Attila The Hun: One Of Historys Great Leaders

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Barbarian is defined as, "a rude, coarse or brutal person"(Funk & Wagnalls 50). When one hears the name, Attila the Hun, one tends to think of him in such a negative way. Contrary to this popular belief, Attila the Hun was not a barbarian, but one of history's great leaders. The Hun kingdom was in modern-day Hungry. The Huns were a Turkish-speaking nomadic people. Attila and his brother Belda succeeded their uncle as leaders of the Huns in 434 A.D. Attila was in the junior role, until his brother's death 12 years later. It is often said that Attila murdered Belda to obtain the throne. When Attila became leader he found a rusty old sword; he said it was the sword of Mars. The empire which he inherited was dependent on tribute, without it, the Huns could not survive. Attila brought about a turn of events for his people. To ensure the survival of his people, in 447 AD, Attila launched an invasion of Eastern Europe. Attila created an empire that reached from the Black Sea to Germany. He was known in the west as ‘The Scourge of God'. . Compared to the leaders who had ruled before him, he was aggressive, ambitious, shrewd, intelligent, charismatic, and arrogant. Attila showed his great leadership by his army of magnificent proportions. It is thought to have been the largest army of the late fifth century. Attila also showed his leadership abilities by his motivational speaking. Attila was able to speak to his soldiers before battle, inspiring them to fight even harder. Finally, Attila revealed himself as a great leader in his ability to be a military strategist. The battle of Chalons, in which Attila fought, was one of the most decisive battles in history. One of the most important factors in Attila being a great leader was his army.

Attila had an army of amazing proportions for the fifth century. Attila was able to make his army so large by taking the men from conquered cities and forcing them into his army. His army grew so large it invoked fear throughout the people of Europe. Ancient accounts from the time say that the number of men in Attila's army, " range between 300,000 and 700,000 for the army of the Huns. Whatever the size, it was clearly enormous for the fifth century AD" (I'm a Barbarian). Other accounts say that the size of Attila's army at the battle of Chalons was actually half a million men in...

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