| Attila the Hun | |
|---|---|
| Weapons | Sword of Mars, Lasso, Hunnic Composite Bow, Scythian Axe |
| Origin | Eastern Europe |
| Activities | Conquering Eastern Europe |
| Service | 434-453 AD |
| Battle Status | Won vs Alexander the Great |
| Experts | Sean Pennington (Ancient Combat Specialist) Robert Borsos (Mounted Weapon Specialist) |
"Attila was a barbarian - but he had charisma. For Hungarians, Attila is a hero and a legend." - Robert Borsos
Attila the Hun, the notorious barbarian horseman, who terrorized and ravaged the European Continent;
vs. Alexander the Great, the warrior king, whose brutal tactics carved out one of the largest empires in history.
Stats
- 434 BC - 453 AD
- Height - 5' 6"
- Weight - 145 lbs
- Armor - Leather Lamellar held by silk and leather
- Symbol- Hunnic Composite Bow
Weapons-Kills
- Close Range: Sword of Mars: 117
- Mid Range: Lasso: 30
- Long Range: Hunnic Composite Bow: 354
- Special Weapons: Scythian Axe: 95
- Total: 596 kills
Other weapons the Huns fought with were maces, daggers, lances, javelins and improvised weapons like nets and pickaxes.
During sieges, the Huns used battering rams, siege towers and mining to breach city walls.
While the Huns mostly used straight bladed, double-edged swords, they had also been known to use short, curved swords similer to the Ild.
Deadliest Warrior: Legends weapons:
- Short Range: Hunnic Short Sword, Scythian Axe
- Medium Range: Hunnic Heavy Spear, Hunnic Light Spear
- Long Range: Magyar Composite Longbow, Magyar Composite Shortbow
- Armor: Leather Lamellar, Scale Mail
- Joke Weapon: Fishing Rod
- Final Strike: Attila quickly punches his victim in the chest, then slices the opponent across the chest, causing them to fall to their knees. Attila grabs their head and then rips it off with his bare hands, then tossing it to the side. && cheese
History
There is little historical evidence of the background of the Huns due to their lack of written language, but they are believed to have originated from Northern or Central Asia. While the Huns were considered one of the first empires to inspire the nation of Hungary, the nomadic huns may have began within Mongolia or Kazakhstan and were constantly traveling within the Eurasian Steppe. Attila fought for power of the Hunnic tribes and is believed to have assassinated his relatives to do so.
At first Attila agreed to declare a peace treaty with the Roman Empire and was conquering lesser barbarian tribes. At this time the Hunnic Empire was concentrated in modern-day Hungary, though the nomadic people were comfortable traveling across central and eastern Europe. Attila attempted to invade Persia (Sassanid Empire or Eran) but failed and returned to Europe to invade the Eastern Roman Empire instead, breaking the treaty with raids on boardering cities. The Romans were being overwelmed by both Attila's huns and other barbarians attacking at the same time and so could not launch an effective counter attack, especially since the huns could easily flee with their lighter army.
Attila soon traveled all the way to Gaul (France) where he was now fighting the Visigoths, Celts, Salian Franks, Saxons, Burgundians and the Western Roman Empire but own his army was composed of Huns, Ostrogoths, Franks, Burgundians, Scirii and Gepids. In the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, Attila suffered heavy casualties (Those there is debate over if Attila won the battle or not, the Hunnic army losses were significant).
Attila left Gaul to invade Italy, but quickly stopped the invasion. It is said that Pope Saint Leo I met with Attila in 452 AD and convinced him to stop the invasion of Italy. However many historians claim that Attila used this act of desperation to make a peace treaty because the Huns themselves were desperate. The Hunnic Army was facing a pandemic of diseases and were low on logistics, which better explains Attila's reasoning to stop the conquest.
Although at peace, Attila was secretly rebuilding his army and planning to invade Constantinople, but this would never happen. In 453 AD, while celebrating his wedding with his new future wife Ildico, Attila died from either a severe nosebleed, alcohol poisoning or internal bleeding. His deathbead was covered in blood. Attila's body was burried in an unknown location, those who burried him were executed to keep the location secret. After his death, Attila's sons split the Hunnic Empire, which soon collapsed and merged into other barbarian tribes.
Despite the downfall of the Huns, the Ancient Roman Empire was too overwelmed by the Huns to survive. 23 years later in 476 AD, the Roman Empire fell to their former allies the Visigoths.
Battle
This battle opens with two of Alexander the Great's soldiers pushing a ballista toward a city pillaged by Attila and his men. They slowly turn the crank on the ballista to pull back the band. Inside the city, Attila the Hun is sitting down and having lunch while his men are examining their weapons. They see a flock of birds suddenly take off and realize that something is up ahead. The Macedonian soldier loads the bolt onto the band and, upon Alexander's command, fires it toward Attila's men. One of Attila's men stands up to see what was going on, and is consequently hit with the bolt. Attila gets up and sees Alexander and his men rushing at them, with Alexander on a horse. Attila jumps onto his horse and takes the bow and arrow handed to him by his fellow warrior. The Hun then takes his own bow and arrow and charges at the oncoming soldiers. One of Alexander's men tries to set up his Gastraphetes bow, but is shot by the Hun's arrow. Attila draws his bow and tries to shoot Alexander, but the arrow bounces off his armor. The Hun also tries to shoot Alexander, but Alexander rides in with the Xyston and thrusts it through the Hun, killing him. Attila and his horse run toward Alexander, and Attila attempts to get his lasso around Alexander's neck. This backfires when Alexander grabs the rope and pulls Attila from his horse. Attila yanks on the rope in retaliation and pulls Alexander off his horse as well. Alexander grabs a shield from one of his fallen comrades and draws his Kopis while Attila grabs another shield and pulls out his Scythian Axe. The two begin fighting, and Alexander knocks the shield out of Attila's hands. He attempts to slice Attila, but misses. Attila swings the axe and lodges it into Alexander's shield, pulling on it and removing it from Alexander's hands. Attila then draws his Sword of Mars and the two warriors begin to clash swords. Attila manages to hit Alexander's arm, but as he goes in for the kill, Alexander drops his sword, flips him over, and knocks him into the wall, causing him to lose the Sword of Mars. The two start fighting with their bare hands, until Alexander throws Attila onto the floor. Attila spots his sword on the floor and scrambles to retrieve his sword. Alexander grabs Attila's leg and tries to pull him away from the sword, but Attila kicks Alexander in the face. He tries once again to grab his sword and succeeds. Alexander approaches Attila and is promptly stabbed through the neck. Attila thrusts his sword in the air and yells in victory.
NOTE: One of Alexander's men was not seen to be killed during the simulation, but was shown to have died.
Expert's Opinion
The reason why Attila won was because Attila had the advantage at long range due to the skill and speed of his Hunnic bow, and he was also deadly in a fight at close range. His weapons were also capable of being used from horseback to a greater degree than Alexander.
Trivia
- Some historians believe that the Huns descended from early Mongolian tribes, which can explain the similar fighting style and devotion to the horse and archery. Like Genghis, Attila was buried in a secret location and those who witnessed his burial were executed to keep it secret. Also like Gengis, Attila had multiple wives.
- Like Crazy Horse, there is no official first-person account or image of Attila the Hun. Attila has normally been depicted with messy facial hair and a barbaric appearance with Leather Armor. There are debates over if Attila would look European, similar to Celts or Vikings , or Central Asian, similar to Mongolians or if he was of mixed race.
Gallery
