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Death of Attila
In the next
year after the retreat from Italy Attila died an appropriately barbarian
death. He took a new, young, beautiful bride, a damsel named Ildico,
though he already had a coterie of wives. The wedding day was spent in
heavy drinking and partying, and the King of the Huns took his new bride
to bed that night in drunken lust. The next morning it was discovered
that he had died-drowned in his drunkenness in his own nosebleed. The
new bride was found quivering in fear in the great man's bed quarters.
The empire of the Huns dissipated nearly as quickly as its most famous
leader. In 454 the Ostrogoths and other Germanic tribes revolted against
the Huns, and the sons of Attila, who had quarreled among themselves,
could not deal with the crisis. In the words of Bury, the Huns were
"scattered to the winds."
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