Attila on Leadership

Leadership has no boundaries. A reputable corporation may have good leaders, a street gang may have good leaders, and a barbarian horde may also have good leaders. No matter the organization, there is a need to develop good leaders that will further the cause.

Attila the Scourge of God (Flagellum Dei) (404-453 AD), also called Attila, Atli, Etzel by the Germans, and Ethele by the Hungarians lived from and was King of the Huns from 434-453 AD. Attila was a member of the ruling family of the Huns, a nomadic Asian people who spread from the Caspian steppes throughout the Roman Empire in search of global conquest. By 432 AD, the Huns had gained so much power that they were receiving a large annual tribute from Rome.

Attila, the son of King Mundzuk, was born in a chariot somewhere in the valley of the Danube and he could trace his ancestry for thirty-two generations. His was the family that maintained the integrity of the horde’s bloodline and distinctly Mongol characteristics. Learning first to ride on the back of sheep, Attila later developed extraordinary horsemanship and became skilled in the use of the bow, lance, lariat, sword, and whip as was expected of his noble position. He was proud of his personal strength and had a great disdain for the weak.

Attila's father died while he was still young. He became critical of Rugila’s, an uncle who was successor to the throne, policy of entering the horde into the service of foreign nations, whom Attila thought the Huns could easily defeat. It was customary in ancient Rome to hold hostages to ensure treaties were upheld. So at age twelve, Attila was sent as a child hostage to the Roman court of Honorius. He was educated and trained by the Romans and eh also learned their strengths and weaknesses. Once released, Attila vowed to conquer the nation that had held him.