Bonus Fact #1: Although Attila and his Huns are commonly associated with Hungary, where their descendants later ruled, recent research suggests that his people actually originated from Kazakhstan.
Bonus Fact #2: When Attila's reign began, he had a brother named Bleda who ruled over another tribe of Huns. Though they fought together against Rome at first, Bleda later died mysteriously and some stories claim that Attila murdered him.
Bonus Fact #3: The Huns were not always enemies of the Romans: they often fought for them as allied mercenaries. Western Roman general Flavius Aetius, later Attila's chief opponent, first made a name for himself leading Hunnic mercenaries to victory.
Bonus Fact #4: With his sights set on Western Rome, Attila took advantage of a schism between the emperor and his sister. She had sent him a plea for help: he took it as a excuse to declare her his fiancée and claim half of the empire in "her" name.
Bonus Fact #5: Far from the barbarian stereotype of huts and horses, Attila lived in a wooden castle and kept a lively court of retainers. When he died, they held a grand feast in his honor and buried him in a triple casket of gold, silver, and iron.