Kazakh national pedagogical university after Abai хабаршы вестник bulletin «Тарих және саяси-әлеуметтік ғ ылымдар»
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| Key words: The Great Migration of peoples, huns, Аttila, Roman Empire, the Battle of Catalaunian fields.
The Great Migration of Peoples in the IV-VIIth centuries was a turning point in world history. It began with the tribal alliance amongst the Huns and their movement from the depths of Central Asia to Europe. Since ancient times, the Huns (Hunnoi) had inhabited Central Asia. They belonged to the Turkic tribes. As far back as 4th century BCE, the Chinese considered the Huns their most serious opponents. Hun chieftains made real progress in wars with the Han Empire. As one of the leaders of the Great Migration in Eurasia and Europe, Attila occupies a prominent place not only in the history of the Orient but also in the history of the Occident between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. By the middle of the 5th century, relations between the Western Roman Empire and the Hunnic Empire had deteriorated considerably. It became obvious that these forces were on the brink of a great confrontation. The events that took place in the mid-5th century provide evidence of the military might of the Hunnic Empire.
ВЕСТНИК КазНПУ имени Абая, серия «Исторические и социально-политические науки», №3(58), 2018 г. 58
Having accumulated and concentrated his power, Attila, the ruler of the Huns, launched a military campaign against Western Europe and particularly against the Western Roman Empire. Let us turn now to the sources. A contemporary of that age, Prosper Tiro, a native of Aquitaine, called Attila’s campaigns against the West the main event and wrote: Attila, who, after he had his brother murdered became even stronger, forced thousands of neighbouring nations to war, which, as he explained, being a friend of the Romans, he was waging only on the Goths. Once he crossed the Rhine, fear gripped numerous Gallic cities. So our guys (the Romans – authors) and the Goths quickly decided to combine forces to meet the brazen enemy. The patrician Aetius proved himself, as he was able to quickly gather the forces scattered throughout and counter the enemy [1, 9]. In addition to the chronicles, there are archival materials and papal correspondence that are valuable sources for that era, but, unfortunately, they have yet to be the subject of proper analysis; these sources were also not studied in the literature written during the Soviet period. These least addressed sources allow for a reconstruction of the complex vicissitudes of the period considered in this paper. For example, in a letter of 23 April 451 to Marcian (450-457), the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Pope Leo I (the Great) (440-461), made it clear that an understanding between the two Christian Emperors of the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman Empire could have withstood heretical encroachments and Barbarian invasions [2, 41-43]. Why did Attila march on Gaul rather than on Italy? This issue is especially noteworthy. The relationship between Attila and both Roman Empires deteriorated in 450-451. Thus, after the death of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II in July of 450, Marcian, who succeeded him, refused to pay the customary tribute to the Huns. Yet, the Eastern Empire promised Attila’s messengers gifts if Attila came in peace; otherwise, he would be rebuffed. According to Priscus, Attila also sent an embassy to the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III, with a request that Honoria, Valentinian’s sister, be given to him in marriage, together with her share of wealth. However, the emperor refused because Honoria was already married. According to Priscus, the both embassies failed. Attila initially did not know what to do, but, gradually finding tranquillity, he decided to launch a war against the West: However, Attila did not discriminate against the population of the Empire; he was going to fight against the Goths and Franks, against the ruling elite of the Italic peoples to take Honoria with her wealth, as well as to render a service to Gaiseric, the King of the Vandals [3, 98]. Many pieces of jewellery made in the Hunnic polychrome style were found in the steppe zone of Eurasia. Similar items were excavated on the Bosporus, in the barrow in Kerch. The implements found in the barrow are valuable not only as sources that reflect a late stage in the history of the Bosporus but also as references for determining the time of simultaneous burials. The presence of coins bearing the profiles of the Roman Emperors Valentinian I (364-375) and Valentinian II (373-392) were found in a sepulchre in Kerch together with polychrome-style jewellery. Silverware of Byzantine origin, decorative fibulas (pins), and glassware, dated to the end of the 4th century and the first half of the 5th century (the beginning of the Middle Ages), were also found there [4, 10]. Here, we should turn our attention to an episode associated with Honoria, who, being the sister of Emperor Valentinian III, was influential in Rome. According to John of Antioch, a Greek chronicler from the 6th and 7th centuries who, in his turn, referred to Priscus, Honoria was caught in a love affair with Eugenius, the overseer of her estates. Their affair was discovered, Eugenius was then executed, and Honoria was married to a gentleman of the Household, who was a stranger to her. Honoria, embittered with the marriage and with the fact that she had to lead an uneventful life by remaining in her brother’s court, sent her eunuch (Hyacinthus) to Attila asking him for help and proposing marriage and reimbursement for all of the losses that would be caused by her emancipation. On his return to Rome, Hyacinthus hurried to find Honoria [5, 613-614]. Obviously, Valentinian III and his military commander, Aetius, were opposed to the Huns and did not want Honoria to become Attila’s co-ruler even in name. Attila (who was struggling against the Roman Empire) finally had an opportunity to influence the ruling elite in Rome via his ‘pseudo-bride’ Honoria. According to Priscus: having sent an envoy to Valentinian III, Attila claimed Honoria as his wife, and as her dowry he expected half of her father’s wealth, which belonged to her rightfully, because she was a daughter of the Emperor. Since Attila’s ultimatum was refused by the Romans, he responded by preparing all his army for war [6, 99]. Jordanes gave the following account of the actions of Gaiseric, the King of the Vandals, who we mentioned above, at this time: having realized that Attila conceived to ruin the world, Gaiseric, the King of the Vandals, smothering Attila with splendid gifts, spurred him to fight the Visigoths, for fear that Teoderich, the King of the Visigoths, would
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