Attila the Hun: The Scourge of God Who Made Rome Pay and Died of a Nosebleed

The Rise of Attila

Attila became joint ruler of the Hunnic Empire alongside his brother Bleda in 434 AD, following the death of their uncle Rugila. The Huns were a nomadic people from the Eurasian steppe whose origins remain debated — possibly from Central Asia, possibly from further east. They had swept into Europe in the late 4th century, displacing the Germanic peoples who in turn pushed against the Roman frontier, contributing to the pressures that would ultimately destroy the Western Roman Empire.

Attila consolidated power by having his brother Bleda killed in 445 AD, making himself sole ruler of an empire stretching from the Rhine to the steppes of Central Asia. He would spend the next eight years in almost constant warfare, and would never lose a battle.

Making Rome Pay

One of the most remarkable aspects of Attila's career was his ability to extract tribute from the Eastern Roman Empire — the most powerful state in the western world. The Eastern Emperor Theodosius II agreed in 435 AD to pay an annual tribute of 700 pounds of gold simply to keep Attila away from Roman territory. After Attila's victories in the Balkans in 441-443 AD, this tribute was raised to 2,100 pounds of gold per year.

The spectacle of Rome — the empire that had dominated the known world for centuries — paying protection money to a nomadic chieftain was without precedent. It represented a fundamental shift in the balance of power that contemporaries found almost incomprehensible.

The Invasions of the West

In 450 AD Attila turned his attention westward. His pretext was a letter from Honoria — sister of the Western Emperor Valentinian III — who had sent Attila her ring asking for his help in escaping an unwanted marriage. Attila interpreted this as a marriage proposal and demanded half the Western Empire as her dowry.

The invasion of Gaul in 451 AD was the most significant military campaign of the 5th century. Attila swept through with an army that ancient sources place at hundreds of thousands — almost certainly an exaggeration, but sufficient to devastate city after city. He was finally stopped at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, one of the largest battles of the ancient world, where a combined Roman and Visigoth force under the general Aetius fought him to a standstill.

The following year Attila invaded Italy, sacking and destroying cities across the Po Valley. He withdrew before reaching Rome — ancient sources credit a meeting with Pope Leo I with persuading him to turn back, though disease in his army and a Roman relief force from the east were probably more significant factors.

Death on the Wedding Night

In 453 AD Attila took a new wife — a young woman named Ildico. At the wedding feast he drank heavily, as was customary. He was found dead the following morning. His new wife was discovered beside him, weeping.

The Roman historian Priscus, who had met Attila personally, records that he died from a haemorrhage — specifically that he suffocated on blood from a nosebleed while unconscious from drinking. Other theories have been proposed over the centuries, including assassination, but the haemorrhage explanation is generally accepted by modern historians.

The man who had terrified two continents, forced Rome to pay him tribute, and never lost a battle, died in bed of a nosebleed. His empire disintegrated almost immediately after his death, torn apart by his sons competing for power.