Invasion of

the Huns

Elmar and Tim

 • Context
o Quick Introduction
o The first Hunic Conquest
Content • Topic
o First encounter with Rome
o Demographic,
o Economic Effects
o Sack of Rome
Quick
Introduction
Context
Quick
Introduction
• Emerged from Central Asia in the 4th
century AD.
• Nomadic people with a reputation for
ruthlessness.
• King Attila
• Vast empire stretching from the Danube
River to the Caspian Sea.
• Westward expansion brought conflict
with the Roman Empire, which they
raided and invaded along the Danube
frontier.
Quick Introduction
• The Huns' presence in Europe triggered a massive migration
• Attila's reign witnessed a series of devastating invasions of the Roman
Empire.
• The battle ended in a stalemate, but it demonstrated Attila's military
might and the empire's vulnerability.
• Despite their formidable presence, the Hunnic Empire began to decline
after Attila's death in 453 AD.
The first Hunic Conquest
The first Hunic Conquest
• Europe in the 4th century.
• The reasons for their invasion
are unknown.
• Invaded the Pontic steppes,
forcing the Goths to seek refuge
in the Roman Empire.
• The Huns defeated the Alans
and the Greuthungi.
Alans and Greuthungi
The Alans:

• Nomadic Iranian people from the Pontic steppe.

• Skilled horsemen and warriors, played a role in Roman migrations.
• Conquered by Huns, some integrated into Germanic tribes.

The Greuthungi:

• Germanic people from the northern Black Sea region.

• Known for their war chariots and conflicts with Rome.
• Continued to exist despite defeats, leaving a cultural imprint.
The first Hunic Conquest
• Most Greuthungi submitted to the
Huns, but some fled to the
Thervingi.
• The Thervingi and the
Greuthungi crossed the Danube
River and asked for asylum in the
Roman Empire.
• The Romans allowed the Goths
to settle in the Empire, but this
led to a war that lasted for more
than five years.
First encounter
with Rome

Topic
First Encounter with Rome
• In 374 the Huns allied with Goths and the Alans to cross Danube into
Thrace
• Huns and Goths pushed back Romans, but eventually made peace
• Huns returned to territory beyond Danube, Goths settled in Thrace
• Huns raided Scythia Minor in 384, Greuthungi fled into Thrace under
Odotheus
• Huns appeared to be in possession of Pannonia in 384
First Encounter with Rome
First Encounter with Rome
• Romans hired Hunnic mercenaries to defeat the Juthungi tribe, but
refused to return to own country and began to raid Gaul and Alamanni
(Two other Germanic tribes)
• Huns fought with Theodosius against Magnus Maximus
• Huns involved in raids in Balkans in 392, some settled in Thrace and
used as auxiliaries by Theodosius
• These Huns turned against Romans and were wiped out in 401
Effects

Topic
Demographic effects on Rome
• Forced Germanic tribes to seek
refuge within the Roman
Empire
• Gothic revolt in 377
• Numerous attacks on Rome
forced it to reallocate resources
away from the people
Visigoth Warrior
 Constant War led to unrest
within the Empire

Economic and Taxes increased to fund

Social Effects military expenditures

Agricultural outputs suffered

because of conscription
Sack of Rome
• 410 AD
• Visigoths motivated by the Huns
sacked the city of Rome
• Symbolic blow to the empire's
prestige and power.

Sack of Rome
Conclusion
• The Huns, although their empire gradually disintegrated,
played a significant role in the downfall of the Western Roman
Empire.
• Their conquests caused widespread disruption and instability,
weakening the empire's defenses and contributing to its internal
collapse.
• The Huns' impact on the Roman Empire helps to understand the
decline and fall of great civilizations.
Sources
• https://deadliestfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Visigothic_Warrior
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Huns
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(410
• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/792915078116379214/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BICq0r5ke7c
• https://alchetron.com/Pontic%E2%80%93Caspian-steppe