Thrasamund facts for kids
Thrasamund (born around 450 AD, died 523 AD) was an important king of the Vandals and Alans. He ruled the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa from 496 AD to 523 AD. He was the fourth king of this kingdom and ruled for a very long time, almost as long as his grandfather, Genseric.
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Becoming King
Thrasamund was the third son of Gento, who was one of Genseric's sons. He became king in 496 AD. This happened after all of Genseric's other sons and Thrasamund's own brother, King Gunthamund, had passed away.
At that time, Thrasamund was one of only two grandsons of Genseric who were still alive. He became king because of a special rule made by his grandfather. This rule said that the oldest male in the king's family would become the next king.
Important Alliances
Thrasamund made an important alliance with Theoderic the Great, a powerful ruler. Theoderic gave his widowed sister, Amalafrida, to Thrasamund to marry. As part of this marriage, Theoderic also gave Thrasamund a piece of land called Lilybaeum in Sicily. He also sent a large group of soldiers to help Thrasamund. Some historians believe this alliance happened around 500 AD.
Even with this alliance, Thrasamund did not help Theoderic when the Byzantine Navy attacked the coast of southern Italy. This meant Theoderic could not help King Alaric II of the Visigoths in a big battle called the Battle of Vouillé. This battle ended with Alaric's defeat.
Challenges and Conflicts
A historian named Procopius wrote about a battle between the Berbers from Tripoli and the Vandals. The Berbers, led by a chief named Cabaon, used unusual fighting methods to defeat the Vandal horse soldiers.
In the last year of Thrasamund's rule, a major port city called Leptis Magna was attacked and taken by the Berbers.
Religious Policies
According to a historian named Gregory of Tours, Thrasamund tried to make Catholics in Spain change their religion to Arian Christianity. This meant treating them badly because of their beliefs.
However, Thrasamund also stopped many years of bad treatment against the Catholic Church in his own kingdom. This had started under his uncle, Huneric. Stopping this persecution helped the Vandals have better relations with the Byzantine Empire. Procopius even said that Thrasamund was a "very special friend" of the Emperor Anastasius.
End of Reign
Thrasamund passed away in 523 AD. After his death, his cousin Hilderic became the new king. Hilderic was the first son of Huneric.
See also
In Spanish: Trasamundo para niños
