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History of the Wars, Books III and IV The Vandalic War
First published in 1916.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 550
16 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Procopius
201 books83 followersProcopius of Caesarea was born in the latter years of the fifth century at Caesarea in Palestine. He originated from the land-owning provincial upper class and, like Zosimus, became a civil servant. As early as A.D. 527, before the emperor Justin's death, Procopius became counsellor, assessor, and secretary to Belisarius, whose fortunes and campaigns he followed for the next twelve or fifteen years. Small wonder he became very knowledgeable of military affairs through this service. He has long been respected as a historian of the emperor Justinian’s wars, and is reckoned the greatest of the later Greek historians. Procopius was finally raised to the dignity of an illustrius, and died not earlier than A.D. 562.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 31, 2016
Bélisaire reçevant l'hospitalité d'un ancien de ses soldats
Au VIème siècle, alors qu’en Gaule, les Francs se sont taillé un royaume sur les dépouilles de l’Empire romain d’Occident, que les Wisigoth dominent les marches d’Espagne, les Vandales installés en Bétique (
A Constantinople, pour l’empereur Justinien, c’est trop de voir l’ancienne colonie phénicienne, conquise depuis longtemps par les romains au terme des guerres puniques, régie par des barbares ariens. Ce d’autant plus que ses multiples tentatives d’intimidation et demandes de tribut sont scandaleusement ignorées.
Il envoie donc le fameux général Bélisaire, alors en plein conflit sur le front oriental contre les perses Sassanides, amener à résipiscence la superbe du présomptueux roi vandale Gelimer. Le général est accompagné de Procope, son homme de confiance et auteur du présent ouvrage qui relate le conflit entre les barbares et les Byzantins.
La fortune est du coté des romains qui, alors qu’ils débarquent dans des conditions difficiles, s’emparent facilement de Carthage. Les barbares vont de revers en revers, perdant l’appui des autochtones maures qui voient dans ces bouleversements une aubaine pour secouer le joug de la servitude.
En effet, si Gelimer est capturé et exhibé à Constantinople dans un triomphe rappelant les heures de gloire de l’ancien empire (les trésors du Temple de Jérusalem font partie du butin), Bélisaire doit affronter les Maures dans une guerre encore plus terrible. C'est alors qu’il est envoyé en Sicile pour continuer les opérations de reconquête des anciennes terre romaines.
February 28, 2026
The Empire Strikes Back.
The second of these accounts by Procopius details the war to recover North Africa from the Vandals.
As with the first book, about the first 20% of this is taken up with background history. Procopius says that the Vandals originally lived near the Sea of Azov, though modern historians seem to locate them in modern day Poland. Whichever, during the great Völkerwanderung, they made an astonishing migration through Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula, across the Straits of Gibraltar and into Roman-ruled North Africa. They conquered the latter by about the 450s, creating a kingdom that stretched from Morocco to the borders of Egypt, with its capital at Carthage.
As with the first book, the background history is a bit dull, and the account improves when Procopius moves to the events of his own time. In 533 the Emperor Justinian sent General Belisarius to retake North Africa.
“And after this the general Belisarius and Antonina, his wife, set sail. And there was with them also Procopius, who wrote this history; now previously he had been exceedingly terrified at the danger, but later he had seen a vision in his sleep which caused him to take courage and made him eager to go on the expedition.”
Even though 80 years had passed since the Vandal conquest, Belisarius tells his soldiers that the civilian population are Roman citizens under foreign occupation, and must not be mistreated.
“…he exhorted them earnestly to preserve good order with the greatest care in Carthage. For all the Libyans had been Romans in earlier times and had come under the Vandals by no will of their own and had suffered many outrages at the hands of these barbarians.”
The army of Gelimer, the Vandal king, is routed just outside Carthage. Belisarius takes possession of the city and sits down to a lunch prepared for Gelimer. This puts Procopius in a pensive mood.
“And we feasted on that very food and the domestics of Gelimer served it and poured the wine and waited upon us in every way. And it was possible to see Fortune in her glory and making a display of the fact that all things are hers and that nothing is the private possession of any man.”
Belisarius goes back to Byzantium where he is awarded a Triumph, the first awarded to a non-emperor for 600 years. Procopius stays on for a bit to work for the new Governor, though his connection with Belisarius is not quite broken yet. One more book to come!
During his time in Africa Procopius records a “volcanic winter” in 536, which we now know was caused by an eruption in Iceland.
“And it came about during this year that a most dread portent took place. For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during this whole year, and it seemed exceedingly like the sun in eclipse, for the beams it shed were not clear nor such as it is accustomed to shed. And from the time when this thing happened men were free neither from war nor pestilence nor any other thing leading to death.”
The last part of the book details a series of rebellions and mutinies affecting the recovered province, with various generals and local leaders trying to become a local king or tyrant. There is much in the way of killing and looting. Life was precarious.
The second of these accounts by Procopius details the war to recover North Africa from the Vandals.
As with the first book, about the first 20% of this is taken up with background history. Procopius says that the Vandals originally lived near the Sea of Azov, though modern historians seem to locate them in modern day Poland. Whichever, during the great Völkerwanderung, they made an astonishing migration through Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula, across the Straits of Gibraltar and into Roman-ruled North Africa. They conquered the latter by about the 450s, creating a kingdom that stretched from Morocco to the borders of Egypt, with its capital at Carthage.
As with the first book, the background history is a bit dull, and the account improves when Procopius moves to the events of his own time. In 533 the Emperor Justinian sent General Belisarius to retake North Africa.
“And after this the general Belisarius and Antonina, his wife, set sail. And there was with them also Procopius, who wrote this history; now previously he had been exceedingly terrified at the danger, but later he had seen a vision in his sleep which caused him to take courage and made him eager to go on the expedition.”
Even though 80 years had passed since the Vandal conquest, Belisarius tells his soldiers that the civilian population are Roman citizens under foreign occupation, and must not be mistreated.
“…he exhorted them earnestly to preserve good order with the greatest care in Carthage. For all the Libyans had been Romans in earlier times and had come under the Vandals by no will of their own and had suffered many outrages at the hands of these barbarians.”
The army of Gelimer, the Vandal king, is routed just outside Carthage. Belisarius takes possession of the city and sits down to a lunch prepared for Gelimer. This puts Procopius in a pensive mood.
“And we feasted on that very food and the domestics of Gelimer served it and poured the wine and waited upon us in every way. And it was possible to see Fortune in her glory and making a display of the fact that all things are hers and that nothing is the private possession of any man.”
Belisarius goes back to Byzantium where he is awarded a Triumph, the first awarded to a non-emperor for 600 years. Procopius stays on for a bit to work for the new Governor, though his connection with Belisarius is not quite broken yet. One more book to come!
During his time in Africa Procopius records a “volcanic winter” in 536, which we now know was caused by an eruption in Iceland.
“And it came about during this year that a most dread portent took place. For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during this whole year, and it seemed exceedingly like the sun in eclipse, for the beams it shed were not clear nor such as it is accustomed to shed. And from the time when this thing happened men were free neither from war nor pestilence nor any other thing leading to death.”
The last part of the book details a series of rebellions and mutinies affecting the recovered province, with various generals and local leaders trying to become a local king or tyrant. There is much in the way of killing and looting. Life was precarious.
March 5, 2024
Procopius is one of my favorite ancient authors. His writing is always engaging, and the events he describes are significant. In this book, he describes the reconquest of northern africa by the romans, a series of conquests which he himself was eyewitness to as secretary of the army. In the previous century it had been taken over by the Germanic nation known as the vandals (of "vandalism" fame). The emperor ruling from the city of Byzantium, Justinian I, after his success in the previously described war against the Persians, now turns his attention westward and sends Belisarius, his best general, to handle the reconquest on his behalf.
This is two books. The reconquest is mostly accomplished by the end of book 3, and the bulk of book 4 devotes its energy to battles against the native Africans, the Moors, who are understandably sick of being lorded over by constantly changing foreign rulers. Procopius frames this as a revolt against the rightful rulers of the land (naturally).
One of the strengths Procopius has is that he can capture the constant changes of fortune which one undergoes in the midst of warfare. Many good men die in the recapture of Libya, and I can't help think he had a personal relationship with them. While I wouldn't go so far as to say he describes the Vandals and the Moors sympathetically, I would say that he humanizes them more than many other Roman authors do when discussing barbarians.
This is two books. The reconquest is mostly accomplished by the end of book 3, and the bulk of book 4 devotes its energy to battles against the native Africans, the Moors, who are understandably sick of being lorded over by constantly changing foreign rulers. Procopius frames this as a revolt against the rightful rulers of the land (naturally).
One of the strengths Procopius has is that he can capture the constant changes of fortune which one undergoes in the midst of warfare. Many good men die in the recapture of Libya, and I can't help think he had a personal relationship with them. While I wouldn't go so far as to say he describes the Vandals and the Moors sympathetically, I would say that he humanizes them more than many other Roman authors do when discussing barbarians.
June 8, 2023
Славно и бессмысленно Новый Рим цеплялся за утраченные земли. Это была, наверно, самая успешная кампания Второго Рима по отвоеванию земель Рима Первого. Победоносная и бесплодная: последующая война с маврусиями оказалась тяжёлой и бесславной. Северная Африка не выпала из греко-римского мира, почти стала германской и оказалась мусульманской, растеряв своё благополучие и высокую культуру. Жаль, осталось мало сведений о Вандальском государстве в Африке, это всё таки интересно - Германцы+Римляне+Африканцы и, судя по словам Прокопия , вандалы были не чужды культуры.
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May 7, 2024i technically didnt read this whole thing but i suffered through 120 pages and wrote an essay on it TWICE so
March 10, 2015
I picked up this book because it was often refenced as a primary source in Vandal history books. As such, I expected it to be informative but dry. In reality, it was very moving. It describes the end of the Vandals as a people from the conqueror's point of view, but even so, it is very sympathetic to them as a people. Parts of the account are very emotional, expressing the despair of a people coming to an end. At one point, when the remnants of the Vandal army had gathered together, the author says:
"And indeed they did not make any mention even of their own wives and children, knowing well that whoever of theirs was not there had either died or fallen into the hands of the enemy." (p. 207)
It sounds truly horrifying, and it was - this battle marked the end of the Vandals as a people. They were slaughtered, in the main, and the survivors deported. But these are the Vandals, someone might say, whose very name is now a word for destructive behavior. That may have been the case in Gaiseric's day, but by this time they had become far more sophistocated. Again, it's worth quotingl:
"For of all the nations which we know that of the Vandals is the most luxurious, and that of the Moors the most hardy. For the Vandals, since the time when they gained possession of Libya, used to indulge in baths, all of them, every day, and enjoyed a table abounding in all things, the sweetest and best that the earth and sea produce. And they wore gold very generally, and clothed themselves in the Medic garments, which now they call "seric," and passed their time, thus dressed, in theatres and hippodromes and in other pleasureable pursuits, and above all else in hunting. And they had dancers and mimes and all other things to hear and see which are of a musical nature or otherwise merit attention among men. And the most of them dwelt in parks, which were well supplied with water and trees..." (p. 257)
According to the index, this is supposed to show the "effeminacy" of the Vandals, but to this modern ear, at least, it sounds like they had a very cultured society. Especially considering the state of the rest of the Western Roman Empire at that time.
Once the Vandal kingdom was destroyed, the Romans turned their attentions toward the Moors. At first I felt sorry for them as well. Then, due to the lack of Vandal protection, and increasingly incompetent Roman administration, the Moors turned out to be just as bad as Justinian's army. In fact, the people to really feel sorry for were the non-comabatant population. Those that weren't killed off - which, according to the author, weren't many - were left exceedingly poor. And this in a region that was once the breadbasket and cultural center of the West.
This was a great book, but a terrible book. It chronicles the genocide of an entire cultural group, and the slaughter and impoverishment of a whole region. It truly was one of the most pointless and tragic wars in history.
"And indeed they did not make any mention even of their own wives and children, knowing well that whoever of theirs was not there had either died or fallen into the hands of the enemy." (p. 207)
It sounds truly horrifying, and it was - this battle marked the end of the Vandals as a people. They were slaughtered, in the main, and the survivors deported. But these are the Vandals, someone might say, whose very name is now a word for destructive behavior. That may have been the case in Gaiseric's day, but by this time they had become far more sophistocated. Again, it's worth quotingl:
"For of all the nations which we know that of the Vandals is the most luxurious, and that of the Moors the most hardy. For the Vandals, since the time when they gained possession of Libya, used to indulge in baths, all of them, every day, and enjoyed a table abounding in all things, the sweetest and best that the earth and sea produce. And they wore gold very generally, and clothed themselves in the Medic garments, which now they call "seric," and passed their time, thus dressed, in theatres and hippodromes and in other pleasureable pursuits, and above all else in hunting. And they had dancers and mimes and all other things to hear and see which are of a musical nature or otherwise merit attention among men. And the most of them dwelt in parks, which were well supplied with water and trees..." (p. 257)
According to the index, this is supposed to show the "effeminacy" of the Vandals, but to this modern ear, at least, it sounds like they had a very cultured society. Especially considering the state of the rest of the Western Roman Empire at that time.
Once the Vandal kingdom was destroyed, the Romans turned their attentions toward the Moors. At first I felt sorry for them as well. Then, due to the lack of Vandal protection, and increasingly incompetent Roman administration, the Moors turned out to be just as bad as Justinian's army. In fact, the people to really feel sorry for were the non-comabatant population. Those that weren't killed off - which, according to the author, weren't many - were left exceedingly poor. And this in a region that was once the breadbasket and cultural center of the West.
This was a great book, but a terrible book. It chronicles the genocide of an entire cultural group, and the slaughter and impoverishment of a whole region. It truly was one of the most pointless and tragic wars in history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2010
I have just finished the second volume in Procopius’s “History of the Wars”. Volume two encompasses books III-IV, ‘The Vandalic War’, which was fought in North Africa (modern Tunisia and Algeria) during 533-534 AD. The War was fought between the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Vandal Kingdom of Carthage.
Procopius himself was present at the commencement of this campaign as Belisarius was sent by Emperor Justinian from Byzantium to wrest control back of North Africa from the Vandals as part of Justinian’s reconquest of the West. Overall the campaign was a major success with the Vandal Kingdom destroyed, and Roman authority re-established in the whole of North Africa.
The book is a joy to read, full of captivating accounts of people and places now lost to us. Descriptions and details of battles, skirmishes and betrayals fill the book although not in great detail but still full of interest for the reader who enjoys a good history book.
I loved the style of writing used by the author, here is a sample of what I found so enjoyable:
"And the barbarians, finding that they had no hostile force to encounter them, became the most cruel of all men. For they destroyed all the cities which they captured, especially those south of the Ionian Gulf, so completely that nothing has been left to my time to know them by, unless, indeed, it might be one tower or one gate or some such thing which chanced to remain. And they killed all the people, as many as came in their way, both old and young alike, sparing neither women nor children. Wherefore even up to the present time Italy is sparsely populated....."
Overall a good book, fun and easy to read and I am sure most people who enjoy accounts from the classic period will enjoy reading Procopius “History of the Wars”.
Procopius himself was present at the commencement of this campaign as Belisarius was sent by Emperor Justinian from Byzantium to wrest control back of North Africa from the Vandals as part of Justinian’s reconquest of the West. Overall the campaign was a major success with the Vandal Kingdom destroyed, and Roman authority re-established in the whole of North Africa.
The book is a joy to read, full of captivating accounts of people and places now lost to us. Descriptions and details of battles, skirmishes and betrayals fill the book although not in great detail but still full of interest for the reader who enjoys a good history book.
I loved the style of writing used by the author, here is a sample of what I found so enjoyable:
"And the barbarians, finding that they had no hostile force to encounter them, became the most cruel of all men. For they destroyed all the cities which they captured, especially those south of the Ionian Gulf, so completely that nothing has been left to my time to know them by, unless, indeed, it might be one tower or one gate or some such thing which chanced to remain. And they killed all the people, as many as came in their way, both old and young alike, sparing neither women nor children. Wherefore even up to the present time Italy is sparsely populated....."
Overall a good book, fun and easy to read and I am sure most people who enjoy accounts from the classic period will enjoy reading Procopius “History of the Wars”.
May 13, 2021
(About another edition, in swedish. But same original text.)
Interesting about events that still happens today. Stupid decisions, bad choices and cruelty. And sometimes less cruelty. Quite modern history, 1 500 years old. Essential reading for understanding the vulnerability of the vandal kingdom and why it lasted less than 100 years.
Much to learn, but of course no one will so history goes on as usual.
Interesting about events that still happens today. Stupid decisions, bad choices and cruelty. And sometimes less cruelty. Quite modern history, 1 500 years old. Essential reading for understanding the vulnerability of the vandal kingdom and why it lasted less than 100 years.
Much to learn, but of course no one will so history goes on as usual.
December 16, 2013
Interesting history. I read the public domain Kindle version. Procopius is more a politician than a tactician, so this is a high-level view of events; no sense of the fighting skills and techniques used in the era
August 28, 2014
Pleasantly surprised that Procopius starts his narrative with a background on the vandals and their coming to Africa, followed by the war and the berber rebellions.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews