The last fall of Rome, the calling of the vandals. Cross-sectional analysis of four ancient sources of information about one event. The woman who arranged the sack of Rome by vandals Vandal from which Rome fell 6 letters
In the 5th century, Rome, which seemed unshakable, turned out to be powerless before the barbarian tribes. And one of the most impressive moments was the capture and plundering of the Eternal City by the Goths of Alarich, and, even more so, by the vandals of Geiserich in 455.
It is believed that the capture of Rome by the vandals was provoked by the Empress Licinia Eudoxia. She was the wife of Emperor Valentinian III (425 - 455)., Who did not treat the wife of Senator Petronius Maximos in the best way.
The senator did not show, but did not forgive the emperor. On an opportunity, he slandered the best Roman commander Aetius, the one who stopped Attila's Huns in the battle on the Catalaunian fields. Petronius Maximus gave the emperor the idea that Aetius was too popular among the troops and that it was dangerous. Valentinian was short-sighted and executed his only and, most importantly, excellent general.
After that, there was no one to protect Valentinian, and soon Maxim organized his murder. The goth Optila, a faithful associate of the executed Aetius, committed direct reprisal against the emperor. Maxim had no problems proclaiming himself emperor.
But it seemed to Maxim not enough and he decided to marry Licinia Eudoxia, the widow of the murdered emperor. But Eudoxia was against this situation and wrote a letter to Carthage, the king of the Vandal tribe Geyserich, and said that Rome could be captured with her bare hands.
Petronius Maximus was unable to resist Geyserich, and indignant Romans tore him to pieces on the 77th day of his reign. A day later, Geiserich arrived and captured Rome without a fight. The vandals frolicked in the city for two weeks, raking in all the valuables and recruiting prisoners and slaves, including taking away and inviting him Eudoxia and her daughters.
It is believed that the attack of Geiserich led to the terrible sack of Rome, hence the term "vandalism" actually appeared. In any case, Procopius of Caesarea wrote about such ruin, but there are also other opinions. For example, Prosper of Aquitaine wrote that Pope Leo I persuaded Geiserich not to plunder the city. But there are the works of Viktor Vitensky, who wrote that the barbarians took out prisoners and treasures literally in rows of ships. So it is possible that the minds of contemporaries were struck not by the very fact of plunder, but by the fact that Rome was captured.
After a raid by vandals, apathy reigned in Rome. The eternal city seemed unshakable, but then it happened that even the three-day sack of the Visigoths in 410 had already faded. And the power on the Italian peninsula was in the hands of the commanders of the barbarian tribes: Ricimer, Gundobad and ultimately Odoacer. The emperors became just pawns in the hands of the military leaders, and then Odoacer completely closed the topic of the emperor in the western part of the empire.
And the moral is simple. Petronius Maximus would not have dragged Eudoxia to his bed and Rome would not have been ravaged, and the empire, you see, would have survived. Yes, and Eudoxia would have continued to live in Rome, and not gone prisoner to the vandals.
Grow to die Nations are coming, crushing strongholds that once seemed unshakable. Imperial grandeur crumbles to dust. And the glory of the victors lives on for centuries. So it happened with the Vandals, whose fame resembled the glory of Herostratus, who once incinerated the temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Vandals emerged from the depths of Asia, passing from the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov to the Atlantic. Almost fifteen hundred years ago, the vandals, having destroyed Rome, disappeared, as if they had never existed. Their name has become a symbol of the senseless destruction of civilization.
What prompted the vandals to leave the shores of Meotida? Perhaps a feud with the Alans. But most likely a drought, which was a frequent visitor to the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. Having abandoned their native places, the vandals went to the Baltic.
In the fifth century, Vandals and Alans entered the territory of modern Hungary. In 407, the tribes stood on the Rhine. Here they were blocked by the Germanic tribes of the Franks. The battle ended in disaster for the vandals. more than 23 thousand soldiers died. And with them the king Godagisl.
However, the defeat did not save Gaul. Roman settlements on the territory of present-day France were incinerated by vandals, people were killed. The land has become a desert. The Vandals did not wait for the invasion of the mighty Goths, and headed for rich Spain. Already in the fall of 409, the tribes of the Vandals and Alans were involved in the struggle for power between the six rulers of the Roman state. The Roman provinces were tried to rule by the protege of the Gothic leader Alaricus Attalus in Rome, Maximus in the north of Spain in Tarragona, the legitimate emperors Honorius in the west and Theodosius in the east, father and son Constantine and Constant in Gaul and Britain.
Vandals rob Rome
Archbishop Isidore of Seville wrote that the Vandals managed to break through to Spain after Emperor Constantine executed the brothers Didim and Veronian on suspicion of usurping the throne. They successfully defended the passes in the Pyrenees with imperial troops. Isidore depicts the suffering of ordinary people in Spain during the invasion of the vandals: “Killing and devastating, far and wide, they set fire to cities and devoured stolen supplies, so that the population from hunger ate even human flesh. Mothers ate their children; wild animals, accustomed to feed themselves with the bodies of those who died from the sword, hunger or pestilence, attacked even the living ... ".
Very quickly the vandals divided the captured lands. In 411, the warriors of King Gunderich began to possess Galletia (north-west of Spain), the Suevi received "the westernmost edge of the oceanic sea" and a part of Gallecia, the Alans began to live in the provinces of Cartagena and Lusitania. All the locals began to work for the Vandals, as they had previously worked for the Romans. However, the vandals oppressed their subjects less, it was more profitable to work for them than for Rome.
From Spain, the Vandals drove the Visigoths of Ataulf to North Africa. King Geyserich killed legions of Byzantines in Libya. In 439, the Vandals settled in Carthage, proclaiming the city the capital of the kingdom.
It was from Carthage that the Vandals dealt the mortal blow to Rome. They took advantage of another turmoil in the empire. Emperor Valentinian III decided to take possession of the wife of the influential senator Petronius Maximus. The Emperor has conceived a ruse. I invited my husband to his palace to play chess. He won the ring from the senator. And then he sent it to Maxim's wife. they say, the husband calls his wife to the palace. Maxim's wife came and was raped by Valentinian. The dishonored wife then committed suicide. And Maxim was determined to take revenge. Without further ado, he sent a hitman. The emperor was stabbed with a stiletto right on the parade. In 455, Senator Maxim, having bribed whoever needed, became the emperor himself. Now he raped the wife of the former ruler of Rome - Eudoxia.
Once, in a fit of passion, Maxim said too much. And he admitted that Valentinian was stabbed at his request. Now Eudoxia took revenge. She had no loyal troops. But she was very good at composing letters. She sent one letter to King Geiseric in Carthage. Incidentally, the Empress noted that Rome was defenseless. And there is darkness in it.
The vandals immediately assembled for the campaign. In June 455, their fleet was already stationed on the Tiber. The Roman authorities offered ransom payments. But the Vandal king sent a delegation of the Romans home. Crowds of vandals plundered the Eternal City for 14 days. They loaded 400 tons of gold alone onto ships. Even the gilded copper roofs of the temples were stripped. Eudoxia was also dragged to Carthage, where she was married off to Gunerich, the son of King Geiserich. The vandals with their robbery made a great depressing impression on the writers of that time. and thus was born their glory of thoughtless destroyers.
The name of the vandals - the barbarians who perpetrated the two-week defeat of the city of Rome, has long become a household name. But what actually happened in 455? And where did the tribes come from, which many ancient historians call Slavs.
A tribe out of nowhere
Historians still cannot come to a consensus about where the tribes came from, the name of which became a household name, and what ethnic group they belonged to. The most common version is the Germans. Ancient authors of their time wrote about this: Tacitus mentioned the "vandals" as the ancient name of one of the Germanic tribes; Pliny the Elder saw them as representatives of the North-East Germans.
Already later, the Byzantine historian Procopius of Kessaria ranked the Vandals as one of the Gothic tribes, which, in his opinion, came from the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. But do not forget that all of the above persons, especially Tacitus and Pliny, as well as other ancient authors, usually did not go into details about the ethnicity of their "barbarian neighbors".
At different periods of time, they called them either Scythians, sometimes Celts, or Germans. Naturally, these authors have practically no information about the historical homeland of these tribes, as well as weighty evidence of their belonging to the Germans. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the vandals themselves, who passed through all of Europe and settled on the territory of Carthage, by the beginning of the medieval era did not preserve any legends about their original habitat. The last hope is for archeology, which localizes the Vandal homeland in the area between the Vistula and Oder rivers. Just in the vicinity of the supposed Proto-Slavs - Wends.
Slavs?
It is easy to imagine how beneficial the version of the Slavic origin of the vandals is for the Slavic peoples themselves. If you do not take into account not the most brilliant reputation of the pogromists of Rome, the vandals founded one of the largest states of the early Middle Ages - the kingdom of the Vandals and Alans, which reached the northern shores of Africa. One of the Soviet historians, Kucherenko, wrote that the conquest of the Vandals (Slavs, according to his article) of North Africa led to the consolidation of the Slavic element there, which in the 7th century spread from Africa to Byzantium.
With less pathos, the Vandals were attributed to the Slavs by the Western European chroniclers of the 8th century, who, based on the similarity of names, transferred the name of the disappeared vandals to the Western Slavs of the Vendians. In later writings, some of the barbarian tribes of the past - including the Huns and Vandals - finally mixed with the Slavs. Thus, the 11th century chronicler Adam of Bremen reported that Slavs were called vandals in former times. The Allaman annals describing the history of the Frankish state call the Wend Slavs vandals.
Modern historians, in an attempt to prove the Slavic origin of the Vandals, which would indicate the ancient origin of the Slavic tribes and the presence of early statehood, appeal precisely to these medieval authors, as well as toponymy, that is, the etymology of geographical names.
So, Kucherenko takes the ancient Spanish names Guadalquivir or Sierra Nevada for Slavic place names left by the vandals and derived from the Slavic word "water". In search of evidence, the latter even refers to the allegedly Slavic type of face depicted on the coins of the kingdom of the Vandals, where mustachioed and bearded people are present: “The coins of Heraclius and his successors give us a whole gallery of portraits of the Slavs,” Kucherenko reports. Nevertheless, the surviving written records allow us to completely reconstruct the phonetic picture of the Vandal language, which in its structure rather resembles the eastern variety of Gothic or Germanic speech.
His Majesty Geyserich, or how Rome burned
Perhaps the most interesting moment in the history of the Vandal tribe was the devastation of Rome in 455, which lasted more than two weeks. All cultural values \u200b\u200bthat could be loaded onto ships were taken from the Eternal City, thousands of free citizens were captured and sold into slavery.
Later, in the 18th century, one of the leaders of the Great French Revolution, Abbot Henri Gregoire, will recall this act. In his report to the States General, he will introduce the term "vandalism", meaning the merciless barbarism and wanton destruction of cultural monuments.
However, in fairness, it should be noted that the acts of vandals in Rome have nothing to do with vandalism in the modern sense of the term. The plunder of the city by Geyserich, on the other hand, was distinguished by its methodical nature, in contrast to the previous one, perpetrated by the Gothic leader Alaric, when his army destroyed half of the Eternal City. Geyserich, in response to the bloodless surrender of the city, did not subject it to fires and saved the lives of the townspeople. True, this did not prevent him from taking out most of the able-bodied population from there as future slaves, as well as everything of value that could only be sold.
It must be said that the Romans themselves called the enemy into the city, or rather the wife of the late Emperor Valentian III - Eudoxia, who sought revenge on the usurper - Senator Petronius Maximus, who killed her husband and made a coup.
The Roman historian Prosper of Aquitaine argues that Maxim was "added" fuel to the fire, as if he had declared to Eudoxia that he had decided on treachery for the sake of his love for her. Enraged, she tried to find an ally who could avenge her dishonor and shame. The choice fell on the Vandal king Geiserich - at that time the most influential of the kings of the West. He was already in his sixties, and under his leadership, the tribe owned Africa for about a quarter century. His other powerful contemporaries, Attila and Theodoric, have already become history, but he still terrified and awe his neighbors.
It was to him that Eudoxia asked to become her protector and avenger for his ally Valentinian. According to Prosper: "She insistently insisted that he, as a friend and ally, since such a great crime was committed against the royal house, it would be unworthy and ungodly not to be an avenger."
She partly achieved her goal - the usurper Maxim was killed by his own slaves even before the vandals approached. The latter were not at all going to return home empty-handed. Eudoxia herself and other members of the imperial family were also taken by Geiseric to Carthage, and one of the daughters was married to the heir to the throne.
"The most pampered of all barbarians"
To some extent, Eudoxia brought misfortune to the kingdom of the Vandals. Under her grandson, Hilderich, who, before taking a long time in Constantinople under the influence of Emperor Justinian, the Vandal kingdom not only lost its fighting zeal, but also experienced a strong religious split between the Arians and the Orthodox.
The Byzantine writer Procopius of Kessaria wrote that the vandals "of his time" were "the most pampered of the barbarians with whom the Byzantines had to fight." The subjective point of view of the Byzantine scientist was not far from the truth. Carthage repeated the fate of Rome, once conquered by him. Taking advantage of the coup d'état, which resulted in the overthrow of Justinian's favorite, Gilderich, the Byzantine emperor organized an expedition to North Africa. The Vandal kingdom was destroyed, and North Africa became the territory of Byzantium.
Geyserich is one of the most complex figures of the era of the fall of Rome. The son of a Vandal king and a slave, he received the throne after the younger brother of Gunderich, the son of the Vandal king by his lawful wife.
Jordan describes him as a short and lame man, whose character traits were secrecy, anger and foresight. Some authors attributed to Geiserich the murder of his brother and the reprisal against his family, others - justified.
In 429, Vandals and Alans who settled in Spain with their families boarded ships, crossed Gibraltar and entered Roman North Africa. Geyserich led his people in a swift march from city to city. The vandals did not have siege engines, so they approached the walls of the fortresses under the cover of a human shield from the local population or poisoned springs near the cities.
The invading army was joined by fugitive slaves, columns, heretics who professed Arianism and Donatism. The governor of the province Boniface retreated with the remnants of his loyal troops to Hippon-Regius. In June 430, Geyserich approached the fortress and began a siege. Boniface defended himself for 14 months.
Later, the governor left Hippon and sailed to Italy. Geyserich made the city his capital. Commander Aspar arrived in Africa from the Eastern Empire, but he could not defeat the Vandals. In 435, the parties made peace. Vandals received part of the North African lands as federates (allies) of Rome.
The settlers were supposed to supply grain and oil to the center, as well as defend the lines from the Berbers. For several years Geyserich fulfilled the terms of the contract. In 439, the Romans were crowded out by the Goths in Aquitaine and the Suevi in \u200b\u200bSpain. At this moment, the vandals also captured the rest of Proconsular Africa and Bisatsena, where Roman power still remained. By order of the king, new ships were built, and the vandals began to attack the coast of Sicily and Italy.
In 441, the Vandals were driven back from Palermo, and a year later they concluded a new treaty with Rome. From now on, Geyserich became the independent ruler of the former Proconsular Africa. The king ordered to count the time from the year of the capture of Carthage. His son Gunerich spent several years in Rome as a hostage. At this time, he became engaged to Valentinian's daughter Evdokia.
Solid Valentinian III. (Wikimedia Commons)
Situation in Rome
In 454, Emperor Valentinian and his close friend Heraclius killed the commander Aetius. The assassination of an influential military leader was followed by reprisals against his supporters. The enemy of Aetius was the influential senator Petronius Maximus, who hoped to take his place. However, the emperor did not promote Petronius, and the senator decided to act.
He persuaded two barbarians who served Aetius to avenge their master. March 16, 455, Valentinian drove through the Champ de Mars. The ruler of the West dismounted to take up archery. At this moment he was attacked and killed by the servants of Aetius.
Maximus persuaded the Senate to proclaim him emperor. The new ruler married Evdokia, Valentinian's widow. The daughter of the Empress, despite her engagement to Gunerich, was married to the son of Petronius Maximus Palladius. The new emperor openly patronized the assassins of his predecessor.
Leo the Great and Geyserich: Medieval Miniature. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Fall of Rome: Geyserich and Leo the Great
Petronius Maximus ruled for 70 days. They wrote that Eudoxia, who was forcibly given to him, secretly sent messengers to Geizerich. Perhaps this is fiction, and the king of the Vandals decided to act on his own.
Geyserich gathered a fleet and an army of Vandals and Moors, and at the end of May his squadron dropped anchor near Rome. Panic began in the city. The emperor was unable to organize a defense and chose to flee. On the outskirts of the city, he faced an outraged crowd. The thrown boulder hit the temple and killed Maxim. The Romans tore the body of the emperor to pieces and hoisted one of them on a pole.
Nobody was able to organize a defense. Bishop Leo of Rome, who had negotiated with Attila three years earlier, tried to save the city. During the meeting, he was unable to convince the barbarian king to spare the city. But Geyserich gave guarantees that there would be no murders in Rome.
On June 2, 455, vandals entered Rome and plundered the city for two weeks. Finally, on June 16, they left Rome. Geiserich took with him numerous treasures and works of art. From the temple of Jupiter, the king ordered to tear down the copper roof, covered with gold. The invaders took away the booty stored in the city, captured by the emperor Titus in Jerusalem. Hostages from senatorial families, as well as several thousand artisans, went with the vandals to North Africa. Among the noble hostages was the son of Aetius Gaudentius.
G. Leitmann. "The plundering of Rome by vandals." (Wikimedia Commons)
The ship in which the vandals were carrying the captured statues sank on the way back, but the rest sailed safely. Among the hostages was the widow of two emperors, Eudoxia, with her daughters Placidia and Eudokia. The Empress and her daughter Placidia were soon able to leave for, but Eudoxia became the wife of Gunerich. Only 16 years later, she also moved to the Eastern Empire. The son of Eudoxia and Hunerich, Childerich, at one time inherited the throne of the Vandal kingdom. Many ordinary captives became slaves in North Africa.
Bishop Deogratius of Carthage ordered the sale of church utensils in order to ransom as many people as possible. By order of the bishop, the liberated were accommodated in two Carthaginian basilicas. Deogratius also organized medical assistance for those who were sick.
In 1794, Bishop Henri Gregoire, during a speech at the National Convention, called the destruction of art monuments vandalism. After that, the word "vandalism" began to mean the senseless destruction of cultural and artistic monuments.
