The Story of the Huns, Horse Warriors Who Invaded Ancient Europe

The Huns were nomadic warriors likely originating from Central Asia. They’re mostly known for invading Europe during the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. They also hastened the downfall of the Western Roman Empire.

The military leader of the Huns was called Attila (A.D. 406 to 453). During his time, the Huns ruled a huge empire encompassing large parts of present-day Hungary, Russia, and other European territories. That was so because both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires regularly paid tribute to prevent Hun warriors from plundering Roman provinces. After the end of Attila’s life, the Huns’ empire ceased to exist.

Early Roman Records of the Huns

Although the Huns were known as uncouth, their story is more complex. Much of the early history of the Huns is shrouded in mystery. One of the first Western writers who mentioned the Huns was the Roman historian Tacitus. In the later part of the first century A. D., Tacitus referred to them as Hunnoi and wrote that they came from the areas near the Caspian Sea (present-day Kazakhstan). There’s no evidence this tribe possessed a written language, so we don’t know what they called themselves.

Tacitus didn’t describe them as particularly belligerent, and he didn’t distinguish between the Huns and other tribes in the region. Ammianus Marcellinus (A.D. 330 to 395) was the most famous writer to describe some details about the Huns.

Still, Ammianus praised the equestrian skills of the Huns, who spent almost all of their lives in the saddle. According to the writer, the tribe members ate, drank, traded, and slept all while they were saddled on the backs of their horses.

The Origins of the Huns

Modern-day scholars suggest that the Huns were originally a Mongolian tribe. They appeared in Chinese records as early as the fifth century B.C. At that time, they started raiding northern Chinese territories. These attacks would continue over the next few hundred years and cause Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, to start the construction of the Great Wall of China to stop the invaders.

By the end of the third century B.C., the Huns had formed a great tribal league threatening Chinese civilization. The league grew into an empire covering much of modern Mongolia and Siberia, stretching west to the Pamir Mountains in Central Asia.

The Huns Invade Europe

During the latter part of the half of the fourth century A.D, the Huns moved into Europe, where they defeated the Ostrogoths and Visigoths. The westward movement of the Huns sparked the mass movement of Germanic peoples into the Roman territory, also known as the “Great Migration.” The consequences of this event were the Roman army’s Germanization, the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, as well as the formation of Europe’s medieval kingdoms.

Two events led to Attila’s invasion of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 451. A scandal with the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III’s sister, Honoria, and the suspension of gold payments to Attila by a former general named Marcian. Honoria sent a note to Attila offering herself in marriage as an act of revenge for a family feud. Valentinian found out and ended the prospective union, which led to Attila’s anger.

The Hun ruler advanced rapidly into the Roman province of Gaul (modern-day France, parts of Belgium, and parts of Germany) Attila eventually reached Italy, taking over the peninsula. The hun ruler eventually left Italy without achieving a definitive military objective, for unknown reasons, and returned to his stronghold north of the Danube.

The End of the Hun Empire

In A.D. 453, Attila’s life ended on the night of his wedding to a new, young wife, under circumstances that scholars have long debated. It’s not clear where his tomb is, either. The various Hun factions then vied for power, leading to the collapse of the empire in the fifth century. The Huns were no longer a dominant force in Europe after one of Attila’s sons, Ellac, passed away.