Attila the Hun (c. 400-453) lived to about the age of 50 and led the Hun nation for almost 20 years (434-453). He was one of the most feared rulers in history, and his exploits were known in Europe and Asia at the time of his reign and conquests. When he rose to power, the Huns were more a loosely united confederation of tribes that traveled together than a nation, functioning as a single people generally only for combat. Under Attila’s rule, however, they were united as a single people and nation, with an army estimated to include more than 700,000 warriors.

In his early days as leader of the Huns, Attila never knew defeat, moving from one place to another, wreaking havoc and pillaging all who stood in his way. As he approached the end of his life, however, he began to grow more tired and resorted increasingly to diplomacy and strategic tactics instead of relying on brute force. Attila had several victories against the Roman Empire but allowed the words of Pope Leo the Great to dissuade him from his attack on Rome itself. Attila died of a hemorrhage on the night of his wedding to the daughter of a former rival, Ildico. Although he gained a reputation as a brutal warrior, ferocious and unyielding, his true character was more nuanced than that. Close attention reveals that was a leader just as likely to use prudent diplomatic tactics and manipulation to achieve his ends as he was to use the edge of a sword. Attila serves in this book as a model of leadership in his ability to unite warring factions, gather them together for a common cause, and achieve the greatest victories he could imagine.