18. The Scourge of God
Attila the Hun (406 – 453) was born in the Hungarian Steppe into the Hun royal family, and inherited the crown jointly with his brother Bleda in 434. He ruled a multi-tribal empire that spanned Eastern and Central Europe.
During his reign, 434 – 453, he earned the moniker “The Scourge of God“, as he terrified the civilized world. Attila invaded Persia, terrorized the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, plundered the Balkans, extorted vast sums of gold from Constantinople, and invaded Gaul. Beaten back, he recoiled, then struck into Italy, before drinking himself to death on his wedding night.