Attila the Hun is possibly one of the most poorly understood figures in European history. He is widely considered to be an ancient Ghengis Khan: an unstoppable brute who killed millions in the most appalling and bloodthirsty means possible - a 'Scourge of God', who almost ended the spread of Christianity in Europe, who brought the Roman Empire to its knees and who ushered in the Dark Ages. Almost all of this is fabrication. Based on historical accounts of the time, it appears that Attila's legacy is far less distinguished than later writers would have made it out to be.

Origin of the Huns

While accounts of the early origins of the Huns are sketchy, there is archeological and some linguistic evidence that the tribe originated from the Mongolian Steppe, similar in many ways to the Mongol Hordes of Ghengis Khan. Chinese accounts talk of a nomadic tribe known as the Xiongnu ¹. It is not known whether climatic or political reasons sent them travelling westwards to Europe, but by the end of the fourth century they had arrived with devastating impact.

The Huns had a battle strategy that European societies were quite unprepared for. In open battle their archers were mounted, and were able to use bows and arrows with devastating accuracy. They invaded the homelands of tribes such as the Alans, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths, sending wave after wave of refugees towards the Roman Empire as they advanced ever so gradually towards its eastern borders. Eventually, around the year 400, the Huns reached the Danube. They settled in the region of modern Hungary