At the end of the 4th century, the Roman Empire, which by that time had disintegrated into Western and Eastern, had a new terrible enemy: the Huns - nomads who came from Central Asia.
Back in 377, the Huns captured Pannonia (modern Hungary), but they behaved relatively calmly and did not pose a serious danger to Rome. The Romans even used the Hunnic troops for their military and political purposes. But in the early 440s, the talented and warlike leader Attila led the Huns, and the onslaught of the Huns on the Eastern Roman Empire intensified. Attila was a born military leader. According to legend, once a shepherd found and brought Attila a rusted sword, Attila took the sword in his hands and said: "For a long time this sword was hidden in the earth, and now heaven will grant it to me to conquer all peoples!"
And indeed - in a few years in Western Europe they will call him nothing but the "scourge of God."
According to historians, the Hunnic Empire, inherited by Attila and his brother Bleda after the death of their uncle Ruas, stretched from the Alps and the Baltic Sea in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. Hordes of the Huns constantly roamed the countries they conquered and by force took for themselves everything that was needed for life. Having gained power, Attila divided the lands stretching from the Don to the Oder into separate regions, which he put friends to rule. However, for some reason, he did not introduce either the tax system or the judiciary in his kingdom.
Nothing is known about the life of Attila from 435 to 439, but it can be assumed that at this time he was waging several wars with barbarian tribes to the north and east of his main possessions, in Scythia, Media and Persia. But soon the moment came when Attila, who in his youth, like Spartacus once served in the Roman army, decided to take possession of Rome, first the Eastern Roman Empire.
In 441, taking advantage of the fact that the Romans were fighting in the Asian part of the empire, Attila, defeating a few Roman troops, crossed the border of the Roman Empire along the Danube and invaded Illyria. Attila captured and massacred many important cities: Viminacium, Margus, Singidunum (modern Belgrade), Sirmium and others. As a result of long negotiations, the Byzantines still managed to conclude a truce in 442 and move their troops to the other border of the empire.
The following year, Attila invaded the Eastern Roman Empire again. In the very first days, he captured and destroyed Ratiarius on the Danube and then moved towards Nais and Serdika (modern Sofia), which also fell. Attila stubbornly walked towards his goal - Constantinople. On the way, the Hun, who knew how to think strategically well, fought several battles and captured Philippopolis. Having met with the main forces of the Romans, he defeated them at Asper and finally approached the sea that defended Constantinople from the north and south. The Huns were unable to take the city, surrounded by impregnable walls. Therefore, Attila took up the pursuit of the remnants of the Roman troops who fled to the Chersonesus (Gallipoli) peninsula, and defeated them. One of the conditions of the ensuing peace treaty, Attila set the payment of tribute by the Romans for the past years.
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There is practically no evidence of Attila's actions from the moment of the conclusion of the peace treaty until the fall of 443. In 445 he killed his brother Bleda and since then began to rule the Huns alone.
In 447, for some unknown reason, Attila undertook a second campaign against the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, but only insignificant details of the description of this campaign have come down to us. It is only known that more forces were involved than in earlier campaigns. The main blow fell on the Lower provinces of the Scythian state and Moesia. Thus, Attila moved eastward much further than in the previous campaign. On the banks of the Atus (Vid) River, the Huns met and defeated the Romans. However, they themselves suffered heavy losses.
After capturing Martianopolis and plundering the Balkan provinces, Attila moved south towards Greece, but was stopped at Thermopylae. Nothing is known about the further course of the Huns' campaign.
The next three years were devoted to negotiations between Attila and the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Theodosius II. These diplomatic negotiations are evidenced by excerpts from the "History" of Priscus Pannius, who in 449, as part of the Roman embassy, himself visited the camp of Attila on the territory of modern Wallachia. A peace treaty was signed, but the conditions were much harsher than in 443. Attila demanded to allocate a huge territory to the Huns south of the Middle Danube and again imposed a tribute on Constantinople, three times higher than the previous one.
For five years the Huns received tribute from the Byzantines, until the new emperor, Marcian, terminated the peace treaty, unexpectedly declaring that his gifts were for friends, and for enemies he had weapons. Much to the surprise of the Byzantines, Attila did not fight them.
His next campaign was the invasion of the Western Roman Empire, Gaul. Until 451, he seemed to be on friendly terms with the commander of the Roman court guard Aetius, guardian of the ruler of the Western Roman Empire, Valentinian III. The chronicles say nothing about the motives that prompted Attila to enter Gaul. There is an assumption that one of the sons of the Frankish king Chlodion turned to him for help. A likely additional incentive for Attila was revenge for his unsuccessful matchmaking to Honoria, the sister of the ruler of the Western Roman Empire, Valentinian III, when he hoped to get half the country in addition to his hand.
Here is how it was.
In the spring of 450, Honoria, the emperor's sister, herself sent a ring to the Hunnic leader, asking him to free her from the marriage imposed on her. Overjoyed, Attila declared Honoria his wife and demanded part of the Western Empire as a dowry. In the end, war was ripe.
So, following up the Danube, the 500 thousandth army of the Huns approached the Rhine and invaded Gaul, plundering and burning everything in its path. Having defeated Worms, Mogonziak (Mainz), Trier and Metz, they moved to southern Gaul, where the Goths lived, and laid siege to Orleans.
Meanwhile, the Roman commander Flavius Aetius found support from the Visigothic king Theodoric and the second son of the Frankish king, who agreed to send their troops against the Huns. Aetius was a talented military leader and had an unusual destiny. His father guarded the Danube border of the Roman Empire from the barbarians and was forced to give his son hostage to the Huns. So Aetius closely got to know their military organization and methods of warfare. Later, he skillfully used the forces of barbarians against barbarians, including in the Battle of Catalaun, where he had auxiliary troops of Franks, Sarmatians (Alans), Saxons, Burgundians, Amorians and Visigoths, led by King Theodoric …
Further events are covered with legends. But there is no doubt that before the arrival of the allies, Attila practically captured Aurelianium (Orleans). The Huns were about to take the starving city when Aetius and Theodoric appeared.
Attila retreated to the city of Troyes, to the west of which a decisive battle took place on the Catalaunian fields, which was called the "Battle of the Nations."
Having approached here, the Romans set up a fortified camp according to all the rules, because the most important goal of their military life was the safety of the bivouac. Wherever and for how long the legion stayed, it immediately began to build a camp of logs, protected by a moat and a wall. In the camp, in a once and for all established order, there were gates, a meeting area - a forum, command tents - praetoria, tents of centurions (centurions) and foremen (decurions), horse stalls and other services.
Attila built his wagons in the form of a circle, inside which Hunnic tents were pitched. His barbarian allies were stationed without trenches and fortifications.
Before the battle, Attila drew fortunetellers to himself, they peered at the insides of animals, then at some veins on the scraped bones and announced that the Huns were in trouble. A small consolation for Attila was only the fact that the supreme leader of the opposing side had to fall in battle. Attila himself chose the plain for battle in order to give his light cavalry freedom of maneuver. He led the troops into the field at three o'clock in the afternoon. “There were about 8 hours of daylight ahead. Then the day was divided not into 24 equal hours, but into 12 hours of different duration from dawn to dusk (day) and 12 hours from dusk to dawn (night). " The "scourge of God" himself became with the Huns in the center, on its left flank were the Goths, led by their leader Valamir, on the right wing - King Ardarik with the Gepids and other tribes.
Aetius, led by the Romans, was on the left flank, the Visigoths, led by King Theodoric, on the right. The center was occupied by the Franks, Alans and other allies of the Romans. Aetius intended to cut off Attila himself from his flanks with his wings.
Between the two armies there was a small elevation, which both sides tried to seize. The Huns sent several detachments there, separating them from the vanguard, and Aetius sent Visigothic cavalry, led by Theodoric's son Thorismund, who, arriving first, attacked from above and overthrew the Huns. For the Hunnic army, this was a bad omen, and Attila, who still did not know serious defeats, tried to inspire his soldiers with the speech that Jordan cites in his work: “… We boldly attack the enemy, who is braver will always attack. Look with contempt at this mass of diverse peoples, who do not agree with each other in anything: who, in defending himself, counts on someone else's help, he exposes his own weakness before the whole world … So, lift up your courage and fan your usual ardor. Show how the Huns follow,my courage … I throw the first dart at the enemy, if anyone can remain calm while Attila is fighting, he is already dead."
Inspired by these words, Attila's army rushed into battle.
Aetius's ally, the aged Visigothic king Theodoric, circled the troops and encouraged them, but was unexpectedly knocked off his horse and accidentally trampled by his own. According to other testimonies, he was killed with a spear. Probably this death was predicted by fortune-tellers.
But with the coming of darkness, Theodoric's Goths, embittered by the death of the leader, overpowered the Goths of Attila. Attila himself rushed to the weak center of the Romans, crushed it, and was already triumphant, but the Visigoths with all their might cut into the right side of the Huns, and Aetius turned his wing against them and descended on the left. After a fierce struggle, the Huns, crushed to the right and left, could not stand it and rushed to their camp, and Attila himself barely escaped.
This was probably one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. According to Jordan, 165 thousand people died on both sides, according to other sources - 300 thousand people.
Attila retreated to his camp and prepared to attack the next day. Sowing behind the wagons, he held on with dignity: from his camp the sounds of trumpets and the noise of weapons were heard; it seemed like he was ready to strike again. "As a lion, chased from everywhere by hunters, with a big leap retires to its lair, not daring to rush forward, and with its roar terrifies the surrounding places, so proud Attila, the king of the Huns, among his wagons, terrified his winners," Jordan wrote …
But Aetius did not resume hostilities, because the Goths left him for the funeral of their king. Attila, learning that the Goths had left, ordered the carts to be pledged and asked Aetius to let him leave freely. Aetius agreed, since he did not dare to start a new battle without allies. It remains a mystery why he did not try to block Attila and force the Huns to surrender by hunger.
One way or another, Attila, who suffered the first and only serious defeat, was able to leave. But the Huns' campaign ended sadly for them: they died much more than the soldiers of Aetius. And their king had to leave Gaul.
By all accounts, this battle is considered one of the decisive battles of history. Attila's victory would mean the complete destruction of the remnants of Roman civilization and the fall of the Christian religion in Western Europe.
There was success, but temporary. In 452, the Huns invaded Italy and sacked several major cities. This time Aetius was unable to oppose anything to the Huns. But then a new enemy fell upon them - the famine and plague that raged in Italy that year forced them to leave the country. There are other speculations as to why the Huns retreated.
According to legend, the superstitious Attila was afraid of the fate of Alaric, who died immediately after the capture of Rome. According to another version, after a visit to the Huns' camp by Pope Leo I, Attila was in awe of the appearance of the high priest. It is possible that these circumstances to some extent played a role in his retreat from Italy.
In 453, Attila nevertheless decided to cross the border of the Eastern Roman Empire, where the new ruler Marcianus refused to pay the tribute due under the treaty. But then fate struck Attila a third, in the full sense of the fatal blow - for some unknown reason, he died in a dream on the night of his wedding with Ildeka, presumably of German origin. There is a version that it was the newlywed who killed the fierce ruler of the Huns, avenging the ruin of her country and the extermination of her people.
Those who buried him and hid the stolen treasures were killed by the Huns so that no one could find the king's grave. Numerous sons became his heirs, who divided the created empire of the Huns among themselves.
However, the Hunnic empire did not last long. After the defeat in the Catalaunian fields, this fragile state union began to disintegrate, and soon after the death of Attila, it finally collapsed. And soon the Huns disappeared altogether from world history.
The Hunnic threat rallied for a short time various forces around the Roman Empire, but after the Catalaunian victory and the repulse of the Hunnic threat, the processes of internal disunity of the empire intensified. The barbarian kingdoms ceased to reckon with the emperors and pursued an independent policy.
A few years later, in 454, Emperor Valentinian III - as is often the case in history - "thanked" his savior Aetius by stabbing the latter with his own hand.
From that moment on, Rome no longer had a defender. That did not take long to affect - in 455 the Vandals entered Rome and completely plundered it.
