Attila was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He built a vast empire centered in present-day Hungary and was one of the most feared enemies of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires.
He crossed the Danube twice and plundered the Balkans, but was unable to take Constantinople. In 451, he invaded Gaul (modern France) but was halted at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains by a coalition of Romans and Visigoths.
He subsequently invaded Italy, devastating the northern provinces, but withdrew before taking Rome. His sudden death in 453 led to the rapid collapse of his empire.