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Attila the Hun is one of the most infamous conquerors and warriors in history. He ruled a large nomadic confederation known as the Huns. Attila either as sole or as co-ruler ruled a large empire, that was centred on the vast plains of central Europe and included much of modern Ukraine. His name is associated with the final days of the western Roman Empire and it is widely assumed that he played a significant role in the downfall of Rome. This work will examine the impact of the legendary warrior on the Roman Empire. It will discuss the impact of his campaigns on both the western and the eastern Roman Empires. The article will argue that Attila’s invasions of the Roman Empire weakened the western and the eastern Roman Empire. His impact on the western Empire was such that he enabled the Germanic tribes to eventually take over the western regions of what had been the Roman Empire.

No one really knows the origins of the Huns. The great British historian Gibbon believed that they were identical to the Xiongnu tribes who were defeated by Imperial Chinese armies in the third century AD <ref> Edward Gibbon. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (London, Penguin Classics, 2000), p. 454</ref>. The Xiongnu were then forced to migrate to seek new pasturelands for their vast herds of sheep and horses. One source speculates that they were driven further west by attacks from other nomads. Modern historians believe that their origins lie in Central Asia, possibly in the modern nation of Kazakhstan <ref> Heather, Peter. Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2010), p. 134</ref>. What seems likely is that the Huns were not a definite and homogenous group. They may have been an amalgam of many different tribes and peoples. This was common in Central Asia, where diverse groups of tribes formed vast confederations led usually by a great war-leader. From the early 4th century the Huns pressed into the modern Ukrainian Steppe driving the Goths and other tribes before them. The forced unknown numbers to seek refuge in the Roman Empire and this was to destabilize the Empire <ref> Gibbon, p 456</ref>. The Huns core area of activity was in modern Hungary and from here they dominated the surrounding tribes and peoples. They terrorized and forced many people’s to obey their will and soon they began to serve as mercenaries in Roman armies<ref>. Maenchen-Helfen, Otto J. The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1973), p. 113 </ref>. The Huns were largely a nomadic people and had lived in camps all year around, even in the winter. They were expert horsemen, being taught to ride a horse from an early and they were outstanding bowmen. They used the composite bow, to fire arrows quickly and accurately. Because of their increasing contact with other people and especially their interaction with the Romans the Huns were becoming less nomadic<ref> Maenchen-Helfen, p 116</ref>. There is evidence that the Huns constructed large villages and it seems likely that Attila had a capital. The Huns were becoming increasingly indistinguishable from those they had conquered. They full impact of these changes on the Huns is not known<ref> Heather, p 256</ref>. Despite them being referred to as a horde the number of Hunnic warriors was probably not very large. Modern historians believe that at most that there were approximately twenty thousand thousand Hun warriors. The army of the Hums were inflated by their contributions from subject peoples or their allies. The Huns success was also due to the fact that the Roman Empire was divided<ref> Heather, p. 345</ref>. The west and east of the Empire were ruled by two different emperors who were often rivals and suspicious of each other. The two parts of the Empire rarely cooperated and had become very different societies.

[[File: Hun 8.jpg |200px|thumb|left|] A modern recreation of the Huns]