Surely, you have heard more than once about the tricks of hooligans who cut the seats on the bus or broke the windows in the train. "Here are the vandals!" you thought, shaking your head disapprovingly. This word has become so widely used that we rarely think about its origin. So who are the vandals really?
Initially, the Vandals (or Vandils) were called representatives of the Germanic tribe of the Vandals - one of the many tribes that roamed Europe during the Great Migration of Nations.
What exactly did the vandals become so famous for that they became synonymous with inappropriate actions, hooliganism and damage to other people's property?
For the first time, Germanic Vandal tribes are mentioned in the 1st century AD by Pliny the Elder. According to this author, the Vandals (or Vandils) were a northeastern group of Germans, which included Varins, Burgundians, Hutons, and Karins. It is also known that the Vandals included the Siling, Asding and Lakring (possibly Karin?) Tribes.
Vandilia is also mentioned in Tacitus. According to the historian of the 6th century, Jordan, these tribes originally lived somewhere in the Baltic States (according to modern data, between the Oder and the Vistula), and when the Goths came there from Scandinavia, the Vandals were forced to move to the borders of the Roman Empire. The early history of this people is often associated with the initial stage of the formation of the Przeworsk culture, which was widespread in the interfluve of the Vistula and Oder in the 2nd century BC. - 4th century AD
Apparently, the lands of Meotida in the Azov Sea basin became the new homeland for the vandals for a short time. This is indicated by Procopius of Caesarea, and this is confirmed by the fact that the Vandals were in close alliance with the Sarmatian (Gothic, according to Procopius) tribe of Alans, who roamed at that time just in the neighborhood of Meotida. The alliance with the Alans was so close that they later accompanied the Vandals on their entire long journey from Meotida to Spain and further to Africa during the era of the Great Nations Migration.
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By the beginning of the 5th century A. D. The Western Roman Empire gradually lost its influence and military power under the onslaught of numerous barbarian tribes. On the former lands of the once powerful state, chaos was created: new tribes conquered cities, but new conquerors came to their place a couple of years later. One of these tribes were the Vandals, who first moved from Germany to Spain, and from there were forced to move to North Africa. The reasons for this outcome are not clear: some historians claim that the Vandals were driven out by other tribes, others say that the Vandals were invited to Africa by the Roman governor, who wanted to take over the provinces by alien force and become the sole ruler in them.
One way or another, by 435 the Vandals had taken over most of the territories in North Africa. The fragile peace with Rome did not last long, and already in 439 the city of Carthage fell under the onslaught of the Germans. The empire, torn apart by enemies, could not oppose anything to the barbarians, so it was forced to recognize their conquests and make peace. Now the vandals with all their might hung over the defenseless Rome, whose troops fought in other parts of the country.
At this time, the Roman emperor Valentinian III, known for his debauchery, suddenly took it into his head to take possession of the virtuous wife of Senator Petronius Maximus. Then the emperor invited the senator to the palace and offered to play chess - on a personal ring. Unfortunately, the emperor turned out to be a good player. Or maybe the senator thought that the ring was a form of bribe and gave in. Given the personality of Maxim, this is quite possible. Having won the ring, Valentinian sent servants with a stretcher to Maxim's wife: they say, the husband calls her to the palace, and in confirmation of his words he sends his ring. Not suspecting anything bad, the senator's wife got into a stretcher, and she was carried away to the distant chambers of the palace, to Valentinian …
The wife died of such shame. The disgraced husband decided to take revenge. He conspired, and at the military parade, Valentinian III was killed with a dagger in the back. He became the emperor, Petronius Maximus! And, being by that time a widower, of course, he married the widow-empress, whose name was Eudoxia. But once the cunning, cautious Maxim made a mistake, in a fit of frankness, blabbed to his new wife that it was he who organized the murder of Valentinian. Now Eudoxia has already decided to take revenge. She sent a secret letter to Carthage to the Vandal leader Geiseric, in which she asked him to come with an army to Rome in order to punish the murderer, and reported that there were almost no troops in Rome now.
Geyserich was short, lame (unsuccessfully fell off his horse), extremely secretive, laconic, stormy in anger. Despising luxury, he was greedy for wealth, but at the same time very far-sighted when it was necessary to anger the tribes and sow the seeds of discord. The whole world knew about the untold riches of Rome, and Geyserich, having received such an unexpected and flattering invitation from the Empress, quickly and secretly equipped a large fleet. Well, he was only fulfilling the request of the widow of the rightful emperor.
The Vandal ships crossed the sea, entered the mouth of the Tiber River, and on June 12, 455, appeared before the walls of great Rome.
No one expected the invasion of the barbarians, there were no troops, a wild panic began in the city, no one thought about resistance. Emperor Petronius Maximus tried to secretly escape from the doomed capital, but the Romans themselves identified him and stoned him. Pope Leo I came out to beg the vandals to take pity on the inhabitants, not to enter the city, offered a ransom. Indeed, only three years ago, the Turkic tribes of the Huns came from the north, stood on the hills and looked with sleepy eyes from their shaggy horses at great Rome, took a ransom and went home. But this time the Pope's pleas were in vain.
On June 15, Geiserich, at the head of a wild and greedy horde, entered the richest city of the ancient world. For as many as 14 of her, Rome was given over to complete plunder.
The invaders plundered the treasuries of the temples, the palaces of the nobility and the houses of the townspeople; abused all women, turned into slaves and slaves of the haughty Romans. The vandals took out at least 400 tons of gold alone! Statues, works of art, gilded copper sheets from the roofs of temples were dragged onto ships. But even a huge fleet could not take out all the treasures. Then the vandals broke and destroyed the rest. As a "gratitude", Geyserich took his royal correspondent with him along with his two daughters. (Actually, what else could she count on when she sent her invitation?) The ships overloaded with booty barely made it to Carthage, one loaded with marble statues sank already at the port entrance.
The vandals apparently managed to set a kind of “record” even for those cruel times. After such a defeat, Rome could no longer recover. After 20 years, troops of the Germans came, led by Odoacer, and the Western Roman Empire ceased to exist. The twists and turns of history are sometimes strange: the last emperor of Rome was called the same as its founder. Romulus began, and Romulus ended.
However, the memory of the terrible visit of the vandals overshadowed even this quiet end. Although both the Turks and the Germans "had a hand" in the destruction of the Western Empire, it was the Vandals who got all the dubious glory. 15 centuries ago they disappeared from the face of the earth, but suddenly, centuries later, the word "vandalism" appeared.
