In the 5th century, the power of the Pope was not what it was in later centuries. But as Attila and his Huns were vanquishing city after city, the people of Rome - and the pope - were worried
Contemporary accounts tell us that Leo I, then Pope, traveled north to meet with Attila:
The old man of harmless simplicity, venerable in his gray hair and his majestic garb, ready of his own will to give himself entirely for the defense of his flock, went forth to meet the tyrant who was destroying all things.
He met Attila, it is said, in the neighborhood of the river Mincio, and he spoke to the grim monarch, saying "The senate and the people of Rome, once conquerors of the world, now indeed vanquished, come before thee as suppliants. We pray for mercy and deliverance. O Attila, thou king of kings, thou couldst have no greater glory than to see suppliant at thy feet this people before whom once all peoples and kings lay suppliant. Thou hast subdued, O Attila, the whole circle of the lands which it was granted to the Romans, victors over all peoples, to conquer. Now we pray that thou, who hast conquered others, shouldst conquer thyself. The people have felt thy scourge; now as suppliants they would feel thy mercy."
Raphael’s magnificent fresco (which actually depicts Pope Leo X) and Algardi’s stunning sculpture (located at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica), portray the historic meeting.
People believed that Leo was the reason Attila backed down after he asked him to do so. The truth is he didn't. That's a myth. The truth is that Italy had suffered from a poor harvest the year before Attila invaded, so there were no grain stores left. To make matters worse, Attila's army destroyed everything it could in northern Italy, including the farms and farmers. With no crops, there was nothing to eat and the army starved. Then plague broke out in the army. The Roman leadership, not realizing how bad Attila's position was, sent a several negotiators to Attila, one of whom was Leo. Attila negotiated the best deal he could get, then hightailed it back to the plains of Hungary where there was food.
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