The Vandals
were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Goth Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths and regent of the Visigoths, was allied by marriage with the Vandals as well as with the Burgundians and the Franks under Clovis I.
The Vandals are perhaps best known for their sack of Rome in 455. Although they were not notably more destructive than others, the high regard which later European cultures held for ancient Rome led to the association of the name of the tribe with vandalism: senseless destruction, particularly in diminution of aesthetic appeal or destruction of objects that were completed with great effort.
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VANDALS TICKETS
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Origins and early history
Some archaeologists and historians identify the Vandals with the
Przeworsk culture, and controversy surrounds potential connections between the Vandals and another, possibly a mixture of
Slavic and
Germanic tribes,
[1] the
Lugii (Lygier, Lugier or Lygians), which is referred to as inhabiting the area by Roman writers. Some academics believe that either Lugii was an earlier name of the Vandals, or the Vandals were part of the Lugian federation, which was composed of Germanic and Slavic tribes.
Jordanes refers to Vandals as
Gothic (East Germanic) speakers, and name etymologies support the notion of
Vandalic being near related to Gothic. The bearers of the Przeworsk culture (possibly the Lugii) had the custom of
cremation.
Cremation is characteristic to Baltic Prussian tribes. In Prussia both cremation and inhumation burials were found, which Germanic tribes practised. The remains of the Przeworsk culture is mainly traced in the areas which were marshes, when Romans mentioned the Lugii tribe.
Similarities of
names have led to appointing homelands for the Vandals in
Norway (
Hallingdal),
Sweden (
Vendel), or
Denmark (
Vendsyssel). The Vandals are assumed to have crossed the
Baltic into what is today Poland somewhere in the
2nd century BC, and to have settled in
Silesia from around
120 BC. This tradition supports the identification of the Vandals with the
Przeworsk culture, since the Gothic
Wielbark culture seems to have replaced a branch of that culture.
Some
Medieval authors used the ethnonym "Vandals" applying it to
Slavic peoples:
Wends,
Lusatians or
Poles.
[2] [3] [4]
Introduction into the Roman Empire
The Vandals were divided in two tribal groups, the
Silingi and the
Hasdingi. At the time of the
Marcomannic Wars (166–180) the Silingi lived in an area recorded by
Tacitus as
Magna Germania
. In the
2nd century, the
Hasdingi, led by the kings
Raus and
Rapt (or Rhaus and Raptus) moved south, and first attacked the
Romans in the lower Danube area. In about 271 the Roman Emperor
Aurelian was obliged to protect the middle course of the Danube against them. They made peace and settled in western
Dacia and
Pannonia.
According to
Jordanes'
Getica
, the Hasdingi came into conflict with the
Goths around the time of
Constantine the Great. At the time, the Vandals were living in lands later inhabited by the
Gepids, where they were surrounded "on the east [by] the Goths, on the west [by] the
Marcomanni, on the north [by] the
Hermanduri and on the south [by] the Hister (
Danube)." The Vandals were attacked by the Gothic king
Geberic, and their king
Visimar was killed. The Vandals then migrated to
Pannonia, where after
Constantine the Great (about 330) granted them lands on the right bank of the Danube, they lived for the next sixty years.
In
400 or
401, possibly because of attacks by the
Huns, the Vandals, under king
Godigisel, along with their allies (the
Sarmatian
Alans and Germanic
Suebians) moved westwards into Roman territory. Some of the Silingi joined them later. Around this time, the Hasdingi had already been
christianized. During the Emperor
Valens's reign (364–78) the Vandals accepted, much like the
Goths earlier,
Arianism, a belief that was in opposition to that of
Nicene orthodoxy of the Roman Empire. Yet there were also some scattered orthodox Vandals, among whom was the famous
magister militum
Stilicho, the chief minister of the Emperor
Honorius.
In Gaul
In 406 the Vandals advanced from Pannonia travelling west along the Danube without much difficulty, but when they reached the Rhine, they met resistance from the
Franks, who populated and controlled Romanized regions in northern
Gaul. Twenty thousand Vandals, including Godigisel himself, died in the resulting battle, but then with the help of the
Alans they managed to defeat the Franks, and on
December 31,
406 the Vandals
crossed the frozen Rhine to invade Gaul, which they devastated terribly. Under Godigisel's son
Gunderic, the Vandals plundered their way westward and southward through
Aquitaine.
In Hispania
On
October 13 409 they crossed the
Pyrenees into the
Iberian peninsula. There, the
Hasdingi received land from the Romans, as
foederati, in
Gallaecia (Northwest) and the
Silingi in
Hispania Baetica (South), while the
Alans got lands in
Lusitania (West) and the region around
Carthago Nova. The
Suebi also controlled part of Gallaecia. The
Visigoths, who invaded Iberia before receiving lands in
Septimania (Southern France), crushed the Alans in 426, killing the western Alan king
Attaces. The remainder of his people subsequently appealed to the Vandal king
Gunderic to accept the Alan crown. Later Vandal kings in North Africa styled themselves
Rex Wandalorum et Alanorum
("King of the Vandals and Alans").
The Vandals may have given their name to the region of
Andalusia, which according to one of several theories of its
etymology which would be the source of
Al-Andalus
— the Arabic name of Iberian Peninsula), in the south of present day
Spain, where they settled before pushing on to
North Africa - though this theory is disputed (see
Al-Andalus: Older proposals).
The Vandal Kingdom in North Africa
Establishment
The Vandal conquest of
North Africa is considered a strategic move. The Vandals took North Africa as a base for raiding the
Mediterranean Sea, much like the
Vikings.
[5] They settled mainly in the lands corresponding to modern
Tunisia and northeastern
Algeria.
[6] It was under the reign of king
Geiseric (Genseric, Gaiseric),
Gunderic's half brother, when Vandals started building a fleet to plunder the Mediterranean.
In 429, political maneuvering in Rome was to change the landscape forever. Rome was ruled by the boy emperor
Valentinian III (who rose to power at the age of 8), and his mother
Galla Placidia. However, the Roman General
Flavius Aëtius, in vying for power, convinced Galla Placidia that her General
Boniface was plotting to kill her and her son to claim the throne for himself. As proof, he implored her to write him a letter asking him to come to Rome so that she would see that Boniface would refuse. At the same time Aëtius sent Boniface a letter stating that he should disregard letters from Rome asking him to return for they were plotting to kill him. When Boniface saw the letter from Rome, and believed there was a plot to kill him, he enlisted the help of the Vandal King Geiseric. He promised the Vandals land in North Africa in exchange for their help. However, when it was known that the whole thing was a plot on the part of Aëtius, and Boniface was once again in Rome's favour, it was too late to turn back the Vandal
invasion.
Geiseric crossed the
Strait of Gibraltar with the entire tribe of 80,000 and moved east, pillaging and looting as they went and driving more and more refugees toward the walled city of
Hippo Regius. Geiseric realized that they wouldn't be able to take the city in a direct assault, so began a months long siege on the walls of Hippo Regius. Inside
Saint Augustine and his priests prayed for relief from the invaders, knowing full well that the fall of the city would spell conversion or death for many Roman Christians. On 28 August 430, three months into the siege, St. Augustine (who was 75 years old) died
[7], perhaps from
hunger or stress, as the wheat fields outside the city lay dormant and unharvested. After 14 months, hunger and the inevitable
diseases were ravaging both the city inhabitants and the Vandals outside the city walls.
Peace was made between the Romans and the Vandals by means of a grant in 435 of territory in Northern Africa. In 439, the Vandals took and plundered
Carthage without a fight, entering the city while most of the inhabitants were attending the races at the hippodrome. Geiseric made it his capital, and styled himself the King of the Vandals and
Alans, to denote the inclusion of the Alans of northern Africa into his alliance. Conquering
Sicily,
Sardinia,
Corsica and the
Balearic Islands, he built his kingdom into a powerful state.
Sack of Rome
During the next thirty-five years, with a large fleet, Geiseric looted the coasts of the Eastern and Western Empires. After
Attila the Hun's death, however, the Romans could afford to turn their attention back to the Vandals, who were in control of some of the richest lands of their former empire.
In an effort to bring the Vandals into the fold of the Empire,
Valentinian III offered his daughter's hand in marriage to Geiseric's son. Before this "treaty" could be carried out, however, politics again played a crucial part in the blunders of Rome.
Petronius Maximus, the usurper, killed
Valentinian III in an effort to control the Empire. Diplomacy between the two factions broke down, and in 455 with a letter from the Empress
Licinia Eudoxia, begging Geiseric's son to rescue her, the Vandals took
Rome, along with the Empress Licinia Eudoxia and her daughters
Eudocia and
Placidia.
The chronicler
Prosper of Aquitaine [8] offers the only fifth-century report that on 2 June 455, Pope
Leo the Great received Geiseric and implored him to abstain from murder and destruction by fire, and to be satisfied with pillage. Whether the pope's influence saved Rome is, however, questioned. The Vandals departed with countless valuables, including the spoils of the
Temple in Jerusalem booty brought to Rome by
Titus.
Consolidation
In 468 the Vandals destroyed an enormous
East Roman fleet sent against them. Following up the attack, the Vandals tried to invade the
Peloponnese but were driven back by the
Maniots at Kenipolis with heavy losses.
[9] In retaliation, the Vandals took 500 hostages at
Zakynthos, hacked them to pieces and threw the pieces overboard on the way to Carthage.
Nevertheless, after Geiseric was able to conclude a "perpetual peace" with Constantinople in 476, relations between the two states assumed a veneer of normality.
[10]
Domestic religious tensions
Differences between the
Arian Vandals and their
Trinitarian subjects (including both Catholics and
Donatists) were a constant source of tension in their African state. Catholic bishops were exiled or killed by Geiseric and laymen were excluded from office and frequently suffered confiscation of their property. He protected his Catholic subjects when his relations with Rome and Constantinople were friendly, as during the years 454–57, when the Catholic community at Carthage, being without a head, elected Deogratias bishop. The same was also the case during the years 476–477 when Bishop Victor of
Cartenna sent him, during a period of peace, a sharp refutation of Arianism and suffered no punishment. Generally most Vandal kings, except
Hilderic, persecuted Trinitarian Christians to a greater or lesser extent, banning conversion for Vandals, exiling bishops and generally making life difficult for Trinitarians.
Decline
Geiseric, one of the most powerful personalities of the "era of the Migrations," died on 25 January 477, at the great age of around 88 years. According to the law of succession which he had promulgated, the oldest male member of the royal house was to succeed. Thus he was succeeded by his son
Huneric (477–484), who at first tolerated Catholics, owing to his fear of Constantinople, but after 482 began to persecute
Manichaeans and Catholics in the most terrible manner.
Gunthamund (484 – 496), his cousin and successor, sought internal peace with the Catholics and ceased persecution once more. Externally, the Vandal power had been declining since Geiseric's death, and Gunthamund lost large parts of Sicily to the
Ostrogoths and had to withstand increasing pressure from the
autochthonous Moors.
While
Thrasamund (496–523), owing to his religious fanaticism, was hostile to Catholics, he contented himself with bloodless persecutions.
The turbulent end
Hilderic (523 – 530) was the Vandal king most tolerant towards the Catholic church. He granted it religious freedom; consequently Catholic synods were once more held in North Africa. However, he had little interest in war, and left it to a family member,
Hoamer. When Hoamer suffered a defeat against the
Moors, the
Arian faction within the royal family led a revolt, raising the banner of national Arianism, and his cousin
Gelimer (530 – 533) became king. Hilderic, Hoamer and their relatives were thrown into prison. Hilderic was deposed and murdered in 533.
[11]
Byzantine Emperor
Justinian I reacted to this by declaring war on the Vandals. The armies of the Eastern Empire were commanded by
Belisarius, who, having heard that the greatest part of the Vandal fleet was fighting an uprising in Sardinia, decided to act quickly, and landed on Tunisian soil, then marched on to Carthage. In the late summer of 533, King Gelimer met Belisarius ten miles (16 km) south of Carthage at the
Battle of Ad Decimum; the Vandals were winning the battle until Gelimer's brother Ammatas and nephew Gibamund fell in battle. Gelimer then lost heart and fled. Belisarius quickly took Carthage while the surviving Vandals fought on.
[12]
On
December 15,
533, Gelimer and Belisarius clashed again at
Tricamarum, some from Carthage. Again, the Vandals fought well but broke, this time when Gelimer's brother
Tzazo fell in battle. Belisarius quickly advanced to
Hippo, second city of the Vandal Kingdom, and in 534 Gelimer surrendered to the Roman conqueror, ending the Kingdom of the Vandals.
North Africa became a Roman province, from which the Vandals were
expelled. The surviving Vandal men were
enslaved, put into imperial service or fled to the two Gothic kingdoms (
Ostrogothic Kingdom and
Visigothic kingdom), while the captured Vandal women married Byzantine soldiers. The choicest Vandal
warriors were formed into five cavalry regiments, known as Vandali Iustiniani, and stationed on the
Persian frontier. Some entered the private service of Belisarius.
[13] Gelimer was honourably treated and received large estates in
Galatia. He was also offered the rank of a patrician but had to refuse it because he was not willing to change his
Arian faith.
[14]
Kings
#
Wisimar (d.335)
#
Godigisel (359–406)
#
Gunderic (407–428)
#
Geiseric (428–477)
#
Huneric (477–484)
#
Gunthamund (484–496)
#
Thrasamund (496–523)
#
Hilderic (523–530)
#
Gelimer (530–534)
Vandalic language
Very little is known about the
Vandalic language, which was of the
East Germanic linguistic branch, closely related to
Gothic (known from
Ulfilas's Bible translation), both completely extinct.
Modern words associated with Vandals
From c. 1540, the
Swedish king had been styled,
Suecorum, Gothorum et Vandalorum Rex
:
King of the Swedes, the Goths and the Vendes
. The fact that the Latin word for the Vendes is similar to the English Vandal has caused some confusion regarding the word's meaning. The present king,
Carl XVI Gustaf, dropped the title in 1973 and now styles himself simply as
King of Sweden.
Although "
vandalism" has come to mean senseless destruction as a result of the Vandals' sack of Rome under King
Geiseric in 455, historians agree that the Vandals were no more destructive than other invaders of ancient times.
John Dryden wrote:
Till Goths, and Vandals, a rude Northern race, Did all the matchless Monuments deface
(1694). The word "goth" has gained
architectural and
other associations since Dryden's time, but "vandal" has not. During the
Enlightenment, Rome was idealized, and the
Goths and Vandals were disparaged.
"Vandalism" is from the French
vandalisme,
which originated during the
French revolution. On August 31, 1794, there was an explosion of the powder mill of Grenelle in Paris. The Abbot Grégoire denounced
vandalism
(it was the first time that this term is employed).
The Arabic term for Muslim Spain
Al Andalus, and its derivative
Andalusia, may be derived from the
Berber pronunciation of Vandal: "Wandal".
See also
- Przeworsk culture
- Migrations period
- Auriwandalo
- Timeline of Germanic kingdoms
- Vendel
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- Vistula Veneti
- Wanda
- Wendel
- Wends
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References
- Mallory & Adams "Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture
- Annales Alamannici, 795 ad
- Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum by Adam Bremensis 1075 ad
- Roland Steinacher under Reiner Protsch"Studien zur vandalischen Geschichte. Die Gleichsetzung der Ethnonyme Wenden, Slawen und Vandalen vom Mittelalter bis ins 18. Jahrhundert", 2002
- Vandals, Romans and Berbers: new perspectives on late antique North Africa
- Vandals
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm
- Prosper's account of the event was followed by his continuator in the sixth century, Victor of Tunnuna, a great admirer of Leo quite willing to adjust a date or bend a point (Steven Muhlberger, "Prosper's ''Epitoma Chronicon'': was there an edition of 443?" ''Classical Philology'' '''81'''.3 (July 1986), pp 240-244).
- Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos, ''Deep into Mani: Journey into the Southern Tip of Greece", 21
- J.B. Bury, ''History of the Later Roman Empire'' (1923), Vol. II, p.125
- J.B. Bury, ''History of the Later Roman Empire'' (1923), Vol. II, p.131
- J.B. Bury, ''History of the Later Roman Empire'' (1923), Vol. II, pp.133-135
- J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVII
- J.B. Bury, ''History of the Later Roman Empire'' (1923), Vol. II, pp.138