Huns

A drawing of a Hunnic plaque

The Huns came from western China, where they were known as the Xiong-nu. They may have been part of the group of Turkic people (some of whom later became the Ottomans). They lived in China during theHan Dynasty (200-1 BC). Then they seem to have decided to leave China and look for a better place to live. They divided into two groups, a small group and a big group. The small group went south, towards India. But the main group went north-west to Siberia.

These Xiongnu, or Huns , gradually crossed Russia. Like the Persians and the Parthians before them, they may have been driven to move on by bad weather in Siberia, which left them without enough grass for their cows to eat. By 350 AD the Huns were already crossing the steppes toward Europe, pushing the Scythians before them. Various Germanic groups, like the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, were in turn pushed by the Scythians, and tried to get into the Roman Empire where they might find safety. By 378 AD, for example, the Visigoths were desperate enough to fight and win the battle of Adrianople, which moved them into the Roman Empire.

By the early 400's AD, the Huns had learned something about Roman ways, and had a very strong king named Attila. They invaded the weakened Roman Empire, and threatened much of France (Gaul).
But a great Roman general, Aetius (ah-AY-shuss), made an alliance with the Visigoths who were now living in southern France, and together they beat the Huns in a big battle in 451 AD.
Soon afterwards Attila died, and his three sons split his empire between them. The Huns never again became a strong force, and were gradually assimilated into the Germans and the Slavs. Their relatives, the Turks and Mongols, however, later succeeded in taking over much of West Asia as the Ottoman Empire and the Mongol Empire.

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