You Vandals they were one of the barbarian peoples that were most marked in history as violent and destructive. Possibly originating from the Scandinavia region, they entered the Roman Empire towards the end of the fourth century, covering almost all the territory that is now known as Europe, having its end in the north of the Africa.
The Vandals were divided into two groups: the Silingos and the Asdingos. The silingos inhabited Magna Germania, while the Asdingos moved to the south, coming into confrontation with the Roman Empire. In the fifth century, they were attacked by the Huns and had to move west.
This displacement was carried out in conjunction with other barbarian peoples, such as the Swabians, Alans and Silingo vandals. They crossed the Danube and then faced the Franks, defeating them in 406, overtaking the River Rhine, attacking Gaul and causing great destruction. After this period, they started the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, in 409, coming into confrontation with the Visigoths, who had entered into an agreement with the ancient Roman elite to carry out such a confrontation, acting as mercenaries.
It is interesting to mention the assertion of the Portuguese writer João Bernardo about the social changes that the Roman Empire suffered as a result of the barbarian invasions. During this period, the slaves who worked on the large latifundia were in constant revolt against their owners, and the fight against slavery resulted in greater freedom and its transformation into servants. To contain the conflicts, the landowners hired some barbarian peoples to contain the slave revolts. In the case of the Iberian Peninsula, the Visigoths fulfilled this function. But there were other peoples who sided with the slaves, such as the Suevi and the Vandals, who attacked the landlords and helped in slave rebellions.
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The result for the landowners was that they were unable to contain the rebellions and, in some places, they were replaced by the barbarian peoples who had been hired as mercenaries, as they saw the weakness of these lords of lands. On the other hand, the unyieldedness of the Vandals made them famous in history for their violence, as they plundered the rich and attacked the architectural buildings of the Roman imperial power. According to Bernardo, “This is why the Vandals were vandals, because the landed aristocracy considered them entirely fair and therefore as unworthy of mention the atrocities and destructions that were practiced by her order, but she regarded as horrendous those that she herself suffered."
After staying in the Iberian Peninsula, the Vandals managed to cross the Strait of Gibraltar and establish themselves in North Africa, from 428 onwards. In this region, they created a kingdom whose center was the city of Carthage. They also managed to conquer Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearic Islands. In 455, they took advantage of Valentinian's death and sacked the city of Rome. Its strength made the Byzantines recognize the realm of the Vandals. Despite being Christianized, they were opposed to Catholics, being adherents to Arianism. However, in 533-534, an expeditionary force sent by Justinian defeated the Vandals, ending their kingdom and ending the people's history.
By Tales Pinto
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PINTO, Tales dos Santos. "Vandals and Violence against the Roman Empire"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/vandalos-violencia-contra-imperio-romano.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
