Vandal Kingdom

Origins

The Vandals and Alans crossed the Rhine in 406 and entered Spain in 409. In 429 King Gaiseric led them across the Strait of Gibraltar into Africa. A treaty of 435 made them federates of the Roman Empire, but in 439 Gaiseric seized Carthage, taking Africa Proconsularis, the richest western province.

Rule and society

Gaiseric ruled as an independent king, confiscating Roman estates for his followers while keeping Roman administration and Latin culture. The Vandals were Arian Christians and at times persecuted Nicene clergy, most harshly under Huneric. Their fleet took Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearics, and in 455 sacked Rome. Berber revolts, such as that of the Kingdom of the Aures, cut away the interior.

Decline and legacy

In 530 Gelimer deposed the pro-Roman king Hilderic, giving Justinian a pretext to invade. Belisarius won at Ad Decimum and Tricamarum in 533, and Gelimer surrendered in 534. Africa became the Praetorian Prefecture of Africa, and the Vandals vanished as a people.