J.B. Bury believes that Attila's intent, by the time he marched west, was to extend his kingdom-already the strongest on the continent-across Gaul to the Atlantic shore [2]  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila_the_Hun#endnote_atlantic ) . By the time Attila had gathered his vassals- Gepids , Ostrogoths , Rugians , Scirians , Heruls , Thuringians