Two empires saw Attila as a punishment sent by God, yet his name probably meant “Little Father.” This episode separates propaganda from strategy using the accounts of Priscus, the Byzantine diplomat who met him in person. We explore Hunnic society of mounted archers armed with composite bows, Attila’s restrained personal style, the dual kingship with his brother Bleda, and the Treaty of Margus negotiated on horseback.

We follow his campaigns in the Balkans using siege engines learned from conquered peoples, Honoria’s ring and the dowry he demanded, and the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains against Flavius Aetius. We look at the invasion of Italy, the refugees whose settlements helped found Venice, the practical reasons behind his meeting with Pope Leo I, his death on his wedding night, and the rapid collapse of his empire.

• Why almost everything we know about Attila comes through the biased eyes of his Roman enemies
• How the Huns extracted gold from Rome as mercenaries, trade partners, and extortionists
• Why Aetius let a defeated Attila escape to keep the balance of power
• Famine, disease, and the fear of a curse that shaped the retreat from Italy after meeting Pope Leo I
• Esophageal varices, the three nested coffins, the Battle of Nedao, and how Romans and Hungarians reshaped his legacy