Throughout the history of mankind, there were a huge number of tribes. Some of them did not leave a special mark, passed unnoticed with their culture and memorable events and sunk into oblivion. Others have been remembered for centuries because they built huge structures, left scientific discoveries to a new generation, or, in the case of vandals, destruction and death.
Vandal Tribe
Vandals are a tribe that existed in the era of the great migration of peoples. It was from their name that the word "vandalism" came, in other words, a painful passion for destruction that does not make any sense. The history of the Vandals began in the Vistula and Oder, this was their very first habitat. Different localities divided the people into two parts - the Silings and the Asdings.
Connection with the Slavs
In the Middle Ages, vandals were classified as Slavs. There is this opinion and still in the circle of many historians. This was first written by a German explorer named Adam of Bremen in 1075. In his opinion, Slavia was considered a large partGermany, inhabited by the Vinuls. Once these same vinuls were called vandals. The writer Helmold believed that the Slavs in ancient times were called Vandals, and later Vinuls and Vinites.
In 1253, the Flemish Rubric monk wrote that the Vandals are a people who speak the same languages as Rusyns, Poles, Bohemians (modern Czechs). Many other figures have repeatedly confirmed that these tribes had Russian customs, language and religion.
Excellent warriors
Looking at the photos of the vandals (from the historical chronicles, of course, only drawings have survived to this day), you can immediately understand that military operations occupied most of their lives. They were known as excellent soldiers, the military leaders of Rome were especially willing to accept them into the ranks of their legionnaires. A vandal named Stilicho, who lived from 365-408, became famous for becoming the guardian of the infant emperor Honorius, as well as one of the last magnificent commanders of the Roman Empire. Stilicho, along with other vandals, was able to repel the invasion of the Vezegoths and defeat the Franks.
In 406, the Vandals went on their personal offensive, no longer in the ranks of the Roman legionnaires. King Gunterich led them. They conquered Spain. In 429 they left her to head for North Africa. Within ten years, a huge army of Vandals, initially consisting of 80,000 soldiers, captured the entire coast from Carthage to Gibr altar.
Having built a powerful fleet, they captured Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica with its help. In June 455 they with their mighty armylanded in Italy and laid siege to Rome. The Romans didn't even put up any resistance. Succumbing to panic, they stoned Emperor Maximus Petronius with stones and threw his corpse into the Tiber. Only Pope Leo the First came out to meet the formidable conquerors, but he could not convince them either. Exactly fourteen days Gaiseric gave his soldiers to sack the eternal city. Vandals dragged everything they could carry: household utensils from houses, gold from palaces, icons and candlesticks from temples. Even the roof was removed from the temple of Capitoline Jupiter. The Vandals also took the Romans with them, they took them by the thousands to Africa to make them slaves there. For several centuries, Rome was empty and froze.
In 477 Geiseric died, and all his heirs died idle in luxury. After the Mediterranean was plundered, and all the riches accumulated in Carthage, the Vandals were engaged only in drinking. Among concubines, slaves, dancers and musicians, they quickly lost their strength and masculinity. In 533, the Byzantine fleet attacked them, just as unexpectedly as they had attacked Rome in their time. The state of the Vandals disappeared, and therefore the Slavs never settled in Africa.
A mistake that became fatal for the Germans
The theory that the Vandals have much in common with the Slavic tribes leaves no doubt. This is proven by many facts. But at one time they were mistakenly ranked among the Germans, and this significantly changed the direction of the history of this tribe. The fact that the Vandals are Germans was judged by historians by this. After the battles of Napoleon Bonaparte, the aristocracy, together withthe Bourbon dynasty returned to good old France. But only ruined palaces awaited them at home. It was then that they called this action vandalism.
The French thought that the people who made the raids were the Germans. Because of this, the enmity of the Gauls and the Germanic tribe appeared, dangerous, aggressive and cruel, as they mistakenly decided. The historians of that time were all French, so the theory that the Vandals were Germans quickly became popular.
And yet the Slavs
So the whole world would consider the Vandals as Germans, if there were no Byzantine historians. They did not rely on their own unsupported theories, but solely on facts. The language of the Vandals was indeed very similar to the Slavic ones. In addition, only the Slavs never cared about protection from vandals.
Kinship at the ethnic and linguistic level is proved both by medieval Russian historical works and Slavic folklore. This fact can be confirmed by the legend about an elder named Sloven and his son, called Vandal.
