Europe 453: Sons of Attila

Following his invasion of Italy in 452, Attila returned north of the Danube where he unexpectedly died in early 453. He was succeeded by his many sons—Ellac, Dengizich, Ernak, and others—who soon fell into civil war as they quarrelled over the division of his empire.

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Notes

Akatziri and the “Scythian Kingdom” (Kuban Huns)

Little is known about the region north and east of the Black Sea in the first half of the fifth century, except that in c. 400 a “Scythian King” (almost always assumed to be a Hun) lived in the Kuban region and by the 440s a Hunnic people known as the Akatziri lived east of the Dniester. Although fragmented, the Akatziri were powerful enough that, when the Eastern Romans aligned with all but one of their kingdoms in 447, it took over a year for Attila’s armies to crush them and install his son as their king. After this, Attila contemplated invading Persia, implying that suppressing the Akatziri had bought the periphery of his empire close to the Caucasus. All this suggests that the Akatziri may have extended into the North Caucasus and that the “Scythian King” may have been part of the Akatziri, although this is of course conjecture.

Main Events

452? Hengist and Horsa ▲

In the early 450s, during the reigns of Marcian and Valentinian III, plague devastated Britain. The Britons, who were already suffering from political instability and worried that the Picts and Scoti were preparing for a massive invasion, called a council to decide on the matter and, in concert with a “proud tyrant” traditionally named Vortigern, chose to invite Angles and Saxons from Germania to serve them as foederati. Led by the brothers Hengist and Horsa, the Anglo-Saxons arrived off eastern Britain in three ceols (flat-bottomed warships) and were settled on the island of Thanet. in wikipedia

453 Revolt of Thorismund ▲

In early 453 the Visigothic king Thorismund turned against the Roman Empire and besieged Arelate (Arles), capital of the Praetorian Prefecture of Gaul. These actions brought him into conflict with the Alans, Roman foederati based around Aurelianum (Orléans), but he defeated them in battle north of the Loire. The Western Roman generalissimo Aetius then marched out of Italy into Gaul and made an unsuccessful attempt to break the siege. However, at this point Ferreolus, the praetorian prefect of Gaul, invited Thorismund to a banquet within Arelate and, after some discussion, convinced him to make peace. in wikipedia

453 Death of Attila ▲

In early 453, before the campaign season, Attila took a new wife, named Ildico, but died on his wedding night of a nasal hemorrhage. Although much later sources accuse her of killing him with a knife, at the time it was held that he died of natural causes and “not by treachery”. He was mourned by the Hunnic people and buried at night in a secret location with all his riches. His death, however, soon triggered a succession dispute among his sons. in wikipedia

453 Sons of Attila ▲

After the death of Attila, his many sons argued among themselves over the division of his empire. This quarrel soon led to a civil war, the details of which have been largely lost. Ultimately, however, it seems that the eldest son Ellac managed to secure control of the core region around the Upper Danube while at least some of the other sons—perhaps Ellac’s younger brothers Dengizich and Ernak—agreed to apportion the remaining Hunnic subject tribes among them. in wikipedia