The Huns painted by Europeans

The English name of the Huns is hun, which is also synonymous with destroyers and barbarians. From this, we can see the horrible memory of the Europeans towards the Huns. In the 1st century AD, the Northern Huns, who had become "lost dogs" in the East, gradually fled westward, and finally penetrated deep into the hinterland of Europe. They not only regained their former glory, but also triggered major changes in European society, thereby changing European history.

◆The Northern Huns withdrew from the Mongolian Plateau. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty fiercely counterattacked the Xiongnu, which greatly damaged the Xiongnu's vitality. In the late Western Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu split. Huhanxie Chanyu led his troops to surrender to the Han Dynasty, while the Zhizhi Chanyu who fled to Central Asia and became enemies of the Han Dynasty was also regarded by Han general Chen Tang as "those who openly invade the strong Han Dynasty. They were eliminated on the grounds that "if they are far away, they will be punished", and the relationship between Han and Hungary moved toward reconciliation. In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, anti-Han forces among the Xiongnu nobles re-emerged, causing the Xiongnu to split again. The Southern Xiongnu submitted to the Han Dynasty, while the Northern Xiongnu insisted on being enemies of the Han and often launched plunders against the Southern Xiongnu and Han people.

At that time, the Eastern Han Dynasty had just been established and the national strength was still in the recovery period. Therefore, it was not until the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty that a counterattack against the Northern Huns was launched. In 73 AD, the Han army launched a four-pronged attack on the Northern Xiongnu. Dou Gu and Geng Zhong's Han army pursued them all the way to the Tianshan Mountains and captured Yiwu (today's Hami, Xinjiang). During the reign of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, he launched a counterattack against the Northern Huns. In 89 AD, Dou Xian and Geng Bing led the Han army to defeat the Northern Huns and pursued them all the way to Yanran Mountain (today's Hangai Mountain in Mongolia). In 91 AD, the Han army attacked the Northern Xiongnu again and defeated the Shanyu in Jinwei Mountain (today's Altai Mountains). The Northern Shanyu had to flee westward. At this point, the Eastern Han Dynasty achieved a comprehensive victory in the war against the Northern Huns. However, the Northern Huns, who were enemies of the Han, were attacked by the Han and the Southern Huns. They could no longer gain a foothold on the Mobei Mongolian Plateau and had to withdraw from the Mongolian Plateau and flee westward.

◆The first stop of the Northern Xiongnu’s westward migration: the Ili River Basin

Rather than moving westward, it is more appropriate to say they fled westward. After Bei Shanyu was defeated in 91 AD, he led his remnants to flee west to the Wusun Kingdom in the Ili River Basin. After he established a foothold, he still haunted the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains to plunder. In 119 AD, the Northern Xiongnu captured Yiwu (now Hami, Xinjiang) and killed the Han general Suoban. In order to deal with the Northern Huns in the Western Regions, the Eastern Han Dynasty appointed Ban Yong as the Chief Historian of the Western Regions and stationed troops in Liuzhong (today's Turpan, Xinjiang). Ban Yong defeated the Northern Huns twice in 124 and 126 AD, and the situation in the Western Regions began to stabilize. After Ban Yong resigned, the Northern Xiongnu forces re-emerged. In 137 AD, Han general Feicen led his army to kill King Huyan of the Northern Xiongnu in Barkol (now Barkol, Xinjiang). In 151 AD, Han general Sima Da led the Han army to attack Puleihai (today's Barkol Lake in Xinjiang) defeated the new Huyan King of the Northern Huns. King Huyan led the Northern Huns to retreat westward again, kicking off the second flight to the west.

◆The second stop of the Northern Xiongnu’s westward migration: the Syr Darya River Basin

The Syr Darya River is an inland river in Central Asia. It flows through today’s Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other countries, and flows into Aral Sea. In the Han Dynasty, this was the state of Kangju. The Northern Huns were counterattacked by the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions and could no longer gain a foothold. Around 160, part of the Northern Huns began to move west again and came to Kangju State in the Syr Darya River Basin. As for the activities of the Northern Huns in Kangju, it is unknown due to the lack of historical records.

◆The third stop of the Northern Huns’ westward migration: east of the Don River and north of the Caspian Sea

Around 290 AD, the Northern Huns appeared in the Alan Kingdom east of the Don River. This period of history is recorded in my country's "Northern History." There are records in "The Biography of the Western Regions" and the "History" of the Roman Empire. The Northern Huns killed the king of Alan and completely conquered Alan.

◆The fourth stop of the Northern Huns' westward migration: west of the Don River and east of the Danube River

With the rest and supplies in the Alan Kingdom, the Northern Huns completely recovered their strength, plundered, Their greedy nature made them covet the grasslands west of the Don River. In 374 AD, the Huns, led by Great Dan Yu Balamboer, crossed the Don River and launched an attack on the Ostrogoths. The Ostrogoths were no match for the Huns. After a fierce battle, they were still defeated. Some Ostrogoths had no choice but to flee westward to the Visigoths. The Huns followed them and pursued them to the place where the Visigoths lived. The Visigoths set up military formations on the Dniester River (which flows through today's Ukraine and Moldova), preparing to meet the Huns. The Huns secretly crossed the river from the upper reaches of the Dniester River at night, and then attacked the Visigoths. Behind the military formation, the Visigoths were defeated and had to flee west to the Danube River. Later, with the approval of the Roman Emperor, the Eastern and Visigoths were able to cross the Danube and take refuge in the Roman Empire. After that, due to the cruel oppression of the Goths by the Roman Empire, the Goths were forced to rebel again. In 378 AD, the Roman Emperor Valens personally conquered the Goths, but was killed by the Goths. The empire suffered a heavy blow. At this time, the Xiongnu temporarily stabilized due to their occupation of the southern Russian steppes.

◆After occupying the South Russian grassland, the activities of the Huns

After defeating the Goths and occupying the South Russian grassland, the Huns were able to rest and recuperate, and their population began to increase rapidly. At the same time, the small Part of the Huns' cavalry was still harassing neighboring countries: one group of Huns crossed the Danube and harassed the Roman Empire together with the Goths; another group of Huns attacked Mesopotamia in 384 AD and captured Ed. Shacheng; and a group of Huns invaded the Sasanian Persian Empire in 396. Overall, during this period, the Huns basically rested in the grasslands of South Russia to accumulate strength for the next large-scale invasion.

◆Activities of Urdin the Great Chanyu of the Huns

In 395, the Roman Empire split into East and West Rome, and at this time the Huns were under the rule of Urdin the Great Chanyu. Uldin was a very ambitious man. He once told the governor of Thrace in the Eastern Roman Empire that he could conquer wherever the sun shines, as long as he is willing. In 400 AD, the Huns, under the leadership of Urdin the Great Chanyu, began a large-scale invasion westward, capturing the entire Danube River Basin in one fell swoop, and once invaded Italy. The chain reaction of this incident was to force the tribes in the Danube River Basin In order to avoid the Huns, they had to march into the hinterland of Western Rome. In 410 AD, the Visigoths captured Rome, the capital of the Western Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire suffered an unprecedented blow. However, Ur-din died before his ambitions could be realized. In 408 AD, Ur-din led his army to harass the Eastern Roman Empire. When he grabbed a large amount of property and prepared to retreat, he was attacked by the Romans. Ur-din Shanyu died on the battlefield like this.

◆The establishment of the Hun Empire

As its territory continued to expand, the Hun Empire, with the Hungarian plain as its center of rule, had been basically established during the reign of Oktar. , the Chanyu royal court was stabilized near today's Budapest, Hungary. This military empire became the most serious threat to the two Roman empires in the east and west. After the death of Uldin Great Chanyu, the Hun Empire fell silent for a period of time. Under the leadership of Oktar Great Chanyu, the Hun Empire began to flourish again. After Oktar's death, his brother Luga inherited the throne. . The Great Chanyu of Luke ravaged Thrace and Macedonia in the Eastern Roman Empire twice in 422 and 426 AD, forcing the Eastern Roman Emperor to pay an annual tribute of 350 pounds of gold to the Hun Empire. After that, the Eastern Roman Empire was forced to pay tribute to the Huns on the border. The Huns Empire opened up mutual trade to ensure peace on the border, and the glory of the Huns was finally restored in the west.

◆The establishment of the rule of Attila the Great Chanyu

In 434, Luga Chanyu died, and his two nephews, Attila and Breda, inherited the throne. The throne, each controls a part of the territory. Soon after they came to the throne, the two Chanyus launched a war against the Eastern Roman Empire, demanding that the Eastern Roman Emperor hand over the Huns' rebellion and double the annual tribute from 350 pounds of gold to 700 pounds of gold. The Eastern Roman Emperor was coerced by force. I had to agree. In 445, the Chanyu of Breda was mysteriously assassinated, and Attila became the only great Chanyu in the Hun Empire. Attila was an even more ambitious guy. Under his leadership, the entire Europe was immersed in fear of the Huns, and the heyday of the Hun Empire came.

◆The Hun Empire in its heyday

After Attila came to power alone, he immediately launched a large-scale war, but the spearhead of the war was directed at Northern and Eastern Europe. In Northern and Eastern Europe, the Anglo-Saxons fled to the British Isles to avoid the Huns, while many Germanic and Slavic tribes were defeated and surrendered to the Huns. After consolidating the east and the north, Attila launched a massive invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire in 447. The Eastern Roman Empire's armies were defeated one after another. The Huns' cavalry penetrated deep into the Dardanelles Strait and Thermopylae in Greece, posing a serious threat to the Eastern Roman Empire. With the safety of Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire was forced to sue for peace. The two sides signed a peace treaty in 448. In addition to the Eastern Roman Empire immediately paying an indemnity of 6,000 pounds of gold to the Huns, the annual tribute also increased from 700 pounds of gold to 2,100 pounds. gold. At this point, the territory of the Huns Empire reached the Caspian Sea in the east, the North Sea in the north, the Rhine River in the west, and the Alps in the south. It was at its peak. After the long-term plunder of the Huns and the heavy burden of annual tribute, the wealth of the Eastern Roman Empire had been basically exhausted. Therefore, Attila the Great Chanyu set his sights on the Western Roman Empire.

◆Attila’s Gallic Wars

In 450, after Attila completed the conquest of the east, north, and south, he pointed his spearhead toward the west. Roman Empire. That year, Attila sent an envoy to Rome, asking to marry Princess Honoria, the sister of the Western Roman Emperor, and asked for half of the Western Roman Empire's land as a dowry. Such an excessive and humiliating request was naturally rejected by the Western Roman emperor, so Attila the Great Chanyu used this as an excuse to launch a war against Western Rome. At that time, Attila gathered a large number of Hun warriors and servants of the conquered peoples, known as 500,000, crossed the Rhine River, and launched an attack on Western Roman Gaul (today's France). The cities in Gaul were destroyed one by one by the Huns like prey on the grassland. Finally, the main force of the Huns army besieged the important town of Orleans in Gaul.

At this time, facing the same enemy, the Western Romans and the Visigoths temporarily put aside their fighting and formed a coalition to rescue Orleans.

Facing the coalition forces, Attila gave up the siege of Orleans and began to maneuver around, looking for opportunities to fight the enemy decisively. On June 20, 451 AD, Attila's Hun army and the Western Roman and Visigothic coalition launched a decisive battle in the suburbs of today's Paris. The battle was very fierce, and after only one day, the number of dead on both sides reached 150,000. In the end, the Visigoth king died in the battle, and the rest of his troops withdrew from the battlefield. The Huns also suffered heavy losses and were unable to attack again, so they had to retreat to the Rhine River. Regain strength.

◆The punishment of the Western Roman Empire by the Scourge of God

In 452, the Hun Empire, which had taken a rest, launched another war against the Western Roman Empire. Tira began to punish Western Rome. The Huns army led by Attila crossed the Alps and invaded Italy. Northern Italy was attacked wildly by the Huns, and all the cities in the north were destroyed by the Huns. After that, the Huns captured the important town of Aquileia and marched directly towards Rome, the capital of the empire. The Western Roman emperor was so frightened that he sent Pope Leo I to negotiate peace with the Huns. At this time, a plague broke out among the Huns, and reinforcements from the Eastern Roman Empire were about to arrive in Rome. Therefore, Attila agreed to negotiate a peace, but before withdrawing, he still threatened that if the Western Roman Emperor did not send his sister Honorius to Princess Ya was sent to the Huns, and he would come to attack Western Rome. In this way, the Romans watched helplessly as the Huns drove away loaded with looted property, leaving only ruins in northern Italy.

◆The mysterious death of Attila and the disintegration of the Hun Empire

In 453, Attila married another girl as his concubine. However, on their wedding night, Attila died mysteriously on the wedding bed. After Attila's death, his sons fought for the position of the Great Chanyu and started a civil war. The Hun Empire collapsed in an instant. The civil war in the Huns Empire gave the enslaved peoples an opportunity. In 454, the Ostrogoths and Gipides formed a coalition and defeated the Huns in Hungary. From then on, the Huns were forced to return to the southern Russian grasslands. In 461, one of Attila's sons attempted to rebuild the Hunnic Empire and launched a war against the Ostrogoths in the Danube Valley, but failed. In 468, he launched another war against the Eastern Roman Empire, and ended up dying on the battlefield. From then on, the Huns gradually fell into silence until they were completely forgotten by history.

Postscript

Shortly after the collapse of the Hun Empire, the Western Roman Empire, which was deeply affected by the ravages of the Huns and the westward migration of barbarians caused by the Huns, also came to a complete end. In 476 AD, German mercenaries captured Arriving in the city of Rome, the last emperor, 6-year-old Romulus, was captured. The Western Roman Empire fell from then on, marking the beginning of the feudal era in Europe.