Attila

Attila came to power in 434 after the death of his uncle Rugila, ruling jointly with his brother Bleda, and alone from about 445. Through the Treaty of Margus he doubled the tribute from the Eastern Roman Empire, and in the 440s he campaigned in the Balkans.

In 451 he invaded Gaul and met the combined army of Aetius and the Visigoths on the Catalaunian Plains; in 452 he entered Italy and turned back after meeting Pope Leo. He died on his wedding night in 453. The Hun empire soon broke up after his death, but his name lives on in Hungary and across the Turkic world.