Q 01/05

By what nickname was Attila widely known?

A) The Scourge of God

B) The Hammer of Rome

C) The Lord of the Danube

D) The Wolf of the Steppe

Answer · why

A) The Scourge of God

The 15th-century Hungarian chronicler Thuróczy popularised the epithet among later writers.

Q 02/05

According to most scholars, Attila's name derives from a Gothic word meaning what?

A) Master of the ocean

B) Little father

C) Swift arrow

D) Great horseman

Answer · why

B) Little father

The Grimm brothers first proposed the Gothic etymology; a Turkic origin is still argued by some.

Q 03/05

With which elder brother did Attila rule the Huns jointly until 445?

A) Ruga

B) Octar

C) Mundzuk

D) Bleda

Answer · why

D) Bleda

The brothers were nephews of the previous king and negotiated their first Roman treaty on horseback.

Q 04/05

Which uncle did Attila and his brother succeed as ruler of the Huns?

A) Charaton

B) Uldin

C) Mundzuk

D) Rugila

Answer · why

D) Rugila

Their father Mundzuk was Rugila's brother; the Huns often ruled as a pair of kings.

Q 05/05

Which Byzantine diplomat visited Attila in 449 and left the only physical description of him?

A) Priscus

B) Marcellinus Comes

C) Jordanes

D) Procopius

Answer · why

A) Priscus

Only fragments of his eight-book history survive, quoted by Jordanes and Procopius.