Gelimer facts for kids

A coin from Gelimer's time, showing his profile.

A silver dish that belonged to Gelimer, now in France.

Gelimer (born around 480, died 553) was the last king of the Vandals and Alans. These were Germanic groups who had a kingdom in North Africa. Gelimer became king in 530. He took the throne from his cousin, Hilderic. Hilderic had upset the Vandal nobles because he changed his religion to Chalcedonian Christianity. Most Vandals at that time were very strong followers of Arian Christianity.

War with the Romans

The Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I supported Hilderic. So, Justinian declared war on the Vandals. His goal was to put Hilderic back on the throne. In 533, Justinian sent a large army led by a general named Belisarius. This army reached Africa in early September.

Meanwhile, a part of the Vandal kingdom, Sardinia, had a governor named Godas. Godas was a Goth and he rebelled against Gelimer. He started talking to Justinian as if he were an independent ruler. Gelimer did not know about Justinian's plans, or he didn't care. He sent most of his army from Africa to Sardinia. This army was led by his brother, Tzazo. This meant that Belisarius's army landed in Africa without any fighting.

The Battle of Ad Decimum

After landing, Belisarius quickly marched towards Carthage. On September 13, he finally met Gelimer's army at a place called Ad Decimum. This was about 10 miles from Carthage. Gelimer's army was larger, with 17,000 soldiers compared to Belisarius's 11,000.

The battle was very close at first. But then, Gelimer's brother, Ammatus, was killed. Gelimer became very sad and lost his courage. He ran away from the battle. The next day, September 14, 533, Belisarius entered Carthage. He even ate the special meal that had been prepared for Gelimer in his palace. Sadly, Belisarius was too late to save Hilderic. Gelimer had ordered Hilderic to be killed as soon as he heard the Roman army had landed.

The Battle of Tricamarum

Gelimer managed to escape from the Romans. His brother Tzazo returned from Sardinia with his army. The combined Vandal army then met Belisarius again. This new battle happened at a place called Tricamarum, about 20 miles from Carthage. This was in December 533.

The Battle of Tricamarum was much harder fought than the first one. But in the end, the Vandals were completely defeated. Gelimer ran away again. He went to a mountain called Mons Pappua, near the border of Numidia. There, Roman forces led by Pharas surrounded him.

Gelimer's Surrender

According to a historian named Procopius, Pharas asked Gelimer to surrender. But Gelimer asked Pharas to send him some bread, a sponge, and a lyre (a musical instrument). He said these things would help him get through the winter on the mountain.

Finally, in March 534, Gelimer gave up. His followers and their children were starving. He knew he had no chance of getting his kingdom back. Gelimer surrendered to Belisarius. The Romans offered him large areas of land in Galatia, a region in modern-day Turkey. Gelimer lived there until he was an old man.

Procopius also wrote that when Gelimer gave up his throne, he cried out a famous line from the Bible. He said, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." This happened during Belisarius's victory parade in Constantinople.

Sources

• Hodgkin, Thomas. Italy and her Invaders. Clarendon Press: 1895.

See also

In Spanish: Gelimer para niños