Was Attila really defeated at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains?
In 451, Attila led an invasion of Gaul. He first Gaul (modern France) and then his armies continued westwards to lay siege to Orleans. The Roman general Aetius formed an alliance with the king of the Visigoths Theodoric I to repel the Huns. He later also drew in other tribes into an alliance to defeat the Huns. These included Vandals and Franks. The decisive engagement between Attila and the Roman- barbarian alliance was the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. After fierce fighting in which the Gothic king was killed, the Visigothic-Roman alliance was able to force Attila to retreat back to non-Roman lands. This was Attila’s first and only defeat. This was the traditional view of the battle.
However, many historians do not agree with this. The Huns were forced back and they did suffer heavy casualties. However, so too, did the Romans and their copies. The Huns were able to return to their raids and they moved on into Italy and they did not face any opposition.
The great battle was not a great defeat but was only a setback. It seems that it was only at best a temporary setback for Attila.