On This Day

The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take the city of Carthage in North Africa

The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first mentioned in the written records as the inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire.

The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first mentioned in the written records as the inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the 5th century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal kingdoms, first within the Iberian Peninsula, and then in the western Mediterranean islands and North Africa.

Archaeologists associate the early Vandals with the Przeworsk culture, which has led to some authors equating them to the Lugii, who were another group of Germanic peoples associated with that same archaeological culture and region.

Historical Significance

The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first mentioned in the written records as the inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire.

Events Before

  1. Saint Patrick, aged about 16, is captured by Irish pirates from his home in Great Britain and taken as a slave to Irelan

    Saint Patrick, aged about 16, is captured by Irish pirates from his home in Great Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland (traditional date)

  2. K'inich Yax K'uk Mo', founding ruler of Maya city of Copán, marks completion of an important calendrical cycle under May

    K'inich Yax K'uk Mo', founding ruler of Maya city of Copán, marks completion of an important calendrical cycle under Maya Long Count calendar (Stela 63). Oldest known inscription from Copán.

  3. Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II, Eastern Roman Emp

    Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II, Eastern Roman Emperor in Constantinople. This unifies the two branches of the House of Theodosius

  4. The Theodosian Code of Roman laws proclaimed in the Eastern Empire (first law reforms since 295)

    The Theodosian Code of Roman laws proclaimed in the Eastern Empire (first law reforms since 295)

  5. Theodosian Code of Roman laws is proclaimed in the Western Empire (first law reforms since 295)

    Theodosian Code of Roman laws is proclaimed in the Western Empire (first law reforms since 295)

Events After

  1. St Sixtus III ends his reign as Catholic Pope

    Pope Leo I (Italian: Leone I) (391 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great (Latin: Leo Magnus; Italian: Leone Magno), was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death on 10 November...

  2. Pope Leo I the Great is installed

    Pope Leo I the Great is installed

  3. BC Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 8:1, NLTse)

    BC Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 8:1, NLTse)

  4. BC Battle of Cremera: Etruscan city Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman Republican army in one of the most unexpected an

    BC Battle of Cremera: Etruscan city Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman Republican army in one of the most unexpected and dramatic defeats in Roman history

More from the 430s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 19, 439?
The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first mentioned in the written records as the inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the 5th century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal kingdoms, first within the Iberian Peninsula, and then in the western Mediterranean islands and North Africa. Archaeologists associate the early Vandals with the Przeworsk culture, which has led to some authors equating them to the Lugii, who were another group of Germanic peoples associated with that same archaeological culture and region.
Why is The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take the city of Carthage in North Africa significant?
The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first mentioned in the written records as the inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire.

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