| Gelimer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Denarius with a bust of Gelimer, inscribedD N REX G-EILAMIR | |
| King of the Vandals and Alans | |
| Reign | 530 - 534 AD |
| Predecessor | Hilderic |
| Born | c. 480 AD Roman Africa |
| Died | 553 AD (aged 73) Galatia |
| House | Hasdingi |
| Father | Gelarius |
| Religion | Arianism |
Gelimer (original form possiblyGeilamir,[2]c. 480–553 AD), was aGermanic king who ruled theVandal Kingdom inNorth Africa during classical antiquity from 530 to 534 AD. He became ruler on 15 June 530 AD after deposing hisfirst cousin twice removed,Hilderic, who had angered the Vandal nobility by converting toChalcedonian Christianity; most Vandals at the time were fierceArian Christians.[3]
TheEastern Roman EmperorJustinian I, who had supported Hilderic, soon declaredwar on the Vandals, ostensibly to restore Hilderic. In June 533 AD, Justinian sent an expeditionary force commanded byBelisarius which finally reached Africa in the beginning of September. Meanwhile, inSardinia, which formed part of the Vandal domain, the governorGodas, aGoth, revolted against Gelimer and began to interact with Justinian as an independent ruler. Gelimer, ignorant or contemptuous of Justinian's plans, sent a large army which included the majority of his available men in Africa under his brotherTzazo to crush the rebellion, leaving the landing of Belisarius to be entirely unopposed.[4]
After landing, Belisarius immediately marched to Carthage, finally meeting resistance on 13 September when he was confronted by Gelimer atAd Decimum, 10 miles fromCarthage. Although outnumbered 11,000 to 17,000 the battle was evenly fought by the Vandals until Gelimer's brotherAmmatus was killed, at which time Gelimer lost heart and fled. On 14 September 533 AD, Belisarius entered Carthage and ate the feast prepared for Gelimer in his palace. However, Belisarius was too late to save the life of Hilderic, who had been slain at Gelimer's orders as soon as the news of the landing of the imperial army came.[5]
However, Gelimer had managed to escape the Roman pursuers, and on the return of Tzazo from Sardinia the combined Vandal army met Belisarius at theBattle of Tricamarum about 20 miles from Carthage in December 533 AD. This battle was far more closely contested than that of Ad Decimum, but it ended in the utter rout of the Vandals and, once more, the flight of Gelimer. He retreated toMons Pappua[6] (maybe in theMount Edough, nearAnnaba)[7] on the border ofNumidia, where he soon found himself besieged by Byzantine forces underPharas.[8] According toProcopius, when summoned to surrender Gelimer instead asked Pharas to send him a loaf of bread, a sponge, and a lyre, to make the winter months on Pappua more bearable.[9]
Finally, in March 534 AD, with his followers and their children starving and realizing that he had no chance of regaining his kingdom, Gelimer surrendered to Belisarius and accepted the Romans' offer of vast estates inGalatia where he lived to be an old man. According toProcopius, on his abdication he achieved some degree of anecdotal fame by crying out the verse fromEcclesiastes1:2, 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity' duringBelisarius's triumph in Constantinople.[10]
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of the Vandals 15 June 530 – March 534 | Conquest by the Byzantine Empire |
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