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    Attila the Hun

    Character » Attila the Hun appears in 106 issues.

    The ruler of the Hunnic Empire between 434 and 453, during which time he became a feared opponent of the Roman Empire.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Attila the Hun last edited by aphillips17 on 08/09/23 04:20PM View full history

    Origin

    Attila was born c. 406 a.d., the son of Mundzuk, a Hunnic prince. He had at least one sibling, a brother named Bleda. During his youth his uncle, Rugila, was then leader of the Huns, a horse-steppe nomad tribe of Eurasian descent(possible descedants of the Xiognu Empire in Mongolia) , who at that time were ravaging the Roman Empire's holdings. In 434 Rugila died and was briefly replaced with Mundzuk. However, Mundzuk was soon removed from power and replaced by his sons, who ruled together. In 435 Attila and Bleda were able to negotiate for the return of a number of renegades from the Eastern Roman Empire. Also at this meeting the brothers were able to negotiate for an increase in tribute to the Huns from the Roman Empire, raising it to 350 Roman pounds of gold, as well as setting a standard ransom for Roman soldiers captured by the Huns at 8 solidi. Following this diplomatic success the Huns retreated out of Roman territory, and remained so for the following five years. They spent this time attempting to invade the Persian Empire. In 440 they suffered a defeat in Armenia at the hands of the Sassanids, and gave up on their Persian campaign, turning back to Europe. They appeared suddenly and in force on the borders of the Empire, and began attacking merchants and tradespeople. They then crossed the Danube and sacked towns and forts in the province of Illyricum. They advanced at Margus, and Attila demanded that a bishop, who held land that Attila claimed as his own, be turned over. While the Romans discussed this the bishop snuck away and betrayed the city to the Huns.

    During this time the Romans were also under attack from numerous other foes on numerous other fronts, including the Sassanids in Armenia and the Vandals in Africa. Because of this the Romans withdrew many troops from the area where the Huns were invading, allowing the Huns a more or less unimpeded path through the Balkans, which they duly invaded in 441. They sacked a number of cities and took several others, including the modern-day Belgrade. In 442, Roman troops from Sicily were recalled to the Roman Empire, and the the Emperor began preparing for war with the Huns; he refused to give into any of the Huns' demands, as he still believed he could defeat the invaders. In 443 the brothers redoubled their invasion efforts. They proceeded along the Danube and, utilizing new weaponry such as battering rams, were able to sack and capture cities as they moved inwards. They destroyed an army at Constantinople, but were prevented from taking the city by the fortifications. They moved instead to Callipolis, where they destroyed another army. The Emperor conceded defeat and negotiated for a treaty, the terms of which ultimately proved to be harsher than those offered to him in 442. They were forced to pay a penalty for disobeying the treaty, and the yearly tribute which they paid to the Huns was tripled. As well, the ransom for a Roman soldier was raised by 4 solidi. The Huns again withdrew into their empire.

    In about 445 Bleda died, apparently in a hunting accident, though this hasn't stopped rampant speculation that Attila might have had a hand in his death. It has also been suggested that Bleda may have attacked Attila first, and that Attila killed him in self-defense. In either case, Attila took over sole rule of the Huns after this point. In 447 Attila again attacked the Eastern Roman Empire, meeting and defeating the Roman Army at the Battle of Utus. He proceeded on to Marcianople, which he conquered and sacked, before continuing mostly unopposed through the Balkans towards Constantinople. He was unable to sack the city by the hasty reconstruction of the walls, and turned back and continued ravaging the countryside until he was turned back at Thermopylae. In 448 he was given a treaty which again increased the yearly tribute, and also established a wide no man's land area in Roman territory. In 450 he turned his sights on the Visigoth territory of Toulouse. He formed an alliance with the Western Roman Emperor, Valentinian III, to allow him to attack Toulouse. In the Spring of 450 Valentinian's sister, Honoria, sent Attila a letter asking for his help in escaping an arranged marriage. Along with the letter she sent her engagement ring. it is unclear if she intended a proposal of marriage, but Attila accepted it as such and asked that he be given half of Western Europe as her dowry. When her brother discovered the plan he banished Honoria and told Attila that the proposal, if it was such, was not a legitimate one. Attila nonetheless sent an emissary saying that he intended to claim what was his. He took the letter as an excuse to invade, and began to march west in 451. He marched through Belgica, and into Gaul, taking a number of famous cities, including Metz, Amiens, and Paris. He attempted to invade Orleans but was turned back by the combined forces of the Romans and the Visigoths. He then turned towards Chalons, but was defeated there in the Battle of Chalons. Attila and the Huns retreated in disarray.

    By 452 he had decided to attempt to claim Honoria again, and invaded Italy. He sacked several cities, including Aquileia, which was razed completely. The Roman Army continued to harass and slow his progress, but he continued to the River Po, where it is possible he stopped because of illness and starvation in his camps. Envoys were sent to him outside of Mantua to negotiate peace. Italy, which was presently suffering from an intense famine only worsened by the invasion, was hardly worth conquering, and some of the troops he had left behind were getting attacked, so Attila agreed to peace and withdrew. He began to plan again for an invasion of Constantinople, partly to reclaim the tribute which had been stopped while he was occupied in the West. In the early months of 453, however, he died at the age of 47. It is generally believed that he suffered a nosebleed while drunk and drowned in his own blood. However, others have suggested that he experienced an internal hemorrhage due to drinking, or that he was murdered by his new wife, Ildico, or his many political enemies.

    The Hunnic Empire did not live long past its most famous leader. His son Ellac was appointed his official successor, but two other sons, Dengizich and Ernakh, fought over the division of the legacy, and the Hun empire was soon separated and defeated by their former germanic vassals. The rest of the huns under Ellac returned to the steppes

    Later rulers of the Bulgar Khanate (the Dulo Dynasty) claimed descent from Attila thought his son Ellac.

    In Comics

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    When Attila died, he was resurrected as part of the ruling class of vampires in Dracula's Resurrection due to his remarkable cruelty. Since Attila would have been widely considered the most cruel vampire in Resurrection, there is a strong possibility that he might have held power before Vlad Tepes Dracula died on Earth and arrived in Hell (another term for Resurrection). Since vampires age backwards, starting at the time of their death on Earth and ending in a fetus-like stage, Dracula foresaw Attila's use and preserved his lifespan using a Dark Kiss. This allowed Attila to remain as young and as brutal as he did when he was in his prime of carnage-making on Earth. In Requiem: Chevalier Vampire, he is called Attila de Dracula.

    His major appearance was during the Danse Macabre when Requiem and Otto returned as conquering heroes of the attack on 23rd-Century London. Attila did not seem particularly interested in anything, not even the fight between Requiem and Charnel the Demoniac, but instead was focused solely on the fact that Requiem resembled another vampire named Thurim. The very close resemblance in physical structure and fighting style sent Attila into a tizzy that was only calmed by the mysterious Black Sabbat. Later, after Requiem had vanquished Charnel, Black Sabbat mentioned that Requiem was still an honorable and chivalrous man. Attila had no patient for such nonsense and tried to bash Requiem into a bloody paste, but, again, was put back into the realm of reason by Black Sabbat.

    Powers and Abilities

    Attila de Dracula has inherited most, if not all, of the abilities that define a traditional vampire by coming to Resurrection. He is incredibly strong, agile, and bloodthirsty. He has shown to outmatch Requiem in both combat and ferocity by almost killing him more than once in their set of brief encounters. His major weaknesses are that he is quick to anger and he is not as intelligent or conniving as most other vampires. He is very straightforward and brutal, just as he was when he lived on Earth and brought death to millions.

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