Vandal War Of 422
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The Vandal War of 422 was a military conflict within the
Western Roman Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...
. The war took place in the province
Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces created in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) in 27 BC. Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of ...
where the Romans went to war against the
Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...
and
Alans The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...
who had settled in the Diocese of Hispania since 409. The imperial army was led by general
Castinus Flavius Castinus was an influential Roman general and politician at the court of Emperor's' Honorius and Valentinian III, and most likely for some time before. He played a role in several military campaigns in Gaul and Hispania. He held the posit ...
and was reinforced with Gothic auxiliary forces.


Background

The diocese of Hispania was placed again under central Roman rule in 418 - after an impetuous period of uprisings and barbarian raids. In the four main provinces, the governing structure was restored, and, with the arrival of new units under ''
comes ''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...
'' Asterius, the Palatini army was brought back to strength. However, his Spanish campaign of 420 had not been sufficient to fully control the last rebellious
Gallaecia Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias and Leon and the later Kingdom of Gallaecia. The Roman cities inclu ...
province. Although it made an end to the usurpation of
Maximus Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to: * Circus Maximus (disambiguation) * Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome People Roman hi ...
, the Vandals were able to flee and now made the province
Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces created in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) in 27 BC. Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of ...
unsafe. It took until 422 before the empire started to send an army to put an end to this plague.


Rivalry at the imperial court

In September
421 __NOTOC__ Year 421 ( CDXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Agricola and Eustathius (or, less frequently, year 1174 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominat ...
, Emperor
Constantius III Constantius III (died 2 September 421) was briefly Western Roman emperor in 421, having earned the throne through his capability as a general under Honorius. By 411 he had achieved the rank of ''magister militum'', and in the same year he su ...
died who ruled the Western Empire together with
Honorius Honorius (; 9 September 384 – 15 August 423) was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho ...
. After his death, a struggle for power broke out within the government between Galla Placidia, the widow of Constantius III, and Honorius. According to historians, Castinus, as the main military commander during that period, acquired considerable influence from Emperor Honorius, and played a major role in opposing Placida. By the emperor he was appointed as ''magister utriusque militiae'', i.e. commander-in-chief of the Roman army. This appointment came at the expense of Boniface, another influential officer, who - thanks to his good relationship with Placidia - had the crusial military post of ''
comes rei militaris ''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...
in the
diocese of Africa The Diocese of Africa () was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of North Africa, except Mauretania Tingitana. Its seat was at Carthage, and it was subordinate to the Praetorian prefecture of Italy. The diocese in ...
.


Beginning


Campaign preparation

Castinus, as the highest officer, was intensively involved in the preparations for the campaign against the Vandals. From Palitani units of the main army group in Italy, an army force was formed to carry out the campaign and to strengthen it, Gothic foederati from Aquitaine were added. The Gothic troops supporting the expedition were led by local captains. Direct evidence that the Gothic ''rex''
Theodoric Theodoric is a Germanic given name. First attested as a Gothic name in the 5th century, it became widespread in the Germanic-speaking world, not least due to its most famous bearer, Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Overview The name w ...
was involved in the events is missing. Emperor Honorius formally placed Boniface in a position under Castinus, which would add Boniface's '' bucellari'' to the army. This appointment turned out to be a bad decision afterwards, because the two officers were each other's rivals and soon disagreements arose that led to Boniface leaving Ravenna and went to Africa. He ignored a call to return.


Strength of the armies

Without Boniface ''bucellari'', Castinus left for Hispania in the course of 422. Even without the troops of Boniface, he had a large army under him that was deemed capable of facing the threat of Vandals and Alans. The classical sources do not give numbers, but historians such as Heather and Elton estimate the number between 10,000 and 15,000 soldiers (including Gothic foederati). That was big by the standards of the time, but certainly not a giant army like in the 4th century. The army of the Vandals and Alans must have been about the same size.


The confrontation with the Vandals

According to Hydatius' report, Castinus' performance was initially prosperous. In Baetica (where exactly is not handed down) his troops managed to track down and meet the Vandals and Alans. He then prepared to give them the coup de grace in an open battle, but in the execution it went wrong. For unknown reasons, the Goths deserted. Heather allutes this to internal tensions within the Roman army caused by insufficient supplies, while Wijnendaele suggests that intent was at stake. By not sending grain, money or troops, Boniface tried to weaken the position of Castinus. Without the Gothic support, Castinus' troops were decisively defeated by the Vandals. Some historians suspect that the defeated Roman army retreated to Tarroco after the defeat, but there is no explicit evidence for this. They are based on Hodgkin who suggested that Castinus retreated towards Tarraconensis.


Peace talks

Despite the Roman defeat, a peace arrangement was established shortly after that which gave the Vandals permission to settle in Baetica. This treaty would not remain for long, because it fell apart in the years 425-426.


Consequences and further events

After his failed campaign in Hispania, Castinus returned to Italy with heavy losses. His defeat meant a great loss of face. Nevertheless, he retained his position as commander-in-chief and thus belonged to the leading court party in Ravenna. Among historians, the view prevails that the mutual rivalry between Castinus and Boniface indirectly contributed to the failure of the campaign. Boniface's refusal to provide the necessary support from Africa (men and supplies) would have been crucial in this point of view. The Roman defeat meant that their attempt to expel the Vandals from Baetica completely failed. The Vandals under their king ''rex'' Gunderic, strengthened their position in Southwest Hispania. They mainly retained control over Baetica and parts of Cathagensis. They settled mainly around the city of Seville (Hispalis). Kulikowski is based here on Isidorus of Seville, ''Historia Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum '' 33 The largest city and strategically conveniently located. According to Hydatius, the Vandals remained active, but their position was uncertain. They had enemies: the Suevens in Gallaecia, the local Roman militias and groups such as the Bagauden. There were also food shortages and pressure from Germanic rivals. When Gunderic died in 428, he was succeeded by his half-brother
Geiseric Gaiseric ( – 25 January 477), also known as Geiseric or Genseric (; reconstructed Vandalic language, Vandalic: ) was king of the Vandals and Alans from 428 to 477. He ruled over Vandal Kingdom, a kingdom and played a key role in the Fall of th ...
. This one made the radical decision to leave Hispania and cross over to Africa. Three years later, in 429, this crossing took place and a new war began that would eventually give the Vandals control over the
Diocese of Africa The Diocese of Africa () was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of North Africa, except Mauretania Tingitana. Its seat was at Carthage, and it was subordinate to the Praetorian prefecture of Italy. The diocese in ...
.


See also

* Roman civil war of 425 *
Vandal conquest of Roman Africa The Vandal conquest of Roman Africa, also known as the Vandal conquest of North Africa, was the conquest of Mauretania Tingitana, Mauretania Caesariensis, and Africa Proconsolaris by the migrating Vandals and Alans. The conflict lasted 13 year ...


Sources

* Prosper, ''Chronicon'' * Olympiodorus, Fragments handed down at
Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alch ...
and
Photius Photius I of Constantinople (, ''Phōtios''; 815 – 6 February 893), also spelled ''Photius''Fr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., and Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Mate ...
. * Isidore of Sevilla, ''Historia Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum''


References


Bibliography used in the article

* * * * * * {{cite book, last=Wolfram , first=Herwig , year=1988 , title= History of the Goths, url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgoths0000wolf , place= Berkeley, publisher= University of California Press , isbn= 978-0-52005-259-8 Wars involving the Roman Empire 420s conflicts Vandal people