The history of the Huns is very interesting. For the Slavic people, it is interesting in that there is a high probability that the Huns are the ancestors of the Slavs. There are a number of historical documents and ancient writings that reliably confirm that the Huns and Slavs are one people.
It is very important to conduct constant research of our origin, because according to the existing history, our distant ancestors before the arrival of Rurik were a weak and uneducated nation that did not have culture and traditions. According to some scientists, things were even worse, since the disunity of the ancient Slavic tribes prevented the independent management of their lands. Therefore, the Varangian Rurik was called, who laid the foundation for a new dynasty of the rulers of Russia.
For the first time a major study of the Hunnic culture was conducted by the French historian Deguigne. Ono found a similarity between the words "Huns" and "Xiongnu". The Huns were one of the largest peoples who lived on the territory of modern China. But there is another theory, according to which the Huns were the ancestors of the Slavs.
According to the first theoryThe Huns are a mixture of two peoples, one of which is the Ugrians, and the second is the Huns. The first lived on the territory of the lower Volga and the Urals. The Huns were a powerful nomadic people.
Relations between the Huns and China
Representatives of this tribe for many centuries pursued an aggressive policy towards China and had a fairly active lifestyle. They carried out unexpected raids on the provinces of the country and took everything they needed for life. They set fire to dwellings and made slaves of the inhabitants of local villages. As a result of these raids, the lands were in decline, and for a long time the smell of burning and the ashes lifted up hovered above the ground.
It was believed that the Huns, and a little later the Huns, are those who do not know anything about pity and compassion. The conquerors quickly left the plundered settlements on their undersized and hardy horses. In one day, they could travel more than a hundred miles, while engaging in battle. And even the Great Wall of China was not a serious obstacle for the Huns - they easily bypassed it and carried out their raids on the lands of the Celestial Empire.
Over time, they weakened and disintegrated, as a result of which 4 branches were formed. There was a more active ousting of them by other, stronger peoples. In order to survive, the Northern Huns headed west in the middle of the 2nd century. The second time the Huns appeared on the territory of Kazakhstan in the 1st century AD.
Unification of the Huns and Ugrians
Then, once upon a time, a strong and huge tribe met the Ugrians and Alans on the way. With the second relationship they did not work out. But the Ugrians gave shelter to the wanderers. ATIn the middle of the 4th century, the state of the Huns arose. The priority position in it belonged to the culture of the Ugric peoples, while military science was mostly adopted from the Huns.
In those days, the Alans and Parthians practiced the so-called Sarmatian tactics of battle. The spear was attached to the body of the animal, the poet put all the strength and power of the galloping horse into the blow. It was a highly effective tactic that almost no one could resist.
The Huns are tribes that came up with absolutely opposite tactics, less effective in comparison with the Sarmatian. The people of the Huns focused more on the exhaustion of the enemy. The manner of fighting was in the absence of any active attacks or attacks. But at the same time, they did not leave the battlefield. Their warriors were equipped with light weapons and were at a considerable distance from their opponents. At the same time, they fired at the enemies with bows and, with the help of lassoes, threw riders to the ground. Thus, they exhausted the enemy, deprived him of his strength, and then killed him.
Beginning of the Great Migration
As a result, the Huns conquered the Alans. Thus, a powerful union of tribes was formed. But in it the Huns belonged to far from dominant positions. Approximately in the seventies of the 4th century, the Huns migrated across the Don. This incident was the beginning of a new period in history, which in our time is called the Great Migration of Nations. Many people at that time left their homes, mixed with other peoples and formed a completelynew nations and states. Many historians tend to think that the Huns are those who were supposed to make significant changes in world geography and ethnography.
The next victims of the Huns are the Visigoths, who settled in the lower reaches of the Dniester. They were also defeated, and they were forced to flee to the Danube and seek help from Emperor Valentine.
The Ostrogoths put up a worthy resistance to the Huns. But they were awaited by the ruthless reprisal of the Hun king Balamber. Following all these events, peace came to the Black Sea steppe.
Prerequisites for the great conquests of the Huns
Peace continued until 430. This period is also known for the arrival on the historical stage of such a person as Attila. It is directly associated with the great conquests of the Huns, who had many other preconditions:
- end of century drought;
- a sharp increase in humidity in the steppe regions;
- expansion of the forest and forest-steppe zone and narrowing of the steppe;
- significant narrowing of the living area of the steppe peoples who led a nomadic lifestyle.
But somehow it was necessary to survive. And compensation for all these costs could be expected only from the rich and satisfying Roman Empire. But in the 5th century, it was no longer such a powerful power as it was two hundred years ago, and the Hun tribes, under the leadership of their leader Rugila, easily reached the Rhine and even tried to establish diplomatic relations with the Roman state.
History speaks of Rugil as a very intelligent and far-sighted politician who died in 434year. After his death, two sons of Mundzuk, the brother of the ruler, Atilla and Bleda, became candidates for the throne.
Rise of the Huns
This was the beginning of a twenty-year period, which was characterized by an unprecedented rise of the Hunnic people. The policy of subtle diplomacy did not suit the young leaders. They wanted to have absolute power, which could only be obtained by force. Under the leadership of these leaders, there was a union of many tribes, which included:
- Sharp Goth;
- tracks;
- Heruli;
- Gepids;
- Bulgars;
- Acacirs;
- Turklings.
Roman and Greek soldiers also stood under the Hunnic banners, who had a rather negative attitude towards the power of the Western Roman Empire, considering it mercenary and rotten.
What was Attila like?
Atilla's appearance was not heroic. He had narrow shoulders, short stature. Since in childhood the boy spent a lot of time on horseback, he had crooked legs. The head was so large that it was barely supported by a small neck - it swung all the time on it like a pendulum.
His lean face was embellished rather than ruined by deep-set eyes, a pointed chin, and a wedge-shaped beard. Attila, the leader of the Huns, was a rather intelligent and decisive person. He knew how to control himself and achieve his goals.
Besides this, he was a very loving person, having a large number of concubines and wives.
More than anything he valuedgold. Therefore, the conquered peoples were forced to pay tribute to him exclusively with this metal. The same applied to the conquered cities. For the Huns, precious stones were ordinary, worthless pieces of glass. And there was a completely opposite attitude towards gold: this weighty precious metal had a noble luster and symbolized immortal power and we alth.
Killing a brother and seizing power
The Huns' invasion of the Balkan Peninsula was carried out under the command of a formidable leader with his brother Bleda. Together they approached the walls of Constantinople. During that campaign, more than seven dozen cities were burned, thanks to which the barbarians were fabulously enriched. This raised the authority of the leaders to unprecedented heights. But the leader of the Huns wanted absolute power. Therefore, in 445 he killed Bleda. From that time begins the period of his sole reign.
In 447, an agreement was concluded between the Huns and Theodosius II, which was very humiliating for the Byzantine Empire. According to him, the ruler of the empire had to pay tribute every year and cede the southern bank of the Danube to Singidun.
After Emperor Marcian came to power in 450, this treaty was terminated. But Attila did not get involved in the fight with him, because it could be protracted and take place in those territories that the barbarians had already plundered.
Trip to Gaul
Atilla, the leader of the Huns, decided to make a trip to Gaul. At that time, the Western Roman Empire was already almost completely morally decayed, therefore it wastasty prey. But here all the events began to develop not according to the plan of a smart and cunning leader.
Roman legions were commanded by the talented commander Flavius Aetius, the son of a German and a Roman woman. Before his eyes, his father was killed by the rebellious legionnaires. The commander had a strong and strong-willed character. In addition, in the distant times of exile, they were friends with Attila.
Expansion was caused by the request of Princess Honoria for betrothal. Allies appeared, including King Genseric and some Frankish princes.
During a campaign in Gaul, the kingdom of the Burgundians was defeated and razed to the ground. Then the Huns reached Orleans. But they were not destined to take it. In 451, a battle took place on the Catalaunian Plain between the Huns and the army of Aetius. It ended with Attila's retreat.
In 452 the war resumed with the barbarian invasion of Italy and the capture of the strongest fortress of Aquileia. The whole valley was robbed. Due to the insufficient number of troops, Aetius was defeated and offered the invaders a large ransom for leaving Italian territory. The campaign ended successfully.
Slavic question
After Attila was fifty-eight years old, his he alth was seriously undermined. In addition, the healers were unable to cure their ruler. And it was not as easy for him to cope with the people as before. Constantly breaking out uprisings were suppressed quite brutally.
Sergeant Ellak's son, together with a huge army, was sent for reconnaissance towards the Slavic territories. The ruler was looking forward to itreturn, as it was planned to carry out the campaign and conquer the territory of the Slavs.
After the return of his son and his story about the vastness and we alth of these lands, the leader of the Huns made a rather unusual decision for him, offering friendship and patronage to the Slavic princes. He planned the creation of their united state in the empire of the Huns. But the Slavs refused, as they valued their freedom very much. After that, Atilla decides to marry one of the daughters of the prince of the Slavs and thus close the issue of owning the lands of the recalcitrant people. Since the father was against such a marriage of his daughter, he was executed.
Marriage and death
The wedding, like the lifestyle of the leader, had the usual scope. At night, Atilla and his wife retired to their chambers. But the next day he didn't come out. The warriors were worried about his so long absence and knocked out the doors of the chambers. There they saw their ruler dead. The cause of death of the warlike Hun is unknown.
Modern historians suggest that Atilla suffered from hypertension. And the presence of a young temperamental beauty, excessive amounts of alcohol and high blood pressure became the explosive mixture that provoked death.
There is a lot of conflicting information about the burial of the great warrior. The history of the Huns says that the burial place of Attila is the bed of a large river, which was temporarily blocked by a dam. In addition to the body of the ruler, a lot of expensive jewelry and weapons were placed in the coffin, and the body was covered with gold. Aftercarrying out the funeral, the river bed was restored. All participants in the funeral procession were killed in order to avoid disclosing any information about the burial place of the great Atilla. His grave has not yet been found.
The end of the Huns
After the death of Attila, the Hunnic state began to decline, since everything was based solely on the will and mind of its deceased leader. A similar situation was with Alexander the Great, after whose death his empire completely crumbled. Those state entities that exist thanks to robberies and robberies, moreover, do not have any other economic ties, instantly collapse immediately after the destruction of just one link.
454 is known for the fact that there was a separation of motley tribes. This led to the fact that the tribes of the Huns could no longer threaten the Romans or the Greeks. This could be the main cause of death of the commander Flavius Aetius, who was mercilessly stabbed to death by the sword of the emperor of the Western Roman Empire Valentinian during a personal audience. It is said that the emperor cut off his right hand with his left.
The result of such an act was not long in coming, since Aetius was practically the main fighter against the barbarians. All the remaining patriots in the empire were rallied around him. Therefore, his death was the beginning of the collapse. In 455, Rome was captured and sacked by the Vandal king Genseric and his army. In the future, Italy as a country did not exist. She was more like fragments of the state.
For more than 1500 years there has been no formidableleader Atilla, but his name is known to many modern Europeans. He is called the "scourge of God", which was sent to people because they did not believe in Christ. But we all know that this is far from being the case. The king of the Huns was the most ordinary person who really wanted to command a huge number of other people.
His death is the beginning of the decline of the Hunnic people. At the end of the 5th century, the tribe was forced to cross the Danube and ask for citizenship from Byzantium. They were given land, "the territory of the Huns", and this is where the history of this nomadic tribe ends. A new historical stage began.
Neither of the two theories about the origin of the Huns can be completely refuted. But we can say for sure that this tribe has had a strong influence on world history.
