-night
https://www.wissen.de/bildwb/attila-legendaerer-koenig-der-hunnen
https://www.frag-machiavelli.de/attila-hunnenkoenig/
https://nekropedia.com/de/wie-attila-starb/
https://www.alemannische-seiten.de/wissen/attila.php
https://www.stern.de/politik/geschichte/attila-teufel-aus-der-steppe-3119430.html
https://globhistory.org/de/article/hunnu_gunny/attila_—_korol_gunnov
https://maestrovirtuale.com/de/Attila-der-Hunne-Biografie-kämpft-Tod-Persönlichkeit/
https://theconstantreader.com/de/10-fakten-ueber-attila-der-hunne/
Image: Public domain, a portrait by Eugene Ferdinand Victor Delacroix (1848), “Attila in Battle”
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