In the stories of saint’s lives written in the medieval era Attila the Hun was often used as a stock villain. He was called the “Scourge of God” and was understood as a blunt instrument used by God to punish the impious and test the resolve of martyrs. But, Attila certainly did not see himself as the tool of a Christian God that he did not worship. These medieval hagiographies presented Attila as one of history’s most brutal monsters, but is that reasonable? Attila was an ambitious conqueror who sacked and looted his way across Europe, but does that make him all that different from the Caesars? Tune-in and find out how a psalm reading severed head, a marriage proposal, and 11,000 martyred maidens all play role in the story.

The meeting of Attila and Pop Leo I as depicted by Rafael. Note Peter and Paul with swords in the sky!

Works Cited

Harl, Kenneth W. “The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes.” The Great Courses: Ancient History, The Great Courses, 2014.

Kelly, Christopher. Attila The Hun: Barbarian Terror and the Fall of the Roman Empire. Vintage Digital, 2011.

Man, John. Attila: the Barbarian King Who Challenged Rome. Distributed by Paw Prints/Baker & Taylor, 2010.

Marcellinus, Ammianus. The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus During the Reigns of the Emperors Constantius, Julian, Jovianus, Valentinian, and Valens. Project Gutenberg, 2009.