On June 2, 455, the Vandals begin their sack of Rome. The Vandals were a Germanic tribe which had at the time become an important power in the Mediterranean during the rule of Genseric. As was common practice among royal families, Genseric's son Huneric and Roman Emperor Valentinian III's daughter Eudocia were to be married when they were of appropriate age. However, Valentinian III was assassinated in early 455 before the marriage could occur and Petronius Maximus assumed the throne, married Valentinian's widow Lucinia Eudoxia, and had Eudocia marry his son Palladius. This act was viewed by the Vandals as a betrayal and an invalidation of the previous treaty and consequently invaded Italy. By late May of that year the Vandals had arrived in the Rome and had killed Petronius Maximus and likely killed Palladius as they tried to escape. After promising Pope Leo 1 to neither destroy the city nor slaughter its inhabitants, the gates of Rome were opened to Genseric and his men. The Vandals proceeded to loot the city for nearly two weeks, looting much of the city's treasure as well as enslaving or killing a number of Roman citizens. Lucinia Eudoxia and Eudocia as well as Eudocia's sister Placidia. Eudocia eventually did marry Huneric and gave birth to their son Hilderic.
Genseric would pass away approximately 22 years later in Carthage at the age of 77. Subsequent rulers of the Vandal Kingdom were not as effective or successful as Genseric. By the end of 534, the Vandal Kingdom was destroyed by the Eastern Roman Empire in the Vandalic War. Not only was the Vandal Kingdom destroyed but the Vandal ethnic identity ceased to exist as the survivors were scattered to eventually assimilated with other groups.
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03 Jun 2017 02:36 CEST
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