Attila the Hun was the king or chieftain of the Hunnic Empire from 434, until his death in March 453, and is considered one of the most powerful rulers in history. He ascended the throne along with his older brother Bleda but ruled as the sole king after the latter’s death in 445. He led two great military campaigns against the Eastern Roman Empire, crossing the Danube both times and plundering the Balkans, but he was not able to take Constantinople. While his attempts to invade the Sassanian Empire failed, he later invaded the Western Roman Empire and marched as far as Aurelianum (Orléans) before being defeated in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains by the Visigothic-Roman alliance. He also invaded Italy and was planning another campaign against the Eastern Empire when he died in 453.