Gaiseric by Ian Hughes

Author:Ian Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History / Military / Ancient
ISBN: 9781473890299
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2017-04-30T04:00:00+00:00

The Vandal Peace, 442–454

The treaty of 442 was a landmark in Roman affairs. Although Valentinian and Aetius saved face by claiming that the Vandals had settled in Africa under Roman rule, the reality was that the government in Ravenna had agreed to the permanent loss of territory to a barbarian king, and acknowledged that they did not have the troops to retake it without help from the East.70 Yet, surprisingly, Gaiseric did not attempt to take advantage of Roman weakness to further enlarge his realm.

This was in part due to the fact that the Vandals, and especially Gaiseric, realized that they would provoke a further invasion from the East if they attempted to attack the West. After all, it was a matter of luck that the Eastern expedition had been halted by the attacks of both the Persians and Huns. There is no evidence, as suggested by some historians, that there was a political and military agreement between Gaiseric, Attila and the Sasanian Persian Yezdigerd II.71 Furthermore, Gaiseric may have been following the standard barbarian policy of attacking the West when it was weak or divided, and coming to terms with the emperor when the West was stronger and more able to defend itself.72 After 442, Aetius firmly established himself in power in Italy and his military ability helped to delay further erosion of Roman power.

Yet there was a further factor in the protracted period of peace following the treaty of 442: Gaiseric was not yet totally secure in his kingdom. Prosper notes that following the treaty:

Some of Gaiseric’s magnates conspired against him because he was proud even among his own people, due to the successful outcome of events. But when the undertaking was discovered, they were subjected to many tortures and killed by him. Whenever others seemed to venture the same thing, the king’s mistrust served to destroy so many that he lost more men by this anxiety of his than if he had been overthrown in war.

Prosper, s.a. 442.

As with the Goths, the modern perception that the Vandals were a unified kingdom under the rule of Gaiseric conceals the reality of many different nobles and groups being unhappy with the rule of one man. Furthermore, it is possible, though unprovable, that Aetius and Theodosius had been able to send agents to Africa who had managed to provoke the conspiracy.73 As a consequence, it would have been very risky of Gaiseric to provoke another war with the West, since it was possible that many of his own followers would change allegiance, so weakening his forces and giving a greater chance of victory to the Romans.

There is one further factor that needs to be explored. Victor of Vita records that at an unknown date, Gaiseric had his predecessor and half-brother Gunderic’s wife and children killed, possibly at Cirta (Constantine).74 Victor gives no context with which to help date the affair, and many dates are plausible and have been proposed. However, the signing of the treaty may be the most obvious occasion.

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