Product Description

The name Attila, the Hun, has become a byword for barbarism, savagery and violence. His is a truly household name, but what do we really know about the man himself, his position in history and the world in which he lived? This riveting biography reveals the man behind the myth. In the years 434-454 AD, the fate of Europe hung upon the actions of one man, Attila, king of the Huns. The decaying Roman empire still stood astride the Western World, from its twin capitals of Rome and Constantinople, but it was threatened by a new force, the much-feared Barbarian hordes. It was Attila who united the Barbarian tribes into a single, amazingly-effective army. He launched two violent attacks against the eastern and western halves of the Roman empire, attacks which earned him his reputation for mindless devastation, and brought an end to Rome's pre-eminence in Europe. Attila was coarse, capricious, arrogant, ruthless and brilliant. An illiterate and predatory tribal chief, he had no interest in administration, but was a wily politician, who, from his base in the grasslands of Hungary, used secretaries and ambassadors to bring him intelligence on his enemies. He was a leader whose unique qualities made him supreme among tribal leaders, but whose weaknesses ensured the collapse of his empire after his death.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121868 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

The Times
'This bright, engaging and breezy book ... suits the tenor of our times.'

From the Back Cover
Attila the Hun is a household name – a byword for barbarism and violence – but to most of us the man himself, his world and his place in history have remained elusive. Until now.

For a crucial twenty years in the early 5th century AD, Attila held the fate of the Roman Empire and the future of Europe in his hands. In numerous raids and three major campaigns he and his warriors earned an undying reputation for savagery, and his empire briefly rivalled that of Rome, reaching from the Rhine to the Black Sea, the Baltic to the Balkans.

Attila’s power derived from his astonishing character. He may have been capricious, arrogant and ruthless, but he was brilliant enough to win the loyalty of millions: his own people thought him semi-divine while educated Westerners were proud to serve him. From his base in the grasslands of Hungary, this ‘scourge of God’ so very nearly dictated Europe’s future…

Drawing on his extensive travels in the barbarian heartland and his experience with the nomadic traditions of Central Asia, John Man’s riveting biography reveals the man behind the enduring myth of Attila the Hun.

‘Racy and imaginative…sympathetically and readably puts flesh and bones on one of history’s most turbulent characters’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Meteoric and momentous…fascinating reading’ Guardian

About the Author
John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford, the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies. His Gobi: Tracking the Desert (Weidenfeld, 1997) was the first book on the subject in English since the 1920s. He is also the author of The Atlas of the Year 1000, (Penguin 1999), Alpha Beta (Headline, 2000) on the roots of the Roman alphabet, The Gutenberg Revolution (Headline 2002) on the origins and impact of printing, and the bestselling Genghis Khan. His latest book, Kublai Khan, is now available from Bantam Press.

Customer Reviews

Atilla the Hun - John Mann
I was in two minds whether to buy this book, having read Paul Cassidy's review, which pretty much summed up how I felt after reading the author's Ghenghis Khan. I did buy it, however, and am glad I did. Apart from an overlong account of the resurrection of mounted archery, John Mann successfully paints a picture of Atilla, the Huns, the decaying Roman empire and an age that has left little by way of contemporary written history. He does this in a readable narrative style, clearly points out where the facts are thin and speculation needed, and debunks many of the myths that grew over the centuries following Atilla's death and are accepted by many today as fact. I enjoyed reading it.

A Compelling Read
Is it me, or are modern days authors making historical books that much more readable. Most of the historical books I have read recently are far removed from the dusty old volumes that lay mouldering in the bookcase or on the shelves of the library. Mainly, I believe because the contents inside the book are as dry and dusty as the outside and of little value to anyone other than a scholar.

This book is written with a light touch, making it refreshingly readable without straying from the facts. If more books were written in this way, history would become a rare treat, rather than something that is there mainly for the academic.

Although most schoolboys know the name Attila, a man who was known for his barbarism, and some may even be able to tell you that he was instrumental in holding the fate of the Roman Empire in his hands. Very little else is known about the man himself and the warriors he led.

In the early 5th century AD Attila and his warriors earned an undying reputation for savagery, the like of which had never been seen. His empire briefly rivalled that of Rome, reaching from the Rhine to the Black Sea, the Baltic to the Balkans.

An amazing source of information - not only about the Huns
Here come the 5th century Hell's Angels, attempting to build an empire based almost entirely on conquest, no administration, no proper trade and skills exchange, etc. and if you want to get out...Attila's brother will impale you!
This book takes you on a journey through the Hun empire, as well as the Roman empire, and partially the crumbling Roman empire. Yes, the title is Attila the Hun, but John Man does a great job at setting the scene. For example when the Visigoths cross the Danube into the Roman Empire, when the Huns come, how Roman envoys are led to the Huns, the geography of Hun country, Attila's campaign into Gaulle, Roman life in Gaulle outposts, etc. Given the fact that the Huns did not keep written accounts, that some accounts changed language three, four times, and some of the practices, such as mounted archery were entirely lost, it seems that this book must have required an incredible amount of research.

The reader must not expect to get to know Attila and the Huns like many expect, it's a historian's book, not a sandal movie!