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The Vandals
The Vandals, or Vandale, originated in
Hungary, before the
Hunnish
invasion. Their kingdom was situated on the western border of the
Visigoths.
The arrival of the Huns forced them to flee westwards, towards the
Roman
empire. |
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277 |
Vandals
and Burgundians who had crossed
the Rhine to invade the Roman
empire are defeated by Emperor Probus and are resettled in
Britannia. |
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395 - 408 |
For the first part of his reign, Emperor Honorius depends on the military leadership
of his chief ministers, the Romano-Vandal
general, Stilicho. Stilicho had been appointed as Honorius' guardian by the
boy's father, shortly before his death. |
bef c.400 - 428 |
Gonderic / Gunderic |
King of the Asding Vandals. |
407 - 409 |
The
Vandals cross the Rhine at Mainz in 407 in association with the
Suevi &
Alans.
They are attacked by the Franks and face
defeat until the Alans come to their aid. After an initial attempt to
settle in southern Gaul, all three tribes move to Spain by 409, disrupting
the
Gallic empire of Constantine III. According
to Roman reports, the Vandals lead
the devastation of areas of Gaul and Spain, earning themselves a reputation which has
survived to this day. |
? - 415 |
Fredbal |
King of the Siling Vandals. |
415 - 417 |
There
is a succeeding Siling Vandal ruler, whose name is unknown. The remaining
rulers are Asding successors. The Siling Vandals are dissipated by warfare
against Roman allies
(the Visigoths)
and merge under Asding control. They control the former Roman provinces of
Lusitania and Baetica (the latter of which includes the city of Gades). |
426 |
The
Alans, weakened by the attacks of
Roman allies (the
Visigoths
again), merge with the Vandals. |
428 - 439 |
Genseric / Gaiseric |
Brother of Gunderic.
Became king of the Vandals and
Alans. |
429 |
Under pressure from
the newly settled Visigoths, the Vandals and
Alans move south from Iberia and invade
Roman North Africa,
taking the cities of Carthage and Utica. |
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Kings of the Vandals and the Alans
The Vandals took a section of the rich North African coast in AD 429, and
proceeded to conquer much of the rest of it piecemeal. In 435, the Vandals become a federate
kingdom of Rome, but they didn't
stop there. Carthage itself, the capital of the province of Africa
Proconsularis, was conquered along with Utica in 439 (the Vandals simply walking
into the city while the populace were occupied with a day of games), and Roman control was
thrown off. This was a massive blow for Rome, as it was exporting vast
amounts of grain from the region in order to feed the populace of Italy, and
that of Rome itself. However, Rome's assembled invasion force was swiftly
redirected to try and deal with the much greater threat posed by the
Huns in Europe, and Genseric
was recognised as the ruler of much of North Africa, and one of the most
powerful men of his time.
An
independent autocracy was formed by Genseric which governed modern
Tunisia and
north-eastern
Algeria. Eventually,
the Vandals also annexed
Sardinia, Corsica and
Sicily, and controlled the western Mediterranean.
As ardent Arian Christians, they persecuted Roman
Catholic Christians in North Africa, especially during the later years of
the reign of Huneric. |
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439 - 477 |
Genseric / Gaiseric |
Conquered Africa
Proconsularis in 439. Sacked
Rome in 455. |
477 |
By
the time of Genseric's death at about the age of eighty, the
Roman empire has
disappeared, financially crippled by the loss of North Africa and beset by
barbarians grabbing imperial territory all around it.
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An interpretation of Genseric's sack of Rome in AD 455 by Kark Briullov
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477 - 484 |
Huneric |
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484 - 496 |
Gunthamund |
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496 - 523 |
Thrasamund |
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523 - 530 |
Hilderic |
Son of Huneric. |
530 - 534 |
Gelimer |
Usurper. |
533 - 534 |
Hilderic
had been a close friend of the
Byzantine
emperor Justinian. In response to Gelimer's usurpation, General Belisarius is sent
to North Africa with an army. In one campaigning season, the Vandals are conquered.
Some of the Vandal leaders are allowed to retire on their
estates in different parts of Italy. The rest of the Vandals seem to
disappear into the local population and their language dies out. North
Africa remains firmly in Roman hands as the exarchate of Africa, until it is conquered by the
Islamic
empire. |
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