The domination which the Huns attained was precarious, and not distinctly defined.
The terrible Attila ere long appears as the king of these Huns, about the middle of the fifth century.

This wonderful barbarian extended his sway from the Volga to the Rhine, and from the Bosphorus to the shores of the Baltic.

Where-ever he appeared, blood flowed in torrents.

He swept the valley of the Danube with flame and sword, destroying cities, fortresses and villages, and converting the whole region into a desert.

At the head of an army of seven hundred thousand men, he plunged all Europe into dismay.