[Battle of Tricamerum 533 AD | Fall of the Vandal Kingdom]
In 429 the Vandals, a Germanic people originating in current-day southern Poland
travelled all the way to Northern Africa. The decaying Roman Empire could not control them
via military means and instead allowed them to settle in the region. Throughout the following
decades, they conquered islands such as Mallorca, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica,
while also capturing the historically significant city of Carthage. They participated in the third
sack of Rome despite its kings maintaining notably warm relations with the Byzantine Emperors.
Still, all that changed in the 6th century, when the Vandalic War broke out.
Culminating in the iconic Battle of Tricamerum, it marked the end of the illustrious Vandal Kingdom.
The Byzantines
In 527, Justinian became the Byzantine Emperor. He is described as a great ‘lawgiver, builder,
administrator and a devout Christian’, characteristics which his epitaph ‘the Great’
emphasise. One of his foremost self-imposed missions, as he ascended to the throne,
was to reconquer the former lands of the Western Roman Empire. The so-called ‘renovatio imperii’.
These lands had been lost to Germanic invaders, mainly the Ostrogoths, Visigoths and Vandals.
In addition, he wanted to centralise power in the person of the Eastern Roman Emperor,
himself. With his motto ‘one empire, one law, one church’ he had his work cut out for him.
Justinian became Emperor as the Iberian War waged on, pitting the Sassanid Empire against Byzantium.
The cause of the conflict was the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Iberia,
which had sided with the Byzantines and forfeited
its tributary payments to the Sassanids. The initial years of the war saw the
Persians attain several victories and conquer territory in Mesopotamia.
But around 530 the tide turned when the young Thracian general Belisarius took command.
In 530 Belisarius and a force of 25.000 soldiers faced 40.000 Persians at Dara.
Though heavily outnumbered, the Byzantines emerged victorious thanks to Belisarius’ skilful command.
Trying to make up for their defeat, the Sassanids launched an invasion through the Kingdom of
Commagene. Understanding what they were trying to do, Belisarius forced the Sassanids to fight
them at Callinicum. Both sides suffered hefty losses, but the Sassanids won a tactical victory.
Byzantium eventually concluded a peace treaty by agreeing to pay tribute in 532.
The Vandals
But to the west of Byzantium, there was fruitful ground for the Byzantine Empire to regain its
military prestige. Though many Germanic tribes were ideal candidates to warrant an invasion
under Justinian’s policy to reconquer the lost Roman territories, he set his eyes on the Vandal
Kingdom in North Africa. Traditionally the Vandal Kingdom had been on loyal vassals of Byzantium.
Contemporaries remarked that "its King Hilderic was a very particular friend and guest-friend
of Justinian, who had not yet come to the throne". All this changed when Gelimer, Hilderic’s cousin,
deposed of him in a rebellion. Gelimer restored Arianism as the
Kingdom’s religion and began persecuting Catholics. Justinian initially tried to
resolve the conflict through diplomacy but Gelimer replied that the Byzantine Emperor
had no authority over his territories. Taking into account the neighbouring kingdoms, Justinian
concluded an alliance with the Ostrogoths to prevent the Vandals from forging alliances.
Justinian then tasked his most able general with dealing with the Vandals.
Belisarius assumed command of a Byzantine expeditionary force. In late summer 533 he
and his soldiers were transported by 500 ships, accompanied by 92 dromons.
They landed at Cape Vada with approximately 15.000 troops - 10.000 infantry and 5000 cavalry.
His army consisted of Byzantines, Hun mercenaries and several local auxiliary units.
As Gelimer learned of their arrival he began preparing for battle. Still,
he was at a significant disadvantage. Around that time the Sardinians rose up against his rule.
He sent his brother Tzazon and 7000 soldiers to the island to crush the rebellion.
Belisarius was moving fast onto the ill-prepared Vandal capital Carthage. They set up camp south
of the city before moving on to it. On their way north on September 13, they ran into a small force
of Vandals at Ad Decimum, the ten-mile marker south of Carthage. They quickly routed the smaller
force, but it turned out to be bait for an ambush Gelimer had set up. Despite it being an ambush,
Belisarius’ Byzantine army defeated the Vandal troops and continued marching onto Carthage.
When they arrived two days later, they captured the city without much of a fight.
Things were already crumbling around Gelimer, and the real war had not even started yet. He fled to
the Numidian Kingdom to the west, setting up his headquarters at Bulla Regia. Gelimer
understood that if he wanted to win this war, he ought to defeat the Byzantine army decisively.
Prelude to Tricamerum
But he also understood he did not stand a chance against the better equipped Byzantine army.
The vast majority of his army was mounted. This so-called knight army is sometimes described
as the precursor of the later medieval knights. Yet the vast majority of his
army consisted of conscripts, while the Byzantine army could rely on volunteers.
As such, he began trying everything to augment his army. Firstly, he sent
a letter to his brother Tzazon in Sardinia, requesting that he return as soon as possible.
He also issued monetary rewards if the local auxiliary troops helping Belisarius defected.
In December, Tzazon arrived. In total, Gelimer now commanded between 15 and 20.000 troops,
mainly cavalry. It seemed like the moment of truth had come, as he lined up his army
and advanced onto Carthage. Meanwhile, over in Carthage, Belisarius learned of his movements.
He exited the city together with his army and moved west. He left behind a small contingent
of no more than 500 troops, in case of a Vandal attack against the capital. Both
armies were now marching towards each other, in anticipation of the final decisive battle.
Gelimer’s vandals camped the night before at Tricamerum,
a bit south of a shallow creek and 17 miles to the west of Carthage. Augmented with Tzazon’s
veterans, Gelimer commanded between 15 and 20.000 troops, outnumbering the Byzantines significantly.
Most of them were cavalry. Archaeological evidence suggests most wore simple spangenhelm designs,
chainmail and large circular shields. Though their offensive spear usage
was different from that of the Romans, it is assumed the Vandals never threw their spears
instead of using them as melee weapons. One thing is for certain: considering the vast majority of
their troops were mounted and mobile, they were a formidable force to meet in battle.
On the morning of December 15, Gelimer ordered his troops out of their encampment.
Some sources indicate that Gelimer tried to force a battle at Tricamerum, estimating the Byzantines
passed there before noon. He knew their soldiers ate lunch and wanted to force them to fight on
an empty stomach. Other sources mention that Gelimer’s troops were in a disorganised state
and the Vandal King did not expect the encounter the Byzantines at this stage.
However, most modern historians agree that Gelimer was aware of the Byzantine movements
and figured he had a numerical advantage as long as the Byzantine infantry did not arrive.
Therefore, it was in his best interest to force a battle as soon as possible.
Either way, what is for sure is that on the Byzantine side, they did not expect the encounter.
One of Belisarius’ trusty generals John the Amerian commanded the vanguard of the
cavalry. Belisarius rode with approximately 5000 cavalry, followed by the Hun cavalry
in the rear. Reason for this positioning was his fear that the Huns might defect,
considering Gelimer offered bounties if they would. Far behind followed the Byzantine infantry.
In the late morning, the Byzantine vanguard was surprised when they suddenly ran into
Gelimer’s army positioned at the opposite side of the creek they were passing.
When the Byzantines noticed Gelimer’s troops, John the Armenian commanded the cavalry to take
positions. Belisarius entrusted him with the command of the army during the initial stages of
the battle. It is unknown why the Byzantines did not wait for their infantry to arrive, although
they likely presumed Gelimer was not expecting a battle and wanted to seize the momentum.
John the Armenian stood at the centre of the army holding the banner among his comitatus.
His left flank was manned by between 3 and 4000 horse archer units
augmented by heavily armoured foederati to support them in close combat. The right wing
consisted of regular cavalry numbering between 2 and 3000. The Huns stood far behind the cavalry,
and were ordered not to attack until they saw which side was winning to strengthen them.
As for the Vandals, Tzazon stood at the centre together with his veteran cavalry from Sardinia.
To his left and right, his commanders led the remainder of his army. In their rear,
a contingent of their Moor allies stood awaiting the battle’s outcome before they would charge
into the losing flank. Gelimer did not command a certain contingent, but rather rode around between
all units encouraging them to fight. He also ordered all his men to use their swords in battle,
understanding the Vandal weakness against archers. It was a way to ensure close combat.
[Battle Sequence]
Assuming Gelimer was not expecting battle, John the Armenian decided not to wait for his infantry
to catch up. Outnumbered at least 2 to 1, he ordered the attack against Gelimer’s forces.
The battle commenced as a few troops from the Byzantine centre charged at the Vandal centre
and engaged in a skirmish. The strategy behind the skirmish was to provoke the Vandals in a
large counter-attack across the creek, launching a charge at them as they crossed the water. Tzazon
must have known what the Byzantines were trying. The Vandals launched modest counter-attacks to
repel the cavalry vanguard, but they held the line and did not cross the creek. Upon retreat,
John launched a second cavalry charge while the mounted archers pestered the flanks.
Once again engaging in a skirmish, it was clear that the arrows alone would not do enough damage.
The second cavalry charge too was repelled but the Vandals refused to cross the creek.
Realising the Vandals would not be drawn out, John decided to use heavier force. He ordered the
entire centre cavalry wing to charge at Tzazon’s forces. The charge hit the Vandal centre hard,
and bitter close combat broke out between them. As John was engaged in a fierce battle, it is
likely Belisarius now ordered the two remaining flanks to charge at the Vandals. Once again, the
Byzantine cavalry charge hit hard at the flanks. During the melee, Tzazon was struck and fell.
His death signalled the beginning of the Vandal collapse. Upon realising their commander died,
it did not take too long for several Vandals to retreat.
Gelimer had seen his brother die and ordered his cavalry to fall back following the disarray.
The Byzantines now pushed through and inflicted heavy damage on the ever-more panicking Vandals.
Withdrawing from the battlefield unnerved those Vandals, who were still engaged in battle.
A massive rout followed, with the Byzantines in hot pursuit. The Huns now too joined the fight,
chasing the fleeing Vandals. They retreated to their encampment, which was located uphill.
Respecting the numerical superiority of the Vandals,
Belisarius decided not to pursue them but to regroup and wait for his infantry to arrive.
His cavalry meanwhile looted the bodies of the fallen Vandals.
When
his infantry arrived in the afternoon, Belisarius ordered his troops into battle formation to take
out the Vandals remaining in the camp. But nothing of the sort was necessary - the base
was largely abandoned. Gelimer and his generals had fled. Sources reveal Belasarius supposedly
lost control of his army when they realised the majority of the enemy was gone. They turned into
a looting and murdering frenzy against those who remained. They pursued fleeing Vandals and killed
those who surrendered. They plundered the camp and chased any local Vandals well into the night.
In total it is estimated around 800 Vandal soldiers died
while only 50 Byzantine soldiers died.
[Aftermath]
After the disastrous battle of Tricamerum, Gelimer fled to Mons Pappua in Numidia. Belisarius rode
onto the city of Hippo Regius, which was taken without any resistance.
All around the Vandal Kingdom the soldiers still at large were arrested. Lastly, one of his trusted
officials, Boniface decided his best chance at survival was to hand over Gelimer’s reserve funds.
Sources describe Gelimer as a broken man, betrayed by all his officials and barely
able to feed himself. Still, he held out in the mountians during the harsh winter of 533-34.
But in March 534, after suffering from starvation, cold and constant being on guard,
he was finally ready to surrender. Belisarius accepted his surrender, ending the Vandalic War.
Justinian decided to follow up on his victory and annexed Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearic
Islands. He felt confident to the degree he assumed the titles of Vandalicus and Africanus.
Later that year, Justinian recalled Belisarius to Constantinople. Belisarius took with him 2000
Vandal warriors and the disgraced Gelimer. A victory parade was held in the city,
with Gelimer ceremonially stripped of his purple cloak. The public humiliation once again
confirmed the subservient position of whatever Vandals remained to the Byzantine Emperor.
As Belisarius returned to Byzantium he left behind one of his most trusted generals Solomon
to subjugate the remainder of the Vandals, the Moors and Numidians.
Five more years of war followed until Byzantine control was finally extended over the territories.
Over time many Vandal soldiers were shipped to the eastern frontiers of the Byzantine Empire,
tasked with the defence against threats from the east.
It was not until the 7th century, with increasing Arab Muslim conquests in the region,
that it became clear the Byzantine Empire was painfully overextended in the region.
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