Category: Roman North Africa

Christianity in North Africa, From Antiquity to Middle Age: cultural bridgebuilders

Fulgentius the Mythographer: mythological metaphores

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In late Antiquity, the people of the Mediterranean world were wondering how to make sense of the ancient myths and legends that had been at the foundation of their culture for centuries, now that they were Christian and no longer believed in the gods of their ancestors. Fulgentius, a North African author of the Vandal era, wrote several books in which he suggests an allegorical reading of Greco-Roman myths, drawing a moral and spiritual message from them.

A hidden message behind myths of another age

The world of ancient mythology is a supernatural world, full of magic, fantastic creatures, talking animals and men changed into animals or into stone. Also, in the mythological universe, the gods who live among men have very human passions: they are murderers, rapists, adulterers, thieves, liars, and commit all sort of crimes. The most reasonable men of the time, especially the philosophers, have always been embarrassed by the absurdity and immorality of these myths. To provide an explanation, they tried to discern a deeper meaning behind those imaginary stories.

Neoplatonic philosophers were especially active in reexamining the ancient myths at the light of their more sophisticated understanding of the world, to find a hidden sense behind their words.

Odysseus and Circe

Their method is best explained by an example. In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus and his companions land on the island of the sorceress Circe. When Odysseus’ companions, in their hunger, precipitate themselves on Circe’s table, she changes them all into pigs. Odysseus, on his way to save his companions, meets the god Hermes, who gives him a magical plant, together with instructions of how to triumph of the sorceress. The magical plant protects Odysseus against Circe’s magic. In the end, Circe agrees to return his companions to their human form. For the Neoplatonics, the change of Odysseus’ companions into pigs represents human degradation: when we give in to our primary impulses, to corrupting sensual pleasures, we become like wild animals. Odysseus, on the other hand, is protected by the knowledge of the wise, which gives him the strength to resist the destructive magic of the sorceress.

Ymagines Fulgencii: medieval images inspired by Fulgentius the Mythographer

Allegorical reading of myths became even more prominent in the Christian era. It allowed the Christians in the Greco-Roman world to reclaim possession of the old pagan myths, in which they discovered moral lessons, teaching them how to live a virtuous life, and even spiritual lessons, on God and his plan for them. One of the most prominent authors who developed this Christian allegorical reading of mythological texts was the North African Fulgentius the Mythographer.

Who was Fulgentius the Mythographer?

Fabius Planciades Fulgentius was a North African Christian author, who lived and wrote in the Vandal era, from the 5th to the 6th Centuries CE. Very little is known of his life, not even where in North Africa he lived. His writing style in Latin, his knowledge of Greek and his mastery of classical authors and popular cults indicate he was probably a trained rhetorician or grammarian. He understood the Libyc language and could read the Libyc alphabet, which shows he probably had Amazigh origins. The prologue of his Mythologies mentions that he was married.

Fulgentius of Ruspe

Since the Middle Age, certain scribes identified Fulgentius the Mythographer with Fulgentius of Ruspe, a North African bishop who lived in the same era, and was the leader of the North African Christian resistance against Vandal Arianism. However, this identification is contested by modern specialists.

Fulgentius the Mythographer’s work is traditionally dated from the late 5th and early 6th Century. However, a passage of his work resembles a verse of Corippus, another North African author who wrote around 550, after the Byzantine reconquest. Some specialists believe that he quotes Corippus, which would mean that he wrote after him. Others believe he is older than Corippus, and the resemblance is a pure coincidence. If he indeed does quote Corippus, this would prove that Fulgentius the Mythographer cannot be identified with Fulgentius of Ruspe, as the latter died in 527.

Fulgentius the Mythographer’s work was very popular all through the Middle Age, and had a strong influence on medieval Christian mythographers.

Fulgentius the Mythographer’s works

The most well-known work of Fulgentius the Mythographer are his Mythologies, a series of three books, with 50 chapters altogether. Each chapter tells a myth, and then interprets it allegorically, drawing a moral and spiritual message from it. For his interpretation, he uses etymologies of character names, which are often highly doubtful; but this was common at the time. In his prologue, the author explains that he wanted to strip the classical Greek myths of all their fictitious elements, in order to reveal the obscure truths they contain. While he had a Christian motivation, the lessons he draws from the myths are quite general and can be applied to any public.

Virgil Mosaic, Hadrumetum (Sousse)

In another work, Fulgentius the Mythographer exposes an allegorical reading of the Aeneid of Virgil, which he sees as an allegory of all human life. In this book, he ghost of Virgil appears to the author, together with the Muses (goddesses of art), to explain the truths contained in the Aeneid. Virgil addresses the author on a condescending tone, and makes fun of the readers’ tendency to read his poem literally, without grasping the deeper meaning behind his words. Allegorical interpretations of Virgil were already common (including one by the Roman African grammarian Aelius Donatus), but Fulgentius the Mythographer was the first one to do this in a Christian perspective.

Fulgentius the Mythographer also wrote an Explanation of obsolete words, which gives an explanation of 62 ancient Latin words appearing in classical literature, as well as a historical book, On the Ages of the World and Men.

Statius

Finally, an allegorical reading of the Thebaid, a poem by the 1st-Century Roman poet Statius, was also attributed to Fulgentius the Mythographer, probably by mistake: this work was written later, during the Middle Age. Its author imitates Fulgentius the Mythographer’s writing style. Statius was a contemporary of the first Christians, and a medieval tradition without any historical base, mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy, claims that he secretly converted to Christianity, and that his works contains a hidden Christian message.

Roman North Africa, From Antiquity to Middle Age: cultural bridgebuilders

Priscian of Caesarea: a North African grammarian in Constantinople

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Priscian of Caesarea was a 6th-Century grammarian. Born in Caesarea (Cherchell), Mauretania, he taught Latin grammar in Constantinople, the new Imperial capital.

Priscian of Caesarea, relief, bell tower of Florence, Italy, by Luca della Robbia

Priscian was born around 470, in Caesarea (Cherchell), Mauretania. He was probably of Greek origin. Although he was a Christian, his works contain many references to ancient Greek mythology.

Emperor Anastasius, Priscian’s mecene

At the time, North Africa was occupied by the Vandals. As a young man, Priscian fled his native region and settled in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, where he taught grammar. Anastasius, the Byzantine Emperor at the time (491-518), led a policy of welcoming Romans who had been uprooted by the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Priscian wrote a panegyric of Anastasius, praising his good will towards those refugees.

The most well-known of Priscian’s works was his Institutes of grammar, a systematic exposition of Latin grammar, in 18 books. In this work, Priscian uses quotes of Latin authors as examples of the grammatical rules he exposes. Those quotes preserved fragments of authors whose work would otherwise be lost.

The Institutes of grammar were used during all the Middle Age to teach Latin, together with the Ars Grammatica, written by Aelius Donatus, another North African grammarian: Aelius Donatus was used as an introduction, while Priscian, whose work was more detailed, served for deeper study.

Roman North Africa, The late Roman Empire, The Vandals in North Africa

The Battle of Cape Bon: the last Roman defeat in Africa

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Roman domination over North Africa, which lasted over four centuries, ended with the Vandal conquest of the region. The loss of Africa, the Empire’s bread-basket, was a hard blow for the Romans, who tried several times to take back the region. In 468, the Western and Eastern Roman Emperors came together for a military campaign against the Vandals. Their defeat at the Battle of Cape Bon was the last Roman attempt to reconquer Africa.

Context

Gold coin with the effigy of Majorian

During the reign of Emperor Majorian (457-461), the Roman Empire reconquered Spain. Majorian wanted to continue by taking back North Africa from the Vandals, but failed. His officer Marcellinus managed to reconquer Sicily.

In 467, the Vandal King Gaiseric tried to invade the Peloponnese. With the Vandal fleet spreading further and further East, the Romans feared an attack against Alexandria. The Eastern Emperor Leo I, who had previously been hesitant to support the Western Empire against the Vandals, finally decided to intervene.

The Roman offensive

The Western Emperor Anthemius, the Eastern Emperor Leo I, and Marcellinus, a military officer who controlled a semi-autonomous territory in Illyria, came together in Sicily, to prepare a vast common offensive against Carthage.

Gold coin with the effigy of Basiliscus

The Romans decided to attack the Vandals on three fronts : Basiliscus, the commander of the Eastern Roman army, would attack Carthage by sea with the major part of the troops; Marcellinus would attack Sardinia from Sicily, and then join Basiliscus; while Heraclius, the governor of Egypt, would attack Carthage from the East, via Libya.

Marcellinus conquered Sardinia, while Heraclius took control of Tripolitania. Basiliscus’ fleet anchored close to Cape Bon and waited for Marcellinus. However, a large part of Marcellinus’ fleet, led by Ricimer, a general with Germanic origins, refused to leave. Ricimer might have deliberately tried to sabotage the operation.

The Roman landing on Cape Bon was one of the largest military operations of this kind in ancient history: over 50.000 fighters and a thousand ships participated.

The Vandal King Gaiseric asked for a truce to negotiate. During this time, the Vandals filled their ships with flammable materials, and then, at night, they set fire to their ships and projected them against the Roman fleet, which was taken by surprise. Over half the Roman fleet was burned.

Later on

Basiliscus and Marcellinus fled to Sicily with the survivors of their army, while Heraclius fled across the Libyan desert. In Sicily, Marcellinus was assassinated by Ricimer.

Julius Nepos, the nephew of Marcellinus, became Western Emperor from 474 to 475. Basiliscus became Eastern Emperor in 475-476.

This Roman defeat was the last step in the decline of the Western Roman Empire, which was now limited to Italy and Sicily. The last Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed in 476, by the German chief Odoacer.

Roman North Africa, The late Roman Empire

Olybrius: Emperor and friend of the Vandals

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Olybrius, one of the last Roman Emperors, was allied by marriage to Gaiseric, the Vandal King of Carthage. He tried to take power several times with Vandal support, and finally reigned for a few months in 472.

Gold coin with the effigy of Olybrius

Anicius Olybrius was born in Rome, in an ancient noble family. He married Placidia, the daughter of Emperor Valentinian III, shortly before the sack of Rome by the Vandals. It is also possible that Olybrius and Placidia were only engaged and got married after Placidia returned to Rome.

In 455, Placidia was taken as a prisoner to Carthage by the Vandals, together with her sister Eudocia, who was married to Huneric, the son of the Vandal King Gaiseric. Placidia was freed in 461.

After the death of Emperor Majorian in 461, the new master of the Empire was general Ricimer, who could not become Emperor himself because of his Germanic origins. Olybrius claimed the Imperial throne. He was supported by Gaiseric, who hoped that his reign would be favorable to Vandal interests. However, Ricimer chose another Emperor, Libius Severus. Olybrius became consul in 464.

Reverse of a gold coin with the effigy of Olybrius: Christian cross surrounded by laurels

After Libius Severus died in 465, Olybrius claimed the throne again, still with Gaiseric’s support, but Anthemius was chosen instead of him. Olybrius finally succeeded in his third attempt to become Emperor, after Anthemius died in 472. Ricimer, who controlled the nomination of all Emperors since Majorian, died shortly after Olybrius’ accession to the throne.

Olybrius, through his marriage to Placidia, was the heir of the Theodosian dynasty, the last great Roman Imperial dynasty. His reign was short and uneventful. He had the reputation of being a devout Christian. The fact that the coins with his effigy show him without a spear of helmet seems to show that he didn’t have a strong interest for military affairs. Olybrius died of dropsy after four months on the throne.

The French word “olibrius”, which means a pompous and ridiculous person, comes from this Emperor’s historical reputation, due to his short reign, without any significant events.

Roman North Africa, The late Roman Empire

Majorian: The Roman Emperor Who Tried to Reconquer North Africa

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Translation: Ibrahim Ait Dami

Roman rule over North Africa, which had lasted more than four centuries, collapsed when the Vandals invaded the region. About thirty years later, a new Emperor, Majorian, led a campaign that allowed him to retake control of Spain. He then wanted to reconquer North Africa, but he lacked the means to do so.

Background

Gold coin bearing the image of Avitus

After the Vandals sacked Rome in 455, the Roman Empire was weaker than ever. The Gothic king Theodoric II imposed Avitus, a senator of Gallic origin who was close to him, as the new Emperor. During Avitus’s reign, the Goths invaded Spain, officially to bring the region back under Roman rule, but in reality for their own benefit. Abandoned by Theodoric, Avitus was killed in 456, after a year on the throne.

Majorian: Make Rome Great Again

Territories reconquered by Majorian – click to zoom

General Majorian, who proclaimed himself Emperor, decided to launch a vast campaign to reconquer the territories Rome had lost. He began by driving the Burgundians out of southern Gaul, then turned on the Goths in Spain. Within three years, he had retaken control of most of Spain. He also sent his officer Marcellinus to recapture Sicily from the Vandals.

Majorian wanted to use Spain as a base from which to attack the Vandals in Africa. But during his Spanish campaign, the Vandals managed to destroy the ships he was preparing for the invasion. Deprived of his fleet, Majorian was forced to cancel his plans. In 460, he concluded a peace treaty with the Vandal king Gaiseric and disbanded his troops.

On his return to Italy, Majorian was captured by Ricimer, a Roman general of Germanic origin. He was assassinated in 461.

Aftermath

Seal of Ricimer

For the following years, Ricimer, who could not become Emperor himself because of his Germanic origins, was the true master of the Empire, until his death in 472. The Emperors who reigned during these years were mere puppets. One of them, Olybrius, was linked by marriage to the Vandal king Gaiseric.

The last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed in 476 by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer: this marked the end of the Roman Empire.

Roman North Africa, From Antiquity to Middle Age: cultural bridgebuilders

Aelius Donatus: a Roman African grammarian

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Aelius Donatus was a 4th-Century North African grammarian. His works on Latin grammar played an important role in the teaching of Latin in the Middle Age.

Statue of Aelius Donatus, Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain), Nürnberg, Germany

Aelius Donatus was born around 310-320, in Roman Africa, maybe Tipasa. He made his career in Rome, as a grammarian and rhetorician, from 354 to 363. After he retired, he devoted himself to writing. He was close to the philosopher Marius Victorinus, who was also from Roman Africa. He died around 380.

Jerome of Stridon, a disciple of Aelius Donatus

Aelius Donatus’ career spans the time when Christianity gradually supplanted classical paganism as the majority religion in the Roman world. North Africa was one of the most strongly Christian regions in the Empire, and Aelius Donatus was certainly in contact with Christians since his youth. Unlike his friend Marius Victorinus, who converted to Christianity in his old age, Aelius Donatus remained pagan all his life. This didn’t prevent him from influencing the Christian Church: he was the preceptor of the Church Father Jerome of Stridon, who is known mostly for his masterful translation of the Christian Bible into Latin – a task for which Aelius Donatus’ grammar lessons were certainly very useful.

The small booklets, mostly grammar books, printed with wooden blocks before the invention of the industrial printing press by Gutenberg, were called “donats” after Aelius Donatus

Aelius Donatus’ most famous work was his Ars Grammatica, a grammatical treatise that became the most largely used Latin grammar book for over a thousand years, playing a major role in the standardization of the Latin language. The Ars Grammatica was taught in schools, in parallel with the works of Priscian, another later grammarian, who was also North African.

Next to his grammatical works, Aelius Donatus wrote a commentary of the playwright Terence, another Roman African author. His commentary highlights the links between Terence and the Greek playwright Menander. He was also the author of a biography of the poet Virgil, and of a commentary of the Aeneid. Another more famous commentary of the Aeneid, often attributed to him, was actually written by another author, Tiberius Claudius Donatus, who lived around 50 years later, but drew inspiration from Aelius Donatus’ work.

Roman North Africa, The late Roman Empire

Zerco: the Moorish dwarf of the King of the Huns

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Zerco was a Moorish dwarf, and the slave and jester of Attila the Hun. Because his appearance was considered comical, he was used to entertain his master’s army. In this less than enviable life, Zerco managed to make himself popular with the Huns, and to transform his weakness into a strength that enabled him to take control of his destiny.

Zerco – Image created by ChatGTP

Zerco was from Mauretania. He was short, had a hunchback, twisted feet and a flat nose. Because of his appearance, he was sold as a slave for his masters’ amusement.

Zerco’s first master was the Roman general Aspar, who bought him in 432, during his military campaign against the Vandals with Bonifatius, the Roman governor of Africa. Zerco went to Constantinople with Aspar, and then accompanied his master in his military campaigns.

Around 442, Zerco was captured by the Huns. Bleda, the brother of Attila, became his new master. Bleda was so fascinated by Zerco that he took him everywhere with him. He even had a special armor made for him, that fitted his anatomy. One day, Zerco fled with other prisoners. Bleda let the others run away, but took Zerco back. When Bleda askec him why he had fled, Zerco said he wanted to find a wife, and Bleda married him to a maid of the Queen.

After Bleda died, Attila inherited Zerco. Unlike Bleda, Attila hated Zerco; but he was too popular in the army to get rid of him.

After some time, Attila offered Zerco to the Roman general Aetius, as a gift to seal a peace agreement. Aetius gave him back to his former master Aspar. However, Zerco still wished to return to the Huns. When a Roman delegation led by the diplomat and historian Priscus was sent to Attila, he asked for permission to go with them, but his request was denied. It is Priscus who mentions Zerco in his writings.

Zerco probably finished his life in Constantinople. Nothing more is known about him.

Why write about this?
We strongly condemn any kind of abuse against disabled people, even more so for entertainment.
However, such practices sadly existed. Mentioning it does not mean approving it.
Zerco is part of the history of North Africa. As we publish this article, our hope is that his story, the dignity he found in his unhappy life, would be a source of inspiration for others.
The Vandals in North Africa, The late Roman Empire

Eudocia: a Roman Princess in Carthage

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Eudocia was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III. As the wife of Huneric, son of the Vandal King Gaiseric, she lived in Carthage and was destined to become Queen of the Vandals of Carthage. Later on, her son Hilderic becale King of the Vandals.

Eudocia

Origins and childhood

Bust of Valentinian III, Eudocia’s father

Eudocia was born in Rome around 440. She was the eldest daughter of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III and his wife Licinia Eudoxia. She was of pure Imperial blood on both sides of her family: her father was the son of the Roman general Constantius and Galla Placidia, daughter of Emperor Theodosius the Great, while her mother was the daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II.

In 442, the Roman Empire concluded a peace treaty with the Vandals, recognizing their sovereignty over North Africa. To seal this agreement, Eudocia, who was just a child, was promised in marriage to Huneric, the son of the Vandal King Gaiseric.

Eudocia in Carthage

In 455, Valentinian III was assassinated by the Senator Petronius Maximus, who took the throne. The new Emperor married Valentinian III’s widow Licinia Eudoxia, and forced their daughter Eudocia to marry his son Palladius.

Coin with the effigy of Huneric

To the Vandals, the broken engagement between Eudocia and Huneric invalidated the peace treaty. When the Vandal King Gaiseric heard the news, he decided to attack Rome and pillaged the city. Eudocia, together with her mother and her sister Placidia, was kidnapped and taken prisoner to Carthage, where she was married to Huneric.

Little is known about the years Eudocia spent in Carthage. We only know that her relationship with her husband Huneric was difficult. Apart from the fact that Eudocia was forced to marry Huneric against her will, the main reason for the tensions between them was their religious difference: Huneric was an Arian, Eudocia a Catholic Christian.

Coin with the effigy of Hilderic

Around 460, Eudocia gave birth to a son, Hilderic. Shortly after Hilderic was born, Eudocia, who could no longer stand the tensions with her husband, decided to leave Carthage. Eudocia thus never became Queen of the Vandals, as she left Huneric before he became King. Her son Hilderic grew up at his father’s court and became King of the Vandals from 523 to 530.

Eudoxia, Eudocia’s grandmother

After her departure from Carthage, Eudocia settled in Jerusalem, where her grandmother Eudoxia, the wife of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II, had a domain. Eudoxia, a famous Hellenistic poetess, had been exiled from the Imperial court after she was falsely accused of being unfaithful to her husband. She then retired to Jerusalem, where she devoted the last years of her life to her literary work and to religion. When Eudocia arrived in Jerusalem, her grandmother was already dead, but she settled on her domain. At her death, she was buried in her grandmother’s tomb.

Roman North Africa, The late Roman Empire, The Vandals in North Africa

The revenge of the Vandals: Gaiseric sacks Rome

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At the beginning of the 5th Century, the Vandals, a Germanic people, invaded North Africa, putting an end to more than four centuries of Roman domination over the region. In 455, the Vandal King Gaiseric entered Rome, sacked the city, and kidnapped the daughter of Emperor Valentinian III, who became his son’s wife.

Context

In the 5th Century, the Roman Empire was divided between its Eastern and Western parts, and weakened by a long series of wars against new foreign populations – often Germanic – that weakened its territory. One of these tribes, the Goths, sacked Rome in 410. It was the first time that the Imperial capital was taken by a foreign army.

Vandal Kingdom

The Vandals settled in Spain, and then crossed the Gibraltar Strait in 429 and invaded North Africa. In 439, they founded a Kingdom, with Carthage as its capital. A peace treaty was concluded in 442, through which Rome recognized the Vandal control over Africa. Roman Emperor Valentinian III promised his daughter Eudocia in marriage to Huneric, the son of the Vandal King Gaiseric.

In 455, Valentinian III was assassinated by Petronius Maximus, who seized the throne. The new Emperor married Licinia Eudoxia, Valentinian III’s widow, and forced their daughter Eudocia to marry his son Palladius. To Gaiseric, the breaking of Eudocia’s engagement to his son Huneric invalidated the peace treaty. When Licinia Eudoxia called on him to avenge her husband, Gaiseric decided to attack Rome.

The Vandals in Rome

Sack of Rome by the Vandals

The Vandals set sail from Carthage and landed at Ostia, the port city of Rome. Petronius Maximus tried to flee Rome, but he was stoned to death by an angry crowd. The Vandals destroyed the aqueducts that supplied water to Rome.

The bishop of Rome Leo I opened negotiations with Gaiseric, and convinced him to spare the inhabitants who didn’t resist, not to burn the buildings and not to torture prisoners. The Vandals sacked the city for two weeks.

Sack of Rome by the Goths, in 410

The sack of Rome by the Vandals was even more destructive than the 410 sack by the Goths. The Vandals tore off half the roof of the Temple of Jupiter Capitoline, the largest temple in Rome, to take its gilded bronze tiles. The Vandal tendency to pillage is at the origin of the word “vandalism”, which means the destruction of others’ property. However, there were no exactions against the population: Gaiseric, true to his word given to the bishop of Rome, restrained his troops.

According to certain sources, after the Vandal King Gaiseric pillaged Rome in 455, he took back to Carthage the sacred utensils of the Temple of Jerusalem, that had been kept in the Roman city treasure. After the Byzantines reconquered Carthage in 533, the Roman general Belisarius had them transported to Constantinople, from where they were later send back to Jerusalem. The possession of these sacred objects was believed to be a sign of divine blessing.

Return to Carthage

Huneric and Eudocia – Image created by ChatGPT

Two weeks later, the Vandals returned to Carthage. Eudocia, the daughter of Valentinian III, was brought back to Carthage as a prisoner, together with her mother and her sister Placidia. Soon afterwards, Eudocia was married to Huneric. Their marriage was difficult because of their religious difference: Huneric was an Arian, Eudocia a Catholic Christian. Because of the tension between them, Eudocia left Huneric before he became King, and ended her life in Jerusalem. The Vandal King Hilderic (523-530) was the son of Huneric and Eudocia.

Several ships full of captives arrived in Carthage, where the captives were given as slaves to the Vandal warriors. The bishop Deogratias of Carthage sold all Church property to buy back all those he could, and then hosted them in the big churches in Carthage, and sent them back to Rome.

Gold coin with the effigy of Marcian

Marcian, the Eastern Emperor, did not react violently after the Vandal attack. He was content with asking for Eudocia and her mother to be freed. Marcian, who served as a soldier in the Vandal-Roman wars in North Africa, had been taken prisoner by the Vandals in 432. A legend told that he was set free when Gaiseric predicted that he would become Emperor, and that in exchange for his freedom, he promised to never attack the Vandals.

Later on

After the Vandals left, Avitus, a Senator of Gaulish origin, was proclaimed Emperor by the Gothic King Theodoric. The last Western Roman Emperors were submitted to the Goths.

The former Empress Licinia Eudoxia, the widow of Valentinian III and the mother of Eudocia, was freed in 461, after the Eastern Emperor Leo I paid a ransom for her. She lived the rest of her life in Constantinople.

Gold coin with the effigy of Olybrius

Olybrius, one of the last Roman Emperors, was married to Placidia, Eudocia’s sister. After Placidia was freed, he tried to take power several times with Vandal support. He finally reigned for a few months in 472.

The sack of Rome by Gaiseric contributed a lot to accelerate the city’s decline, until the final fall of the Roman Empire in 476.

Roman North Africa, The late Roman Empire

Marcian: the future Emperor who was a prisoner of the Vandals

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During the Vandal conquest of North Africa, the future Emperor Marcian was taken prisoner by the Vandals. A legend tells that the Vandal King Gaiseric predicted that he would become Emperor. In exchange for his freedom, Marcian reportedly promised never to attack the Vandals.

Context

Gold coin with the effigy of Marcian

In 429, the Vandals crossed the Gibraltar Strait and invaded North Africa. The Roman troops, led by Bonifatius, the last Roman governor of Africa, were defeated at the Battle of Calama (Guelma).

The Romans sent reinforcements in 432, led by Aspar, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Roman Empire. Aspar, who had Germanic origins himself (Alanic through his father, and Gothic through his mother), wanted to use his affinity with the Vandals to defeat them.

Despite this, the Vandals were victorious again. It was during this campaign that the future Emperor Marcian, who was an officer in Aspar’s army, was taken prisoner.

Marcian, prisoner of the Vandals

Sack of Rome by Gaiseric

The imprisonment of the future Emperor gave birth to a legend that has been told by several ancient authors: while Marcian was a prisoner, an eagle flew over him and covered him with its shadow, while the other prisoners were exposed to the sun. When the Vandal King Gaiseric saw this, he predicted that Marcian would become Emperor, and set him free, in exchange for the promise that he would not wage war on the Vandals when he would be on the throne.

While this story is certainly fictitious, it was part of Marcian’s Imperial propaganda when he became Emperor some 20 years later, in 450. When the Vandal King Gaiseric sacked Rome in 455, taking the wife and daughter of the Western Emperor Valentinian III as prisoners, Marcian, as the Eastern Emperor, didn’t try to defend Rome, but was content with demanding that the imprisoned ladies be set free.