substance that fantastic myths are made of. He did not come from the east leading a warrior armyof invaders; he was a home-grown leader commanding an army built up over at least threegenerations of his forebears.By 352 C.E. the Roman Empire had fractured into the Western Empire centered on Romeand later Ravenna and the Eastern Empire centered at Constantinople, each led by theirrespective Emperors. The fracture opened up regions to attack and the ill-defined border wherethe two empires met was one such weakened area.ATTILA was an expert politician as well as an adept military leader, commanding afearsome army. This army was distinguished by its mounted fighters who were fierce warriorsthat remained on horseback during battle. This feature was not known to the Imperial forceswhose own horses were larger and more useful in hauling; the site of warriors charging on swifthorses with weapons drawn presented an imposing sight.He demanded, and received, tributes in the form of gold, from each EMPEROR inexchange for guarantees of peace. When the tribute was withheld, ATTILA would descend and forthe most part, was victorious. The closest he came to defeat was the Battle of the CatalunianPlains in 451 C.E. This battle, near Orléans, France, pitted ATTILA and his allies – Gepids,Ostrogoths with the southern Franks and Burgundians – against the Imperial armies of thewestern EMPEROR VALENTINIAN III (419 – 455) and their allies – the “Spanish” Visigoths,northern Franks and Burgundians, Saxons and other Gallic tribes. The Roman general AËTIUS(396 – 454) failed to win a decisive victory, nor was he defeated – the battle ended in a draw.ATTILA’S armies were strong enough to traverse the Alps and march the length of the ApenninePeninsula, sacking Rome and Naples in the following year. Refugees from several northernItalian cities, fearing the approaching Huns, fled to the safety of several islands in a lagoon at thenorthern end of the Adriatic Sea – and, unwittingly, founded one of the world’s greatest cities –Venice. After military success came domestic celebration; ATTILA married ILDICO, the last of hiswives, in spring of 453 and then, it was over. On his wedding night he died under suspiciouscircumstances. His three sons battled each other for sixteen years over Pannonia which wasruined. The possibility exists that the descendants of the Hunin survive today in the Hungarianethnic minority called the Székely.The end of the once mighty Roman Empire came with the fall of the Eastern Empire in480 C.E. and the subsequent birth of the Byzantine Empire while a much-reduced WesternEmpire, sans Emperor, lasteduntil 486 C.E. 2Within decades, twobranches of the Ural-Altaicpeople swept in from the Eastto occupy the lands onlyrecently ruled by the Hunnic.The Ural-Altaic tribes camefrom the Turanian Plain(Turkmenistan) whichstretches 1,500 miles eastwardfrom the Caspian Sea to LakeBalqash in Kazakhstan. Firstwere the Bulgars followed bythe more tenacious Avars; thetwo coalesced to formOnoguria around 635 C.E.This Onoguria is thought by5
At the time that ISTVÁN was crowned STEPHEN I, KING OF HUNGARY the Carpathian Basin wasmultiethnic: the central part is dominated by MAGYAR, AVAR & PETCHENEG steppe horsemenwhile to the West are FRANKS & BAVARIANS; to the North are the CZECH and SLOVAKS with theWHITE CROATS further east but soon to move to central Czech lands; CROATIANS, south andstretching to the Adriatic Coast; and to the East are the SZEKLERS, TURKS and BULGARIANS.5b
Change language