The Huns

1
The Huns

• And Their Impact On
• Indo-European Tribes

2
The History of the Huns

• The Huns are believed to be related to the
  Xiongnu (Hsiung-Nu) tribe of Western China during
  the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-8 CE). This picture is
  of a typical Hun. They were almost always on
  horseback because they had one primary advantage
  over their enemies They used stirrups to
  stabilize themselves during battle.

3
The Huns Rise To Power

• They terrorized the Chinese for years before many
  migrated to the banks of the Volga River in
  Central Asia. During the 4th century CE they
  destroyed the Alans, a tribe dwelling between the
  Volga and Don Rivers. This victory set up the
  Huns invasion of Eastern Europe.

4

• This map shows the Huns origins near Mongolia and
  their migration as deep into Europe as France.
  They left Mongolia during the late 3rd century
  and arrived in Eastern Europe in the mid-4th
  century.

5
Indo Europeans Before The Huns

• Indo European tribes between the 3rd and 5th
  centuries CE include the Franks, Burgundians,
  Vandals, Visigoths and Ostrogoths, and possibly
  the Alans. These tribes can be seen in geographic
  order from West to East on the map in the next
  slide.

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Invasion of Europe

• The Huns reached the Black Sea and conquered the
  Eastern Goths by 376 CE. At the same time the
  Huns attacked the Visigoths and pushed them all
  the way into the Eastern Roman Empire where they
  were granted protection. At this point the Huns
  controlled Eastern Europe from the Baltic Sea to
  the Danube River.

8
Attila Takes Command

• For years the Huns remained idle, until their
  King Roas (Rugilas) died and his nephews, Attila
  and Bleda succeeded him in 434. The next year the
  Huns attacked the Vandals and Franks, and in 436
  they destroyed the last of the Burgundian armies.
  In 445 Attila murdered his brother, becoming the
  sole ruler of the Huns, and the single most
  powerful man in the world.

9
Attila the Hun
10

• The next slide shows the movements of the Huns
  and the tribes they affected. The Ostrogoths
  moved from just north of the Black Sea to the
  Balkan Peninsula. The Visigoths moved from the
  Ukraine area all the way to the Iberian
  Peninsula. The Vandals moved from Germany all the
  way to Africa, and the Saxons moved from Germany
  to England.

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The Battle of Chalons

• By 451 the Huns reached Gaul, accompanied by
  their current allies, the Vandals. At the Battle
  of Chalons the Huns and Vandals met the Romans
  and the Goths. In a rare loss, the Huns were
  slaughtered. Historians of the time reported that
  anywhere between 200,000 and 300,000 Huns were
  killed alone, however these numbers are most
  likely overestimations.

13
The Aftermath of Chalons

• After being defeated at Chalons, Attila turned
  his attention to Italy. The Huns ravaged the
  Italian countryside and most of the major cities.
  When they reached Roma, Pope Leo I personally met
  with and begged Attila to spare the city. He left
  Italy, and on his way out he forced some people
  out into the marshes, lagoons, and islands of
  northeastern Italy. These people would eventually
  founded the Republic of Venezia.

14
The Fall of Attila

• After devastating Italy, Attila decided to take
  some time off, as he planned to marry a new wife.
  On his wedding night, Attila went to bed with his
  new bride. The next morning, when he did not
  emerge from his tent, his men entered to find him
  dead, having drowned from his own nose bleed.

15

• The next slide shows the Huns territory in 453 CE
  when Attila died. This map really shows how many
  tribes were affected by the Huns. Tribes were
  forced to move thousands of miles to avoid the
  terror of the Huns.

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The End of the Huns

• After the death of Attila the Huns were no longer
  much of a threat to Europe. The sons of Attila
  fought each other, and quickly his once massive
  empire was broken down into little pieces. The
  Huns lingered for years, primarily in Pannonia.
  There they mixed with the Magyars, and eventually
  the Huns and Magyars meshed together to form the
  country of Hungary.

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• It is plausible to say the Huns invasion of
  Europe had more of an impact on Indo-Europeans
  than any other event in history. If not for the
  Huns, the Roman Empire may not have fallen, the
  Dark Ages might have been avoided, and the
  wonders of the Renaissance might remain
  undiscovered to this day. It is debatable if
  these affects were good or bad, but it is
  impossible to deny the Huns shaped the world we
  live in today.

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Bibliography

• http//historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?opv
  iewarticleartid61 5.5.04
• www.scaruffi.com/politics/barbars.html 4.23.04
• www.enchantedlearning.com/history/asia/huns/ 4.23.
  04
• www.royalty.nu/history/empires/hun.html 4.23.04
• http//encarta.msn.com/encnet/error/Error.aspx?mes
  gid404 5.5.04