Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Their first known act as co-rulers was the negotiation of a peace treaty with the Eastern Roman Empire. He was succeeded by his sons, who divided his empire among them. Attila the Hun was born in Pannonia (modern-day Hungary) around 406. Attila was one of the most brutal yet successful conquerors in history. His unsuccessful campaign in Persia was followed in 441 by an invasion of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, the success of which emboldened Attila to invade the West. He then devastated the Balkan provinces and drove southward into Greece, where he was only stopped at Thermopylae. Just one single word from Attila could make kingdom’s crumble and empire’s tremble. Professor of Classics, University of Nottingham, England, 1948–79. When the Turkish Armed Forces invaded Cyprus in 1974, the operations were named after Attila ("The Attila Plan").[58]. The Hunnic king Rua, continued the traditional policy of extortion and demanded an annual sum of 300 lbs of gold in return for not attacking the Eastern Roman Empire. Priscus' version, however, has recently come under renewed scrutiny by Michael A. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-3077038101332207"; Attila's devastating invasion of the plains of northern Italy this year did not improve the harvest. Prince Thorismund, still holding the summit, ordered his forces to charge down the slope towards their beleaguered country men, catching the unsuspecting Hun’s in their right flank. Mongolian warrior and ruler Genghis Khan created the largest empire in the world, the Mongol Empire, by destroying individual tribes in Northeast Asia. In 450, Attila proclaimed his intent to attack the Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse by making an alliance with Emperor Valentinian III. According to a version of this narrative related in the Chronicon Pictum, a mediaeval Hungarian chronicle, the Pope promised Attila that if he left Rome in peace, one of his successors would receive a holy crown (which has been understood as referring to the Holy Crown of Hungary). An alternative theory is that he succumbed to internal bleeding after heavy drinking, possibly a condition called esophageal varices, where dilated veins in the lower part of the esophagus rupture leading to death by hemorrhage.[39]. Attila decided to fight the Romans on plains where he could use his cavalry.[34]. Instead, Attila's accomplishments consist mainly of having won a lot of battles and having weakened the Roman Empire considerably. St. Leo, a Doctor of the Church, emphasized persistence, perseverance in prayer, fasting in alms giving. 39. King Theodoric sent in Visigothic forces lead by his son, the Crown Prince Thorismund who reached the summit before the Ostrogoths. The Visigoth assault struck hard at the enemy, driving both the Ostrogoth’s and Hun’s before them. Thus crushed, they made peace with the Romans and all returned to their homes.[38]. The next morning it was discovered that during the night Attila had suffered a nose bleed and had  choked to death on his own blood. Ay, for they took captive the churches and monasteries and slew the monks and maidens in great numbers. This pricing structure is only available to academic institutions. //-->,