Berber raid on the Vandal Kingdom

Berber raid on the Vandal Kingdom
Date529 or 530
Location
Byzacena
Result Berber Victory
Belligerents
Frexes Vandal Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Antalas Hildimer
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

In 529 or 530, a Berber army under Antalas led a military expedition into the south of Byzacena. He defeated an army of the Vandal Kingdom under the command of Hildimer, which precipitated a coup against King Hilderic.

Background

Under the reign of Guenfan, the Frexes were still a small and relatively weak kingdom. Nevertheless, his son Antalas, who was then serving as a general in his father’s army, began hostilities against the Vandals as early as 516.

He launched raids against King Thrasamund in the valleys and mountains of southern Byzacena, which met with great success. After succeeding his father as leader of the Frexes in 517, Antalas decided to launch a larger-scale expedition against King Hilderic.[1][2]

Expedition

Antalas, leading the Frexes and allied with Naffur contingents, ravaged several cities and pillaging the countryside of southern Byzacena, provoking a reaction from the Vandal king, who decided to send his nephew Hildimer to confront Antalas' army. The latter decided to send his army to stop the advance of the Berber troops.

However, the Vandals army fell into an ambush: it was quickly trapped in a wooded area, without supplies, and overwhelmed by stifling heat. The difficult terrain prevented the Vandal cavalry from maneuvering effectively. Hilderic’s army suffered a crushing defeat, allowing the Berbers to continue pillaging the region.[3][4][5][6][7]

Aftermath

Following this defeat against Antalas’s forces, discontent grew within the Vandal kingdom. On 15 May 530, a coup d'état was carried out by Gelimer, a cousin of Hilderic. He overthrew the reigning king and had Hilderic, along with his principal nobles, imprisoned.

This shift in power marked a turning point in the history of the Vandal Kingdom and hastened the intervention of the Byzantine Empire in North Africa, under the pretext of restoring the legitimate king.[8][9][10]

References

  1. ^ Boutammina, Nas E. (2020-11-05). Sur la piste des Berbères (in French). BoD - Books on Demand. ISBN 978-2-322-25652-5.
  2. ^ Modéran Y., 1991, Les Premiers Raids Des Tribus Sahariennes En Afrique Et La Johannide De Corippus.
  3. ^ Diehl, Charles (1896). L'Afrique byzantine: histoire de la domination byzantine en Afrique (533-709) (in French). E. Leroux.
  4. ^ Prokopios (2014-09-03). The Wars of Justinian. Hackett Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62466-172-3.
  5. ^ Marcus, Louis (1836). Histoire des Wandales depuis leur première apparition sur la scène historique (in French).
  6. ^ MacDowall, Simon (2016-07-31). The Vandals. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-8022-1.
  7. ^ Serralda, Vincent; Huard, André (1984). Le Berbère-- lumière de l'Occident (in French). Nouvelles Editions Latines. ISBN 978-2-7233-0239-5.
  8. ^ Stein, Ernest (1949). Histoire Du Bas Empire Tome Ii (in French).
  9. ^ Sabatier, Justin (1862). Description générale des monnaies byzantines frappées sous les empereurs d'Orient depuis Arcadius jusqu'à la prise de Constantinople par Mahomet II (in French). Chez Rollin et Feuardent.
  10. ^ Encyclopédie du dix-neuvième siècle: repertoire universel des sciences, des lettres et des arts : avec la biographie de tous les hommes célèbres (in French). Au Bureau de l'Encyclopédie du XIXe siècle. 1842.
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