The Vandals were one of six major German tribes (Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, and Franks) and were involved in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. This Eastern Germanic tribe consisted of two tribes, the Asding (also know as the Hasdingii) and the Siling (also know as the Silingii) Vandals originated in Northern Jutland. In the second century BC they crossed the Baltic and entered what is today Poland and then settled in Silesia around 120 BC. Later in 98 AD, Tacitus recorded that the Vandals were located between the Oder and Vistula rivers in Germania.
Sometime in the forth century AD, the Vandals accepted Arian Christianity. This branch of Christianity believed that “Jesus Christ was not equal to God the Father, but a separate created being directly beneath God. This is in opposition to the belief of the main Christian group in the Roman Empire, which later grew into Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy” (Vandal).
Early in the fifth century, under the guidance of King Godigisel, the Vandals along with Germanic Suebians and Sarmatian Alans (an Iranian steppe people) began their migration westward. They traveled along the Danube River and met no resistance. But, when the tribes reached the Rhine River the Franks, who were in control of Northern Gallia, opposed them. In the battle that followed 20,000 Vandals along with King Godigisel died and the Franks were beaten. In 406 AD, under the leadership of Godigisel's son Gunderic, the Vandals crossed the Rhine River and entered Gaul. The Vandals then continued on, crossing the Pyrenees and into Spain in 409 AD where they received land (Galicia and Andalusia) from Roman Emperor Honorius. While the Vandals held this land they continued to fight with the Romans and the Visigoths.
Sometime during the early fifth century AD Gunderic's half-brother Gaiseric assembled a maritime fleet. In 428 AD, Gunderic died and was succeeded by Gaiseric who in 429 AD led the Vandals across the Straits of Gibraltar into Africa where they defeated the Roman general Boniface. By 439 AD the Vandals took Carthage and their maritime fleet made pirate attacks on ships in the Mediterranean and plundered Sicily and parts of southern Italy. In 442 AD Gaiseric was recognized as the Vandal King by the Roman Empire and their migration westward stopped. In the years that followed Gaiseric focused on building a powerful Vandal Kingdom.
In 455 AD, Gaiseric's men sacked Rome and took Empress Eudoxia and her two daughters captive, and in 468 AD he defeated a large Byzantine fleet that was sent against him. In 477 AD Gaiseric died and his son Huneric, remembered for his harsh treatment and persecution of Orthodox Christians, took over and Vandal power began to decline.
In 533 AD, Byzantine emperor Justinian I sent troops, led by his general Belisarius, against Vandal King Hilderic (523-530 AD). At this time the Vandals were fighting an uprising in Sardinia and were not able to put up resistance against the attack of the Byzantine army. In 533 AD Belisarius was able to defeat the Vandals and took Carthage. This led to King Gelimer's surrender in 534 AD, which ended the Vandal Empire.
“The Vandals were not an artistic people and left no monuments of their reign” (Vandals).
Vandals Timeline:
Kings: Time in power:
Godigisel fifth century AD
Gunderic 406-428 AD
Gaiseric 428-477 AD
*Invasion of Africa 428 AD
*Capture of Carthage 439 AD
*Sack of Rome 455 AD
*Defeat of Byzantine fleet 468 AD
Huneric 477-484 AD
Gunthamund 484-496 AD
Thrasamund 496-523 AD
Hilderic 523-530 AD
Gelimer 530-534 AD
*Defeat by Belisarius 534 AD
References:
“Vandal.” Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Vandals 23 Sept. 2002.
“Vandals.” Slider http://www.slider.com/enc/54000/Vandals.htm 23 Sept. 2002.
“Successors of Rome: Germania, 395-774.” Friesian http://www.friesian.com/germania.htm 23 Sept. 2002.
“Vandals.” Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15268b.htm 23 Sept. 2002.
“The Vandals and Islam.” ArabNet http://www.arab.net/tunisia/ta_vandals.htm 23 Sept. 2002.
“Early Middle Ages Vandals.” Historyforkids http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/history/earlymiddle/vandals.htm 23 Sept. 2002.
Written by Alison Thiele, 2002