Attila Essay, Research Paper

Attila was buried in a tomb lined with lead, which represented his conquests, as well as gold and

silver, which represented the tribute he received from both Roman Empires. His tomb was laid to

permanently rest at the bottom of the Theiss River in Hungry. Attila’s saddle, clothes, and

weapons, on the other hand were burned while a group of the Huns best horsemen circled around,

and looking on “having cut their faces deep with knives, so that they may mourn the great warrior

not with tears, but with the blood of men.”. Attila had had many sons, but as they all wrestled for

power after their father’s death, the Hunnic Empire fell to pieces around them. Even Attila’s

favorite son Ernoch, who had been chosen by a great Hun prophet, to raise the Hunnic Empire

back up after his father’s death, was to become of nothing. Thus, by the year 469 AD, the great

Hunnic Confederation, had virtually “scattered to the winds”. In conclusion, the Huns under their

most formidable leader Attila, combined to sap one of the greatest civilizations ever, of both its

wealth and pride. In war, Attila’s fury was unparalleled, and even when calm, the peace

agreements he made were corrosive. Punishing the Romans for becoming weak and living such

decadent lifestyles, the best epitaph for Attila, may just be the one written on a 1500 year old

fresco on a monastery wall in Pavia, Italy, which reads, Attila the Hun – ‘Flagellum Dei’ – the

Scourge of God.