His favourite hobby was pillaging Roman cities, and he made a name for himself as one of the most brutal “barbarian” rulers in history: Attila the Hun called himself ‘flagellum Dei’ (the Scourge of God), built a vast empire across Eurasia and almost brought the mighty Roman Empire to its knees.

As well as killing his own brother to seize absolute power, Attila invaded Gaul to win himself a wife, despite already having several. But she wasn’t enough, and in 453, he decided to take another wife. On the evening of their wedding, Atilla feasted and drank late into the night. The next morning, he was found dead in the bridal chamber. It appeared he had suffered from a nosebleed and choked to death on his own blood.