Attila is rightly called one of the great conquerors. Under the leadership of the Hun leader were united numerous Eastern European tribes, and the Western Roman Empire could not recover from the Huns’ raids in Gaul and Italy.
Disputes, however, about the origin of Attila are still ongoing. What did he look like? What was his ethnicity? Answers to these questions is devoted to our today’s article.
A frame from serial «Attila the Conqueror» 2001-years
Coming to power
Neither when Attila was born, nor where he was born, we do not know. On a number of assumptions it has appeared on a birth about 406th. Attila’s father was Mundzuk, whose brothers, according to sources, ruled the Huns before Attila. Who was his mother is unknown. Probably, since the Huns were allowed polygamy, Mundzuk also had many wives, in connection with which it is difficult to tell, which of them gave birth to Attila.
After death of governors Huns, uncle Attila, in 434th year, authority passes in hands to Attila and his brother, Bled. After 10 years Attila, in connection with death Bled, becomes sole ruler. Sources say that Attila insidiously killed his brother. There is also a legend that after capture of the Byzantium province Illyricum brothers seriously quarreled, thus the subject of their dispute became not at all riches and possessions. Among the captured prisoners was a jester Zerkon, who liked Attila very much, but whom Bled hated. The quarrel turned into a fight, during which Attila killed Bled.
Wax figure of Attila in the museum in Hungary
Empire of
Attila At the moment of the beginning of board under the control of Attila and Bled was the territory of Roman province of Pannonia, approximately corresponding to borders of modern Hungary. By the end of Attila’s reign, the Hun formation stretched from the rivers of the Rhine to the Volga, including territories inhabited by the Akatsirs, Geruls, Gepids, Scyrians, Sarmatians, Ostgoths and other tribes.
For a long time Attila also disturbed Byzantium which was compelled to pay Huns a tribute by the attacks. Only to 451-th year it has paid, at last, attention to “neighbor” of Byzantium — the Western Roman Empire which earlier used services of Huns for struggle against other barbarian formations.
The first campaign, a campaign to Gaul, began well for Attila, but during the battle on the Catalaunian fields, the great conqueror was defeated. However, both sides suffered huge losses, and for Attila it was not crushing enough — the next year the leader organized a new campaign, this time in Italy.
Attila’s Empire
This campaign also developed successfully, the Huns captured Venetia (part of modern Venice), the former capital of the Western Roman Empire Mediolanum (modern Milan), but soon the conquerors retreated back behind the Danube. The main reason for this retreat was the plague that struck the Huns, seriously thinning their ranks.
In 453 year Attila has undertaken last in the life campaign — against the Alans settled in Gaul, but also it was not the most successful. Allies of Alans Vesegotys have hastened those on the help, and the conqueror had to retreat.
In the same year Attila has died: on a legend it has killed in a dream one of wives. The official cause of death of the Hunnish ruler is considered a nosebleed. Here is how describes the death of Attila historian of the VI century and one of the main sources on this period Jordan:
«He took to himself as a wife — after countless wives, as is the custom among that people — a girl of remarkable beauty named Ildiko. Weakened at the wedding from her great pleasure and weighed down by wine and sleep, he lay floating in blood, which normally flowed from his nostrils, but now was delayed in its usual course and, pouring out in a deadly way through his throat, strangled him.»
Appearance
As in the case of many other historical figures, no image of Attila has not survived to our time. Nor have archaeologists yet been able to find his burial. Nevertheless, there are two authors who give descriptions of the legendary conqueror’s appearance: the already mentioned Jordan, who lived a century after Attila, and Attila’s contemporary Priscus of Pania, who personally saw Attila, participating in the Byzantine embassy sent to him.
Priscus in “Gothic history” wrote that Attila outwardly little differed from other Huns — except that clothes were more neat. “Neither the sword hanging at him, nor laces of barbarian shoes, nor bridle of his horse were not decorated with gold, stones, or anything precious, as is common at other Scythians”. It has noted also, that in everything the governor of Huns showed moderation.
Attila on a fragment of a fresco of Eugene Delacroix
Jordan, giving more detailed description of appearance Attila, refers to not extant up to us work Prisk:
«He [Attila] was haughty in his footsteps, threw his eyes here and there, and by his very body movements revealed his highly exalted power. A lover of war, he himself was moderate in hand, very strong in common sense, available to those who asked and merciful to those whom he once trusted. In appearance stunted, with a broad chest, with a large head and small eyes, with a sparse beard, touched with gray hair, with a flattened nose, with a disgusting color, he showed all the signs of his origin».
Nationality
It is known, that Attila was Hun, therefore the question about his nationality should be somewhat reformulated: representatives of what people now could be called descendants of Huns?
Hungarians still consider themselves their descendants. Nevertheless, their language is not connected with Turkic languages (and it is to the group of these languages that the language spoken by the Huns is most often attributed), and the Hungarians themselves belong to another ethnic group.
In opinion of Turks, Huns and Attila in particular belonged to Turkic people, and, accordingly, Turks can be called their descendants. It is necessary to tell that this opinion is more grounded. On it are indicated and the kept descriptions of appearance, and carried out genetic researches of the found skeletons of Huns.
According to the most popular theory at the moment, the ancestors of the Huns were Chinese Huns, who as they nomadized westward mixed with other tribes: from Far Eastern to Western and Eastern European. The studies mentioned above also confirm this theory. Thus it is possible to tell with almost full confidence, that on the origin Attila was the representative of Turkic ethno-linguistic community.