Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. II · Unit 2: The barbarian kingdoms
5. Attila the Hun
Goal: Your child can tell how Attila became the "Scourge of God," how he was beaten at Chalons, and how Rome was spared.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter II (the book gives 433 or 434 to 453 A.D.): young Attila hears a hermit's prophecy, takes the "sword of Tiew" found by a shepherd, and attacks the Roman Empire. At Orleans he turns to face an army of Romans and Visigoths under Aetius and Theodoric and is defeated at Chalons. He invades Italy; people fleeing Aquileia found Venice. Pope Leo I persuades him not to attack Rome. He dies the day after his wedding.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find the Danube again, then Orleans and Chalons in France (the book says Chalons stands in the plain of Champagne). Then find Venice at the top of the Adriatic Sea.
SayThe Huns came from Asia. They were the people who had pushed the Goths across the Danube in the last chapter.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter II aloud. It begins:
The fierce and warlike tribe, called the Huns, who had driven the Goths to seek new homes, came from Asia into Southeastern Europe and took possession of a large territory lying north of the River Danube.
Heads-up: near the end the Huns cut their faces in mourning, and the slaves who dug Attila's grave are killed.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What did the Hermit of the Rocks tell Attila?
- Where did the sword of Tiew come from?
- Who beat Attila at Chalons, and who was lifted on a shield?
- How did the city of Venice begin?
Legend or history?
The book says Pope Leo went to Attila's camp and persuaded him to spare Rome. Historians agree that Leo met Attila.
It also says "It is also told" that the apostles Peter and Paul appeared to Attila. Say: That is a story the people of Rome told afterward. The book is careful to say "it is told."
Talk it over
Read this:
The people had such dread of him that he was called the "Scourge of God" and the "Fear of the World."
Ask: Attila believed nobody could beat him while he had the sword of Tiew. What happened to that belief at Chalons?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "453 A.D. Attila dies." Draw the three coffins: gold, silver and iron.
Extra (optional)
Venice is built on islands in a lagoon, with canals for streets. Look at a picture of Venice from the air together.
Afterwards
Ask: Who were the Huns, and who stopped them? Repeat until "Aetius and the Visigoths, at Chalons" comes easily.
Tip
The numbers in this chapter (700,000 Huns) are the book's; old writers often made armies much bigger than they were.
Answers to the book's problems
The hermit said Attila would be a famous conqueror and master of many nations, but that death would strike him just after he married the woman he loved. A shepherd followed a trail of blood from an ox's foot and found a sword point sticking out of the ground. Aetius, the Roman general, and the Visigoths beat him; Thorismond, son of the dead Visigoth king, was lifted on a shield and hailed as king. People from Aquileia fled to the islands and marshes of the Adriatic and founded Venice. At Chalons Attila was beaten for the first time, sword or no sword.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.