|
The Vandal during the Germanic Ice Age (1st–2nd centuries AD) were an Eastern Germanic people living in Central Europe, primarily in the area of present-day southern Poland and the Czech Republic. They are best known for the sack of Rome (455 AD). With the decline of the Western Roman Empire, Sardinia was largely separated from what we now call Italy. Mining declined. The indigenous Sardinian population had little use for metal. There was a short period of control by the one of the German tribes--the Vandals. The Vandals demonstrated remarkable military prowess by establishing kingdoms first on the Iberian Peninsula and later in North Africa. The Vandals like other Germanic tribes were agricultural people in search of land and safety from more aggressive Stepper people like the Huns and Avars pressuring them from the East. After crossing the Rhine with other Germanic tribes (406), the Vandals migrated west through Gaul (modern France) fighting and destroying Frankish communities. It was surely Frankish resistance which explains why they did not settle in Gaul. The Vandals crossed the Pyrenees to the Iberian Peninsula (409). They eventually abandoned the Iberian Peninsula to the Visigoths. The capture of the maritime city of Cartagena enabled the Vandals to engage in widespread naval activities. 【Merrills & Miles, p. 50. 】 Led by their King Gaiseric, the whole people, 80,000 in all, crossed into Africa (429). The Roman African provinces were a rich prize. North Africa was not as arid as it is today. It was North African grain that largely fed Rome. The Vandals came to control most of western North Africa from modern Libya west to Morocco. . They amassed a substantial fleet and from their North Africa kingdom began raiding the coasts of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. The Vandals were not the only barbarians to sack Rome. The reason for the Vandals terrible reputation is in part this sea raiding over an extended period. . In Old English the Mediterranean became known as Wendelsæ (Sea of the Vandals). King Genseric, the Vandals sacked Rome in their largest raid (455 AD). Corsica and Sardinia became important in controlling maritime activity between North Africa and the western Mediterranean. The vandals first attempted to control the Roman province of Corsica and Sardinia (456-460). An agreement was reached between King Genseric and Emperor Majorian over Sardinia and Corsica. It would prove to be a partial, limited and short-lived occupation of some coastal cities. The Vandals made no effort to occupy the interior which would have required a large force to seize and occupy. Even after Rome was sacked, the Empire was not yet destroyed. The Roman general Marcellinus, believed to have been backed by Pope Hilarius, managed to seize Sardinia back from the Vandals (466). The Vandals returned (474 and 482). The actual dates are disputed. King Genseric or his son Huneric may have been involved. The Vandals conducted raids on coastal cities, most notably Olbia. They attacked by sea and destroyed the port. Archaeological work has found evidence of the destruction, including collapsed frescoes. Vandal operations seem more aimed at looting and coastal control than any widespread occupation of the interior. Their empire while extensive was, however, short lived. They left no real impact on the areas they conquered. Their major impact is linguistic. Vandalism in English means wanton destruction. The Italian and Spanish cognates are the same. Battles between the Vandals and Western and Eastern Empires followed. Finally they came to terms. Peace with Rome and Constantinople was reached (470s). Relations gradually acquired a diplomatic veneer. 【Merrills, pp. 11-12. 】 The final blow to the Western Empire came when when the Germanic king Odoacer deposed the last Western emperor, Romulus Augustulus (476). Unlike other Germanic warlords, who had primarily tribal identities. Odoacer was, however, essentially the first king of Italy. The Eastern Empire, however, behind its massive walls survived. The Vandals controlled areas of Sardinia for only about 80 years. Ultimately Byzantine Emperor Justinian motivated by religious issues and his overall desire to restore the Roman Empire, dispatched his great general, Belisarius to destroys the Vandals. Here Belisarius was aided by Sardinian rebels . Part of the Vandal army was in Sardinia. Thus he faced only a part of the Vandal army. He decisively defeated the Vandals as part of Vandalic War in a fight for Carthage (533). 【Bury, pp. 133–35 】 The Vandals Kingdom had ruled North Africa as only a small ruling elite in a largely Romanized population and passed from history leaving little trace except their role in initially weakening the the Western Empire.
Bury, John Bagnell. History of the Later Roman Empire, from the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian (A.D. 395 to A.D. 565). Vol. II (Macmillan: 1923). .
Merrills, Andy (2004). "Vandals, Romans and Berbers: Understanding Late Antique North Africa" in Vandals, Romans and Berbers: New Perspectives on Late Antique North Africa (Ashgate Publishing: 2004).
Merrills, Andy and Richard Miles. The Vandals (John Wiley & Sons: 2010).
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Italian pages:
[Return to the Main medieval Sardinian history page]
[Return to the Main Sardinian history page]
[Return to the Main Sardinian page]
[Return to the Main Italian island page]
[Return to the Main Italian regional page]
[Return to the Main Italian activity page]
[Return to the Main Itlalian page]
[Italian school uniforms]
[Italian youth groups]
[Italian choirs]
[Italian movies]
[Italian royalty]
Navigate the Children in History Web Site:
[About Us]
[Introduction]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing]
[Disease and Health]
[Economics]
[Environmental issues]
[Feminism]
[Geography]
[History]
[Human Nature]
[Law]
[Nationalism]
[Presidents]
[Religion]
[Royalty]
[Science]
[Social Class]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Index]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Search]
[Tools]
[Children in History Home]
