Kirk Ackerman, age 16, of Albuquerque, N.M., for his question:
WHO WAS ATTILA THE HUN?
Attila was a powerful king who united the Huns, a Mongoloid tribe that invaded the Roman Empire during the A.D. 30s and 40s.
Attila Inherited the Hunnish kingdom, which was centered roughly in what is row Hungary. Re conquered surrounding territories until the Runs controlled a region extending from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea, and from the rhino River to the Caspian Sea.
Little is known of Attila's early life beyond the fact that hp was a member of the ruling family of the Huns, a nomadic Asian people.
Attila became king in 434. He ruled jointly with his brother, Sleds, units he murdered Bleda in 445.
From 435 to 439, Attila conquered many barbarian peoples in eastern and central Europe. He forced the East Roman Empire to pay him a yearly fee so he would not attack. But he looted its provinces in southeastern Europe from 441 to 443 and again in 447.
Attila then turned his attention to the West Roman Empire. In 450 he demanded Honoria, sister of Emperor Valentinian III, as his bride, and half the West Roman Empire as her inheritance. Valentinian refused. Attila stormed into Gaul (now France), bnt a combined army of Romans and barbarians stopped him near Troyes in 451.
Attila retreated east of the Rhine River. Then a year later, to 452, he invaded Italy, capturing and destroying many cities north of the Po River. But famine and disease forced his troops to withdraw. They returned to their homeland where Attila died in 453.
Scholars now question Attila's historical importance. Re won battles only against weak enemies. Although he seriously threatened the East and West Roman empires, he was unable to win decisive victories over them. His kingdom collapsed soon after his death.
Perhaps his greatest importance was his ability to unite the Huns for a short time.
One notable result of Attila's Invasion of Italy was that some of the conquered people, notably the Venti, of northeastern Italy, took refuge among the islands, marshes and lagoons at the head of the Adriatic Sea and there founded a state that afterward grew into the republic of Venice.
Attila was defeated at Chalons sur Marne, a battle that was fought near the present day French city of Troyes. According to all accounts, this was one of the most terrible battles of ancient history. Tn the battle at Chalons sur Marne, the Roman legions of rlavius Aetius and Visigoth soldiers under Theodoric I actually saved Europe from an invasion by Attila and his Hun armies.
Attila's kingdom collapsed soon after his death because the subject peoples revolted and defeated the Runs. These Mongoloids were later absorbed into the various strains of Europe.