The deep river of Russian history is wide and boundless. Its origins are in the boundless past, and it flows smoothly and unhurriedly into the unknown future. Anyone who is not indifferent to Russian history and to whom their Fatherland is dear with wide handfuls can draw knowledge from the river of history, without fear of damaging it - it is so abundant and majestic.
The history of the Russian nation is full of amazing mysteries - and it is not opposed to people opening more and more veils in it: you just need to turn on your imagination and plunge into the depths of the centuries - and then, in an amazing way, precious information, previously not available, will be revealed. We will try only to touch one of the mysteries of the history of the ancient Slavs, which few people know about.
It will be about the great ruler of the Hun tribe - Attila, who, in just two decades, managed to create a huge empire, in which the peoples of different tribes got along quite well. He is famous for his military campaigns that ravaged the lands of the Roman Empire, Galia and Northern Italy. He easily conquered all the Balkan countries. His name alone terrified the inhabitants of the cities and deprived them of their ability to resist the advancing hordes of the Huns. Among the people, he received the nickname the Scourge of God. Even the great warriors of the Roman Empire could not resist the onslaught of the fierce and warlike nomads!
So where did this warlike and invincible tribe of the Huns come from? Although much has been written about the Huns, there are still too many “blank spots” left in the “biography” of this people.
Some researchers believe that the ancestors of the Huns are the Khiong-nu Mongols, who lived in Manchuria and the territory of Northern China. It is possible that it was from them that the Chinese fenced off with the Great Wall, hoping that the wall would save them from the raids of the militant and merciless Huns.
But there is another version - the Huns descended from the Altai Mountains or were Siberians. Some historians are inclined to believe that Korea could also be the homeland of the Huns: perhaps due to the overpopulation that arose in Korea at that time, residents en masse left for the side of Tibet and the Pamirs.
Researchers believe that the Hun tribe was distinguished by irrepressible cruelty, inability and unwillingness to work. These were professional warriors and they got their bread with weapons in their hands, enslaving and plundering other peoples.
With the very first raids, they declared themselves in China - nomads unexpectedly flew into the provinces and took away everything they needed for life, burned houses, took the villagers into slavery. After their raid, the lands fell into decay, only the wind carried the smell of burning for a long time, and raised ash. It was believed that the Huns did not know pity and compassion. They quickly dashed away from the plundered settlements on their short, shaggy and hardy horses, carrying away their prey. They could in one day, having overcome a hundred miles, join the battle. By the way, the Great Wall of China did not represent a serious obstacle for them - they quietly went around it and invaded the territory of the Celestial Empire.
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Over time, the Hun tribe grew stronger and larger and, as a result, the geography of their raids expanded. Nomads rushed to the rich western lands - they spread over them like a spring flood - after all, no army could give them a worthy rebuff. Here is how the Roman military leader described the Huns: “The Huns surpass in savagery and barbarism everything that can be imagined about barbarism and savagery. They cut deep cuts on the cheeks of their children from their very birth, so that the hair then sticks out of the scars. Their dumpy bodies with huge arms and an overly large head made them look monstrous. These creatures in human form were in an animal state."
As history shows - every nation has its own destiny - and the Huns are no exception. They appeared on the horizon of history as a bright flame, lighting up the cities of many countries with conflagrations and just as suddenly and rapidly disappeared, like a fog, disappeared without a trace in other nations.
It is the Huns who consider such peoples as the Turkmens, Yakuts and Magyars to be their ancestors.
The aggressive campaigns of the Huns to the West caused the Great Migration of Nations. Many left their homes, mixed with the inhabitants of other countries, new nations and new states were formed. Perhaps the purpose of the Huns was to change geography and ethnography on the world map.
Before the appearance of Attila, the Huns did not have their own state, and the warlike nomads did not need it. They could have been on a specific territory for a long time until all the resources were exhausted. Attila became exactly the leader who was able to unite all the disparate tribes under his own hand. The nomads immediately recognized him as their ruler for the fact that he had an amazing talent for a commander. He was the son of one of the leaders of the Huns - Mundzuk. This leader more than once concluded a truce with the Greeks and Romans, and sent his son Attila as a hostage to them, who was very inquisitive and quick-witted. While in captivity, Attila learned Latin and Greek, studied the strategy and tactics of the armies of his jailers, and also understood the importance of the institution of the state for any people. He understood,that the state is the foundation of the power of any people.
Becoming the leader of the Huns, Attila created a huge empire, with all the attendant attributes. The Huns did not have a religion, Attila, through shamans, planted many superstitions, belief in which allowed him to control his numerous subjects. The Huns were not afraid of death - Attila was able to inspire them that it was an honor to die in battle and would serve as an example of valor for their sons. And although Attila came to power at the age of twenty-six, he showed himself as a talented diplomat. He had the gift of subjugating people to himself. He created his army according to the Roman model, taught his soldiers to fight not only on horseback, but also on foot. Also, Attila used in his military campaigns catapults, ballistae and battering guns seen by the Romans, but having the knowledge of a military engineer, he significantly improved them. Conquering European cities one by one,Attila did not want to capture and destroy Rome. Until now, this fact is a mystery.
Attila did not have a heroic appearance - he was narrow-shouldered, short in stature, had crooked legs due to the fact that he rode horses from childhood. It was difficult for a thin neck to hold a large head, so it constantly swayed like a mint. Deep-set eyes, a pointed chin, and a wedge-shaped beard did not spoil his lean face. He was smart, distinguished by decisiveness, knew how to keep himself in control, always achieved his goal.
Attila was very loving, had many concubines and wives.
He valued gold most of all. The conquered peoples paid tribute to him only in gold, and the conquered cities were bought off from him with this metal. The Huns considered precious stones to be meaningless pieces of glass, but gold, in their opinion, was weighty, had a noble luster and was a permanent symbol of power and wealth.
In 493 AD Attila turned 58 years old, his health was undermined: frequent seizures, profuse bleeding. The healers did not know how to cure the overlord.
It was more and more difficult for Attila to rule his people - uprisings constantly broke out, which were brutally suppressed.
The ruler sent his eldest son Ellak with a large army to reconnaissance towards the lands of the Slavs. He was looking forward to his return, planning to carry out a campaign and conquer the territory of the Slavs.
Returning Ellak, enthusiastically told his father about the vast and rich lands of the Slavs: “There are many forests, so dense that it is difficult for a person to squeeze through the trees, vast pastures with tall, lush grass, fields sown with bread and vegetables. Full-flowing rivers can instantly quench the thirst of our cavalry ….
And although at that time the Slavic tribes were scattered and did not have such a fighting experience as the Huns, Attila made an unusual decision for him - he offered the Slavic princes his patronage and promised to create a single state of the Slavs, which would become part of the Huns' empire. And… he was refused - the Slavs wanted to remain free. Then Attila decided to marry the daughter of a Slavic prince. Then the ownership of the lands of the rebellious Slavs will be decided by itself. Since the father of the Slavic princess did not agree with either the proposal or the decision of the ruler of the Huns, Attila ordered his execution. In those days, it was customary to marry the daughters of defeated military leaders.
The wedding took place on a usual scale: “The leaders of the tribes gave the ruler of the nomads rare horses, jewelry made of gold and precious stones, bright fabrics, silk, saddles, bronze vases, and ivory products. There were so many gifts that the premises of the palace were cramped for them, and the offerings were piled on the square under the supervision of the soldiers. At night, Attila carried his new wife into the chambers. Neither in the morning nor at noon did the sovereign leave the chambers. The worried warriors knocked down the bedroom door and saw their master dead. It turned out that after a plentiful meal and drink, Attila had an attack, and the young wife was afraid to inform the guards about it.
There are many, but contradictory, information about the burial of the great commander. According to one of their versions, he was buried in the bed of a large river, temporarily blocking it with a dam. They put expensive jewelry and weapons in the coffin. And the very body of the ruler was covered with gold. Then the riverbed was restored. All who participated in the burial were killed in order to keep the resting place of the great Attila a secret.
With the death of Attila came the end of the huge empire of the Huns. The empire was divided among the sons of Attila. The West Slavic and Germanic peoples, previously subordinate to Attila, rebelled and overthrew the hated rule of the nomads.
For centuries, legends and traditions were formed about Attila, but they had nothing to do with the real historical personality of the leader of the Huns.