There are few individuals who have imprinted themselves as permanently on history as Attila the Hun, but although his name is widely remembered, remarkably few know anything about his achievements in detail and remarkably little has been written about him. The barbarian tribes had always been a thorn pricking the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, but Attila presented a whole new level of threat as he scythed West through all who stood in his way. – Very Highly Recommended
NAME: Attila The Hun, Arch-Enemy of Rome FILE: R2825 AUTHOR: Steve R Dunn PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: hard back PAGES: 304 PRICE: £19.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: Attila, Huns, Asian invasions, light horsemen, fast movement, mounted warfare, Roman decline, late Roman Empire, Roman withdrawal, vulnerable Rome
ISBN: 1-78159-009-5
IMAGE: B2825.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/y2l2vuml LINKS: DESCRIPTION: There are few individuals who have imprinted themselves as permanently on history as Attila the Hun, but although his name is widely remembered, remarkably few know anything about his achievements in detail and remarkably little has been written about him. The barbarian tribes had always been a thorn pricking the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, but Attila presented a whole new level of threat as he scythed West through all who stood in his way. - Very Highly Recommended The history of Rome is of continuing expansion to the boundaries of the known world, with a triumph of the Legions over whoever stood in their way. There will be debate over why this expansion took place, and about how solid the Roman military successes were. Certainly, the Roman Legions invaded Britain and expanded North into the furthest corners of what is now Scotland. They built a fixed defensive line from the Clyde to the Forth but they also built roads and forts much further North, before deciding to retreat South the build a new defensive line that we know as Hadrian's Wall. Elsewhere, the Roman Legions advanced and then held those positions, although there was continuing warfare with the Germanic tribes. It was only in the final years that the Roman Empire faltered and began to fragment, to live on into the Medieval period in its Eastern Empire, centred on Constantinople. There will be debate as to why the Roman Empire fell and why the rump in Constantinople eventually fell. Some will make the claim that new vibrant nations and forces had developed that were stronger. Some will claim that Rome had become corrupt and decadent. Some will claim that the Empire had grown beyond the communications resources necessary to hold it together. Others will simply claim that it had no more worlds to conquer and that once any entity reaches the end of its expansion it can only stagnate and the collapse. Then there are those who claim that the end of Rome was written by a new leader it could not stand against, and that leader was Attila the Hun. The Huns were a nomadic horse people who ranged across Asia towards Europe over a period of time. They perfected the tactics of fast moving horsemen, armed to fight from the horse, and able to live off the land. They had no need for baggage trains and large urban collections of wealth. As a result, they could go where they chose, fight and withdraw to fight again, to avoid strong points and attack the soft targets of nations that had grown rich and soft. That of course is a gross oversimplification of the history of the Hun. Attila led a people who had developed weapons, equipment and tactics well suited to fast moving attacks and were the inventors of the blitz krieg. They wore silk shirts that assisted the removal of arrows and they used recurved and asymmetric bows that were best suited to use from horseback. However, they did develop the skills to besiege strong fortified positions and they did deploy in large numbers, able to take on armies trained in the Roman manner. The author has researched impeccably and produced a book which will be a suitable as a text book on the subject of Attila. It is written in an accessible style and is therefore suitable for any reader, including those developing a general interest in either, or both, the Fall of Rome or the domination by the Huns. The author has started with the background to the Huns, advanced through Attila and concluded with a presentation of the period following his time in history. The arguments are well presented and compelling. This is an important book that provides the history behind the myth and legend.