The Romans in one of the most noteworthy battles in history defeated Attila and the Huns at Chalons in 451 AD. Very few years later Rome was sacked and looted and basically ceased to exist as mighty empire. The people were still there, the freed slaves were still there but it didn't exist as a power any more and the world sank into the dark ages. We are perilously close to succumbing to the same fate.
