Europe 439: Vandal capture of Carthage

Taking advantage of Roman troubles with the Visigoths in Gaul, the Vandal king Gaiseric suddenly invaded Africa in late 439 and, by some form of trickery, seized control of Carthage. The fall of the third largest city in the Roman Empire—and a vital source of grain for Rome itself—sent shock waves throughout the empire.

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Notes

Akatziri and the “Scythian Kingdom” (Kuban Huns)

Little is known about the region north and east of the Black Sea in the first half of the fifth century, except that in c. 400 a “Scythian King” (almost always assumed to be a Hun) lived in the Kuban region and by the 440s a Hunnic people known as the Akatziri lived east of the Dniester. Although fragmented, the Akatziri were powerful enough that, when the Eastern Romans aligned with all but one of their kingdoms in 447, it took over a year for Attila’s armies to crush them and install his son as their king. After this, Attila contemplated invading Persia, implying that suppressing the Akatziri had bought the periphery of his empire close to the Caucasus. All this suggests that the Akatziri may have extended into the North Caucasus and that the “Scythian King” may have been part of the Akatziri, although this is of course conjecture.

Main Events

439 First Battle of Toulouse▲

In 439 the Western Roman dux Litorius invaded the territory of the Visigoths and soon approached their capital Tolosa (Toulouse). The Visigoths gave battle but, after he had inflicted heavy casualties on them, Litorius recklessly charged into the fray with his Hunnic auxiliaries. As a result, his Huns were slaughtered and he himself fell into the hands of the Visigoths, who put him to death a few days later. in wikipedia

439 Fall of Augusta Emerita▲

In 439 Rechila, King of the Suebi, marched into Augusta Emerita, capital of the Roman province of Lusitania in the Diocese of Hispaniae. Having secured Emerita, Rechila then besieged the comes Censorius—who had negotiated peace between Aetius and the Suebi in 432 and 437—at Martylis (perhaps Myrtilis/Mértola in what is now Portugal). Censorius capitulated at some point in 440, after which he seems to have spent the remaining eight years of his life in Suebian captivity. in wikipedia

439 Second Battle of Toulouse▲

After the Visigothic defeat of Litorius at Tolosa (Toulouse) in mid 439, the Gothic officer Vetericus seems to have taken command of the Western Roman forces there and stabilized the situation while awaiting the arrival of the magister militum Aetius from Italy. Late in the year, Aetius took charge and, rejecting Visigothic peace overtures, immediately besieged a Visigothic military camp near Tolosa. Capturing the camp with the help of siege towers, the Romans proceeded to massacre the trapped defenders, thereby both avenging Litorius and ending the war with a stern warning to the Visigoths. in wikipedia

19 Oct 439 Capture of Carthage▲

In late 439, taking advantage of Roman troubles with the Visigoths in Gaul, the Vandal king Gaiseric marched out of Hippo Regius into the province of Africa and seized control of Carthage by “a great strategem” or “trickery”. The fall of the third largest city in the Roman Empire—and a vital source of grain for Rome itself—would soon send shock waves throughout the empire, but does not seem to have been reported in Italy until early 440, when shipping routes reopened after the winter. With Carthage in his hands, Gaiseric placed his followers in positions of authority throughout the city and persecuted catholic Roman churches in favor of Arians and Donatists. in wikipedia