Vandals

In common English usage, a vandal is someone who mailiciously defaces or destroys property (see vandalism); the word comes from the name of the Germanic tribe.

The Vandals were a Germanic group that entered the late Roman Empire, and created state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. The Vandals probably gave their name to the province of Andalusia (originally, Vandalusia), in Spain, where they temporarily settled before pushing on to Africa.

They were in 19th century identified with Przeworska culture. Controversial are connections between Vandals and other Germanic tribe, Lugi (Lygier, Lugier), since some scientists believe that Lugiis were either earlier name of Vandals, or Vandals were part of Lugian federation. There is some probalibity that ethnogenesis of Vandals was placed in Poland, but suggested earlier homelands (this theories are based usually on similarity of names) are regions in Norway (Hallingdal) Sweden (Vendel) or Denmark (Vendsyssel). They are assumed to have crossed the Baltic to Poland somewhere in the second century BC, and have settled in Silesia from around 120 BC.

Two parts of Vandals were Silingii and Hasdingii. The Silingii lived probably in territiry of Silesia and south Wielkopolska, while Hasdingii probably in south Malopolska. In the second century AD, the Hasingii, led by the kings Raus and Rapt (or Rhaus and Raptus) moved south, and first attacked the Romans in the lower Danube area, then made peace and settled in western Dacia (Romania) and Roman Hungary.

In 400 or 401, possibly because of attacks by the Huns, the Vandals and their Germanic and Sarmatian allies (namely, Sarmatian Alans and Germanic Suebians), started a trek westward under king Godigisel. Some of the Silingii joined them later. Around this time, the Hasingii had already been christened. However, like originally the Goths, the Vandals adopted Arianism, a branch of Christianity that believed that Jesus Christ was not equal to God the Father, but a separate created being directly beneath God. This belief was in opposition to the belief of the main Christian group in the Roman Empire, which later grew into Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

The Vandals travelled westward along the Danube without much difficulty, but when they reached the Rhine, they met resistance from the Franks, who populated and controlled the Roman possessions in northern Gallia. 20,000 Vandals, among which Godigisel himself, died in the resulting battle, but then through Alan aid the Franks are nevertheless beaten, and on December 31 406 the Vandals crossed Rhine and invaded Gallia. Under Godigisel's son Gunderic, the Vandals plundered there way westward and southward through Gallia, then in October 409 they cross the Pyrenees into Spain. Here they received land from the Romans: Galicia and Andalusia, while the alans got Portugal and the region around Cartagena. Still, the Suebes, who also owned part of Galicia, and the Visigoths, who invaded Spain before receiving lands in southern France, kept causing trouble for Vandals and Alans.

Gunderic's half brother Geiseric started building a Vandal fleet, and in 429, Geiseric, now king, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar, and trekked east to Carthage. In 435 the Romans allo them some territory in Northern Africa, and in 439 Carthage is taken. Gaiseric built the Kingdom of the Vandals into a powerful state, and conquers Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Baleareans. In 455, the Vandals plunder Rome, and in 468 he destroys an enormous Byzantine fleet that is sent against him.

His son Huneric became king at his death in 477. His reign was mostly notable for itws religious persecutions of the Manichaeans and Catholics. Gunthamund (484-496) sought internal peace with the catholics. Externally, the Vandal power had been declining since Geiseric's death, and Gunthamund lost large parts of Sicily to the Osthrogoths, and had to withstand increasing pressure from the Moors.

Hilderic (523-530) was the most catholic-friendly of the Vandal kings. However, he had little interestt 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, and Gelimer (530-533) became king. Hilderic, Hoamer and their relatives were thrown into prison.

The Byzantine emperor Justinian I declared war on the Vandals. The action was led by Belisarius. Having heared that the greatest part of the Vandal fleet was fighting an uprising on Sardinia, he decided to act quickly, and landed on Tunesian soil, then marched on to Carthage. In the late summer of 533, King Gelimer met Belisarius 10 miles south of Carthage at Ad Decimium. The Vandals were winning the battle at first, but when Gelimer's nephew Gibamund fell in battle, the Vandals lost heart and fled. Belisarius quickly took Carthage while the surviving Vandals fought on.

On December 15, 533, Gelimer and Belisarius clashed again at Ticameron, some 20 miles 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 surrerendered to the Roman conqueror, ending the Kingdom of the Vandals.

Difference between Arianic Vandals and Catholics or Donatists was constant source of tensions in their African state. Most Vandal kings, except Hilderic, more or less persecuted Catholics. Although catholicism was rarely officially forbidden (the last months of Huneric's reign being an exception), they were forbidden from making converts among the Vandals, and life was generally made hard on the catholic clergy.

In medieval times, there was popular belief that Vandals were ancestors of Poles. In reality, what presumably has happened is that the Vandals who had remained in Silesia simply disappeared by merger into the later Slavic peoples who later lived in the area.