Scourge of God
Scourge of God
died 453. King of the Huns, called the Scourge of God. He welded the disorganized Scythian warriors into a compact body that became the terror of Europe and Asia. Emboldened by the success of an invasion of the Roman Empire, he swept through Austria, Germany , and Gaul with unheard-of ferocity. Allied Romans and Visigoths defeated him at Chalone, 451 , and averted the peril which menaced Western civilization. Attila went to Italy and laid Lombardy waste, 452 . Approaching Rome, he was met by Pope Leo I near Mantua, and was dissuaded from sacking the city. He died shortly after.