Vandal Kingdom Established in North Africa
The Treaty of 435 CE had assigned the Vandals Numidia and Mauretania as foederati. Gaiseric never regarded this as more than a temporary arrangement. On 19 October 439 CE, he seized Carthage without warning. Carthage was not merely a city but a symbol and an economic engine. As the administrative capital of Roman Africa it handled the vast grain fleets that fed Rome and the western armies. With Carthage came a ready-built fleet, which Gaiseric immediately expanded. He used it to dominate the western Mediterranean. The Vandal Kingdom differed from earlier Germanic settlements in its independence. Gaiseric negotiated as a foreign sovereign. The Vandal Kingdom survived until 533-534 CE when the Eastern Roman general Belisarius reconquered Africa.
- Year: 435 CE
- Category: Political
