The Vandals were one of the Germanic groups that crossed the Rhine when it froze over in AD 406. Accompanied by the Suebi and Alans they swept through Gaul and Spain, settling briefly in southern Spain where they maintained a kingdom based on piracy and brigandage.
In 428 the Vandals and Alans crossed in force to North Africa, where they swiftly conquered the Roman provinces, becoming masters of the region by 440. From here they conducted further forays to the north, capturing Sicily and sacking Rome.
The Western Roman Empire was forced to make treaties with them which endured until in AD 533 the vigorous policy of reconquest under the emperor Justinian and executed by the brilliant general, Belisarius, utterly defeated them.
Their aggressive, warlike and uncouth attitudes and way of life made integration with the local population difficult, although some elements of the Roman administration continued under Vandal rule and many Vandal nobles adopted the comfortable lifestyle of the displaced Roman landowners.
