The Fall Of The West (COMPLETED)

Part 3: A Brewing Storm

The following is purely fictional.

Ellac entered the tent and bowed. Then, he lowered the chest he was carrying, straining at its weight. It would be heavy, as it was filled with gold and jewelry from the Alans as tribute.

Mundzuk nodded his head, and gestured for Ellac to be quiet. The latter obeyed, and awaited his turn to enter the chamber of the wife. He could hear the baby's screams as it was being delivered, and the powerful voice of the midwife telling the wife to breathe in, breathe out, and push. Ellac could hear Mundzuk mutter "Tengri bless her," as he paced outside the chamber, his brow knitted with worry and his cap soaked with sweat. The guards had said that it was an especially difficult pregnancy.

At last, the midwife gave a cry of joy. "He is out!" Mundzuk rushed into the chamber, eager to see his baby boy. Ellac followed him in, drawing his priestly dagger and wiping it with a cloth.

The wails of the baby boy grew louder as it was passed from mother to father. He looked at Ellac, and the latter stepped forward, brandishing his dagger. Mundzuk's face was one of pure joy and pride. His boy was about to become a part of the tribe.

Ellac held the baby's face with one hand, and grasped the dagger with the other and put it to its face. He pricked it a little, drawing blood, and then took a deep breath and made a deep gash across its face. The baby shrieked louder, but Ellac was relentless in his approach, and carved out four Tengri crosses on its face, a big one on each cheek, one on the chin, and one on the philtrum.

Ellac then wiped his dagger with the cloth, and made the Tengri cross with his dagger in the air above the baby. "May Tengri bless this boy, and make him worthy of this tribe," he intoned.

Mundzuk and his wife smiled. The man raised his baby up in the air, and shouted,"You shall be Attila, and you shall crush the foundations of the mountains and set fire to the seas of the world!"

***

There is no first-hand account of Attila's appearance, but Jordanes states that "He was a man born into the world to shake the nations, the scourge of all lands, who in some way terrified all mankind by the dreadful rumors noised abroad concerning him. He was haughty in his walk, rolling his eyes hither and thither, so that the power of his proud spirit appeared in the movement of his body. He was indeed a lover of war, yet restrained in action, mighty in counsel, gracious to suppliants and lenient to those who were once received into his protection. Short of stature, with a broad chest and a large head; his eyes were small, his beard thin and sprinkled with grey; and he had a flat nose and tanned skin, showing evidence of his origin."

Attila. Picture courtesy of Attila Total War.

Attila was born somewhere between 395 to 406 AD. His father Mundzuk was brother to the kings Octar and Ruga, who ruled as joint rulers of the Hunnic hordes. Joint kingship was not uncommon in Hunnic society, but it is debated whether it was a societal norm, institutionalized, or a rare occurrence. Certainly this would give rise to conflict between Hunnic rulers.

In 434 AD, with the death (possibly murder) of Ruga,  Attila and his brother Bleda were named co-rulers of the Hunnic empire. At this point of time the Huns were bargaining with the Eastern Roman Empire for the return of a few Hunnic turncoats who had taken refuge in the empire. The next year the brothers met the imperial legation at Margus and negotiated a successful treaty. The Romans agreed to double their tribute, open their markets to Hunnic traders and pay a random of eight solidi for each captured Roman soldier. After this, the Huns went back to the Great Hungarian Plain.

During the absence of the Huns, Theodosius II used the opportunity to build a second set of walls around the Constantinian Walls of Constantinople. This resulted in a double-walled city that deterred most attackers well into the medieval age and even the Renaissance.

For the next few years, the Huns stayed away from the Romans as they turned their gaze to the Sassanid Empire, and invaded through the Caucasus mountains. However, this invasion failed as the hordes were defeated in Armenia, even before they reached the Persian heartland.

Then, they turned back to the Romans. They attacked settlements along the lower Danube, starting from Margus, where Attila demanded that a bishop return property that the former regarded as his. While the Romans and Huns were negotiating, the bishop slipped
away and betrayed the city to them.

Next they attacked cities in Illyricum. Around this time, Africa fell to the Vandals, and the Sassanid Shahanshah Yazdegerd II invaded Armenia. Forces were re-deployed from the Balkans to reclaim Africa from the Vandals. This allowed the Huns a clear route through Dalmatia into the Balkans, and they headed for Constantinople, attacking many other cities on the way.

Attila's campaign of 443 AD was largely a success. Armed with new weapons such as siege towers and battering rams, they were able to defeat every city and armed force sent against them. They defeated a Roman army at the walls of Constantinople, but turned back as the double-walled city was too tough to crack, even for them.

Theodosius admitted defeat and sent the magister militum per Orientem to negotiate peace terms. This time Attila demanded 6000 Roman pounds, the yearly tribute to triple to 2100 Roman pounds, and 12 solidi for every Roman captive. In addition, a large strip of depopulated land was gifted to him somewhere along the Danube to show off his power and triumph over the Romans.

Around 445 AD the Huns withdrew from Constantinople, and Bleda died, possible because Attila wanted the throne for himself. Without any other heir to the throne, Attila was now sole king of the Hunnic empire.