Vandalic War The Vandalic War was a conflict fought in North Africa ( largely in modern Tunisia ) between the forces of the Eastern Roman ( " Byzantine " ) Empire and the Vandalic Kingdom of Carthage , in 533 – 534 . It was the first of Justinian I ' s wars of reconquest of the lost Western Roman Empire . The Vandals had occupied Roman North Africa in the early 5th century , and established an independent kingdom there . Under their first king , Geiseric , the formidable Vandal navy carried out pirate attacks across the Mediterranean , sacked Rome and defeated a massive Roman invasion in 468 . After Geiseric ' s death , relations with the surviving Eastern Roman Empire normalized , although tensions flared up occasionally due to the Vandals ' militant adherence to Arianism and their persecution of the Chalcedonian native population . In 530 , a palace coup in Carthage overthrew the pro - Roman Hilderic and replaced him with his cousin Gelimer . The Eastern Roman emperor Justinian took this as a pretext to interfere in Vandal affairs , and after he secured his eastern frontier with Sassanid Persia in 532 , he began preparing an expedition under general Belisarius , whose secretary Procopius wrote the main historical narrative of the war . In sending the expedition , Justinian took advantage of , or even instigated , rebellions in the remote Vandal provinces of Sardinia and Tripolitania . These not only distracted Gelimer from the Emperor ' s preparations , but also necessitated the dispatch of the bulk of the Vandal navy and a large portion of their army under Gelimer ' s brother Tzazon to Sardinia . The Roman expeditionary force set sail from Constantinople in late June 533 , and after a sea voyage along the coasts of Greece and southern Italy , landed on the African coast at Caputvada in early September , to Gelimer ' s complete surprise . The Vandal king gathered his forces and met the Roman army at the Battle of Ad Decimum , near Carthage , on 13 September . Gelimer ' s elaborate plan to encircle and destroy the Roman army came close to success , but Belisarius was able to drive the Vandal army to flight and occupy Carthage . Gelimer withdrew to Bulla Regia , where he gathered his remaining strength , including the army of Tzazon , which returned from Sardinia . In December , Gelimer advanced towards Carthage , and met the Romans at the Battle of Tricamarum . The battle once again resulted in a Roman victory and the death of Tzazon , forcing Gelimer to flee to a remote mountain fortress , where he was blockaded until he surrendered in the spring . Belisarius returned with the Vandals ' royal treasure and the captive Gelimer to enjoy a Roman triumph in Constantinople , while Africa was formally restored to imperial rule as the praetorian prefecture of Africa . Imperial control scarcely reached beyond the old Vandal kingdom , however , and the Moorish tribes of the interior proved unwilling to accept imperial rule and soon rose up in rebellion . The new province was shaken by the recurring wars with the Moors and military rebellions , and it was not until 548 that the Roman government was firmly re - established in Africa . Background . Establishment of the Vandalic Kingdom . In the course of the gradual decline and dissolution of the Western Roman Empire in the early 5th century , the Germanic tribe of the Vandals , allied with the Alans , had established themselves in the Iberian peninsula . In 429 , the Roman governor of the Diocese of Africa , Bonifacius , who had rebelled against the West Roman emperor Valentinian III ( r . 425 – 455 ) and was facing an invasion by imperial troops , called upon the Vandalic King Geiseric for aid . Thus , in May 429 , Geiseric crossed the straits of Gibraltar with his entire people , reportedly 80 , 000 in total . Geiseric ' s Vandals and Alans , however , had their own plans , and aimed to conquer the African provinces outright . Their possession of Mauretania Caesariensis , Mauretania Sitifensis and most of Numidia was recognized in 435 by the Western Roman court . Warfare soon recommenced , and in October 439 , the capital of Africa , Carthage , fell to the Vandals . In 442 , another treaty exchanged the provinces hitherto held by the Vandals with the core of the African diocese , the rich provinces of Zeugitana and Byzacena . These events marked the foundation of the Vandalic Kingdom , as the Vandals made Carthage their capital and settled around it . Although the Vandals now gained control of the lucrative African grain trade with Italy , they also launched raids on the coasts of the Mediterranean that ranged as far as the Aegean Sea and culminated in their sack of Rome itself in 455 , which allegedly lasted for two weeks . Taking advantage of the chaos that followed Valentinian ' s death in 455 , Geiseric then regained the Mauretanian provinces and with his fleet took over Sardinia , Corsica and the Balearic Islands . Sicily barely escaped the same fate through the presence there of Ricimer . Throughout this period , the Vandals survived several Roman attempts at a counterstrike : the Eastern Roman general Aspar had led an unsuccessful expedition in 431 , an expedition assembled by the Western emperor Majorian ( r . 457 – 461 ) off the coast of Spain in 460 was scattered or captured by the Vandals before it could set sail , and finally , in 468 , Geiseric defeated a huge joint expedition by both western and eastern empires under Basiliscus . In the aftermath of this disaster , and following further Vandal raids against the shores of Greece , the eastern emperor Zeno ( r . 474 – 491 ) concluded a " perpetual peace " with Geiseric ( 474 / 476 ) . Roman – Vandal relations until 533 . The Vandal state was unique in many respects among the Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Western Roman Empire : instead of respecting and continuing the established Roman socio - political order , they completely replaced it with their own . Whereas the kings of Western Europe continued to pay deference to the emperors and minted coinage with their portraits , the Vandal kings portrayed themselves as fully independent rulers . In addition , the Vandals — like most Germanics , adherents of Arianism — persecuted the Chalcedonian majority of the local population , especially in the reigns of Huneric ( r . 477 – 484 ) and Gunthamund ( r . 484 – 496 ) . The emperors at Constantinople protested at this , but the peace held for almost sixty years , and relations were often friendly , especially between Emperor Anastasius I ( r . 491 – 518 ) and Thrasamund ( r . 496 – 523 ) , who largely ceased the persecutions . In 523 , Hilderic ( r . 523 – 530 ) , the son of Huneric , ascended the throne at Carthage . Himself a descendant of Valentinian III , Hilderic re - aligned his kingdom and brought it closer to the Roman Empire : according to the account of Procopius ( " The Vandalic War " , I . 9 ) he was an unwarlike , amiable person , who ceased the persecution of the Chalcedonians , exchanged gifts and embassies with Justinian I ( r . 527 – 565 ) even before the latter ' s rise to the throne , and even replaced his image in his coins with that of the emperor . Justinian evidently hoped that this rapprochement would lead to the peaceful subordination of the Vandal state to his empire . However , Hilderic ' s pro - Roman policies , coupled with a defeat suffered against the Moors in Byzacena , led to opposition among the Vandal nobility , which resulted in his overthrow and imprisonment in 530 by his cousin , Gelimer ( r . 530 – 534 ) . Justinian seized the opportunity , demanding Hilderic ' s restoration , with Gelimer predictably refusing to do so . Justinian then demanded Hilderic ' s release to Constantinople , threatening war otherwise . Geiseric was unwilling to surrender a rival claimant to Justinian , who could use him to stir up trouble in his kingdom , and probably expected war to come either way , according to J . B . Bury . He consequently refused Justinian ' s demand on the grounds that this was an internal matter among the Vandals . Justinian now had his pretext , and with peace restored on his eastern frontier with Sassanid Persia in 532 , he started assembling an invasion force . According to Procopius ( " The Vandalic War " , I . 10 ) , the news of Justinian ' s decision to go to war with the Vandals caused great consternation among the capital ' s elites , in whose minds the disaster of 468 was still fresh . The financial officials resented the expenditure involved , while the military was weary from the Persian war and feared the Vandals ' sea - power . The emperor ' s scheme received support mostly from the Church , reinforced by the arrival of victims of renewed persecutions from Africa . Only the powerful minister John the Cappadocian dared to openly voice his opposition to the expedition , however , and Justinian disregarded it and pressed on with his preparations . Diplomatic preparations and revolts in Tripolitania and Sardinia . Soon after his seizure of power , Gelimer ' s domestic position began to deteriorate , as he persecuted his political enemies among the Vandal nobility , confiscating their property and executing many of them . These actions undermined his already doubtful legitimacy in the eyes of many , and contributed to the outbreak of two revolts in remote provinces of the Vandal kingdom : in Sardinia , where the local governor , Godas , declared himself an independent ruler , and shortly after in Tripolitania , where the native population , led by a certain Pudentius , rebelled against Vandal rule . Although Procopius ' narrative makes both uprisings seem coincidental , Ian Hughes points out the fact that both rebellions broke out shortly before the commencement of the Roman expedition against the Vandals , and that both Godas and Pudentius immediately asked for assistance from Justinian , as evidence of an active diplomatic involvement by the Emperor in their preparation . In response to Godas ' emissaries , Justinian detailed Cyril , one of the officers of the " foederati " , with 400 men , to accompany the invasion fleet and then sail on to Sardinia . Gelimer reacted to Godas ' rebellion by sending the bulk of his fleet , 120 of his best vessels , and 5 , 000 men under his own brother Tzazon , to suppress it . The Vandal king ' s decision played a crucial role in the outcome of the war , for it removed from the scene the Vandal navy , the main obstacle to a Roman landing in Africa , as well as a large part of his army . Gelimer also chose to ignore the revolt in Tripolitania for the moment , as it was both a lesser threat and more remote , while his lack of manpower constrained him to await Tzazon ' s return from Sardinia before undertaking further campaigns . At the same time , both rulers tried to win over allies : Gelimer contacted the Visigoth king Theudis ( r . 531 – 548 ) and proposed an alliance , while Justinian secured the benevolent neutrality and support of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy , which had strained relations with the Vandals over the ill treatment of the Ostrogoth princess Amalafrida , the wife of Thrasamund . The Ostrogoth court readily agreed to allow the Roman invasion fleet to use the harbour of Syracuse in Sicily and establish a market for the provisioning of the Roman troops there . Opposing forces . Justinian selected one of his most trusted and talented generals , Belisarius , who had recently distinguished himself against the Persians and in the suppression of the Nika riots , to lead the expedition . As Ian Hughes points out , Belisarius was also eminently suited for this appointment for two other reasons : he was a native Latin - speaker , and was solicitous of the welfare of the local population , keeping a tight leash on his troops . Both these qualities would be crucial in winning support from the Latin - speaking African population . Belisarius was accompanied by his wife , Antonina , and by Procopius , his secretary , who wrote the history of the war . According to Procopius ( " The Vandalic War " , I . 11 ) , the army consisted of 10 , 000 infantry , partly drawn from the field army ( " comitatenses " ) and partly from among the " foederati " , as well as 5 , 000 cavalry . There were also some 1 , 500 – 2 , 000 of Belisarius ' own retainers ( " bucellarii " ) , an elite corps ( it is unclear if their number is included in the 5 , 000 cavalry mentioned as a total figure by Procopius ) . In addition , there were two additional bodies of allied troops , both mounted archers , 600 Huns and 400 Heruls . The army was led by an array of experienced officers , among whom the eunuch Solomon was chosen as Belisarius ' chief of staff ( " domesticus " ) and the former praetorian prefect Archelaus was placed in charge of the army ' s provisioning . The whole force was transported on 500 vessels manned by 30 , 000 sailors under admiral Calonymus of Alexandria , guarded by ninety - two dromon warships . The traditional view , as expressed by J . B . Bury , is that the expeditionary force was remarkably small for the task , especially given the military reputation of the Vandals , and that perhaps it reflects the limit of the fleet ' s carrying capacity , or perhaps it was an intentional move to limit the impact of any defeat . Ian Hughes however comments that even in comparison with the armies of the early Roman Empire , Belisarius ' army was a " large , well - balanced force capable of overcoming the Vandals and may have contained a higher proportion of high quality , reliable troops than the armies stationed in the east " . On the Vandal side , the picture is less clear . The Vandal army was not a professional and mostly volunteer force like the East Roman army , but comprised every able - bodied male of the Vandal people . Hence modern estimates on the available forces vary along with estimates on the total Vandal population , from a high of between 30 , 000 – 40 , 000 men out of a total Vandal population of at most 200 , 000 people ( Diehl and Bury ) , to as few as 25 , 000 men — or even 20 , 000 , if their losses against the Moors are taken into account — for a population base of 100 , 000 ( Hughes ) . Despite their martial reputation , the Vandals had grown less warlike over time , having come to lead a luxurious life amidst the riches of Africa . In addition , their mode of fighting was ill suited to confronting Belisarius ' veterans : the Vandal army was composed exclusively of cavalry , lightly armoured and armed only for hand - to - hand combat , to the point of neglecting entirely the use of bows or javelins , in stark contrast to Belisarius ' heavily armoured cataphracts and horse archers . The Vandals were also weakened by the hostility of its Roman subjects , the continued existence among the Vandals of a faction loyal to Hilderic , and by the ambivalent position of the Moorish tribes , who watched the oncoming conflict from the sidelines , ready to join the victor and seize the spoils . The war . Belisarius ' army sails to Africa . Amidst much pomp and ceremony , with Justinian and the Patriarch of Constantinople in attendance , the Roman fleet set sail around 21 June 533 . The initial progress was slow , as the fleet spent five days at Heraclea Perinthus waiting for horses and further four days at Abydus due to lack of wind . The fleet left the Dardanelles on 1 July , and crossed the Aegean Sea to the port of Methone , where it was joined by the last contingents of troops . Belisarius took advantage of an enforced stay there due to a lull in the wind to train his troops and acquaint the disparate contingents with each other . It was at Methone , however , that 500 men died of dysentery caused by mouldy bread . According to Procopius , the responsibility fell on John the Cappadocian , who had cut costs by baking it only once , with the result that the bread went bad . Justinian was informed , but John does not appear to have been punished . Belisarius took steps to remedy the situation , and the army soon recovered . From Methone , the fleet sailed up the Ionian Sea to Zacynthus , from where they crossed over to Italy . The crossing took longer than expected due to lack of wind , and the army suffered of lack of fresh water when the supplies they had brought aboard went bad . Eventually , the fleet reached Catania in Sicily , from where Belisarius sent Procopius ahead to Syracuse to gather intelligence on the Vandals ' activities . By chance , Procopius met a merchant friend of his there , whose servant had just arrived from Carthage . The latter informed Procopius that not only were the Vandals were unaware of Belisarius ' sailing , but that Gelimer , who had just dispatched Tzazon ' s expedition to Sardinia , was away from Carthage at the small inland town of Hermione . Procopius quickly informed Belisarius , who immediately ordered the army to re - embark and set sail for the African coast . After sailing by Malta , they reached Cape Caputvada on the western shore of modern Tunisia some 162 Roman mile s ( 240 km ) south from Carthage . Advance on Carthage and the Battle of Ad Decimum . When the Roman fleet reached Africa , a council was held aboard Belisarius ' flagship ( " The Vandalic War " , I . 15 ) , where many of his officers advocated an immediate attack on Carthage itself , especially since it was the only fortified city in the Vandal realm , the walls of the other cities having been torn down to prevent a rebellion . Belisarius , however , mindful of the fate of the 468 expedition and wary of an encounter with the Vandal fleet , spoke against it . Thus the army disembarked and built a fortified camp to spend the night . Belisarius knew that success for his expedition relied on gaining the support of the local population , which had largely retained its Roman identity and to which he presented himself as a liberator . Thus on the next day of the landing , when some of his men stole some fruit from a local orchard , he severely punished them , and assembled the army and exhorted them to maintain discipline and restraint towards the native population , lest they abandon their Roman sympathies and go over to the Vandals . Belisarius ' pleas bore results , for , as Procopius reports ( " The Vandalic War " , I . 17 ) , " the soldiers behaved with moderation , and they neither began any unjust brawls nor did anything out of the way , and [ Belisarius ] , by displaying great gentleness and kindness , won the Libyans to his side so completely that thereafter he made the journey as if in his own land " . Then the Roman army began its march north , following the coastal road . 300 horse under John the Armenian were detached as an advance guard some 3 miles ( 4 . 5 km ) in front of the main army , while the 600 Huns covered the army ' s left flank . Belisarius himself with his " bucellarii " led up the rear , to guard against any attack from Gelimer , who was known to be in the vicinity . The fleet followed the army , sailing along the coast . The first town they encountered was Syllectum , which was captured by a detachment under Boriades by a ruse . In an attempt to sow division among the Vandals , Belisarius gave a letter written by Justinian and addressed to the Vandal nobles to a captured Vandal messenger , in which the emperor claimed to be campaigning on behalf of the legitimate king Hilderic against the usurper Gelimer . As the messenger was too afraid to deliver the letter , this ploy came to nothing . Gelimer , in the meantime , upon learning of the Romans ' arrival , immediately notified his brother Ammatas in Carthage to assemble the Vandal forces in the vicinity , as well as to execute Hilderic and his relatives , while his secretary Bonifatius was ordered to load the royal treasure on a ship and sail for Spain if the Romans won . Deprived of his best troops , which were with Tzazon , Gelimer contended himself with shadowing the northward march of the Roman army , all the while preparing a decisive engagement before Carthage , at a place called Ad Decimum ( " at the tenth [ milepost ] " ) where he had ordered Ammatas to bring his forces . The Romans advanced through Thapsus , Leptis Parva and Hadrumetum to Grasse , where for the first time they engaged in a skirmish with the scouts of Gelimer ' s army . After exchanging blows , both parties retired to their camps . From Grasse , Belisarius turned his army westwards , cutting across the neck of the Cape Bon peninsula . This was the most dangerous part of the route to Carthage , with the fleet out of sight . Thus , on the morning of 13 September , the tenth day of the march from Caputvada , the Roman army approached Ad Decimum . There Gelimer planned to ambush and encircle them , using a force under his brother Ammatas to block their advance and engage them , while 2 , 000 men under his nephew Gibamund would attack their left flank , and Gelimer himself with the main army would attack from the rear and completely annihilate the Roman army . In the event , the three forces failed to synchronize exactly : Ammatas arrived early and was killed as he attempted a reconnaissance with a small force by the Roman vanguard , while Gibamund ' s force was intercepted by the Hunnic flank guard and was utterly destroyed . Unaware of all this , Gelimer marched up with the main army and scattered the Roman advance forces present at Ad Decimum . Victory might have been his , but he then came upon his dead brother ' s body , and apparently forgot all about the battle . This gave Belisarius the time to rally his troops , come up with his main cavalry force and defeat the disorganized Vandals . Gelimer with the remainder of his forces fled westwards to Numidia . The Battle of Ad Decimum ended in a crushing Roman victory , and Carthage lay open and undefended before Belisarius . Belisarius ' entry into Carthage and Gelimer ' s counterattack . It was only by nightfall , when John the Armenian with his men and the 600 Huns rejoined his army , that Belisarius realized the extent of his victory . The cavalry spent the night at the battlefield . In the next morning , as the infantry ( and Antonina ) caught up , the whole army made for Carthage , where it arrived as night was falling . The Carthaginians had thrown open the gates and illuminated the city in celebration , but Belisarius , fearing a possible ambush in the darkness and wishing to keep his soldiers under tight control , refrained from entering the city , and encamped before it . On the morning of the next day , 15 September , Belisarius drew up the army for battle before the city walls , but as no enemy appeared , he led his army into the city , after again exhorting his troops to show discipline . The Roman army received a warm welcome from the populace , which was favourably impressed by its restraint . While Belisarius himself took possession of the royal palace , seated himself on the king ' s throne , and consumed the dinner which Gelimer had confidently ordered to be ready for his own victorious return , the fleet entered the Lake of Tunis and the army was billeted throughout the city . The remaining Vandals were rounded up and placed under guard to prevent them from causing trouble . Belisarius dispatched Solomon to Constantinople to bear the emperor news of the victory , but expecting an imminent re - appearance of Gelimer with his army , he lost no time in repairing the largely ruined walls of the city and rendering it capable of sustaining a siege . During the following weeks , while Belisarius remained in Carthage strengthening its walls , Gelimer established himself and the remnant of his army at Bulla Regia . By distributing money he had managed to cement the loyalty of the locals to his cause , and sent messages recalling Tzazon and his men from Sardinia , where they had been successful in re - establishing Vandal authority and killing Godas . While waiting for Tzazon ' s arrival , the Vandal king ' s army also increased by the arrival of more and more fugitives from the battle of Ad Decimum , as well as by a contingent of his Moorish allies . Most of the Moorish tribes of Numidia and Byzacena , however , sent embassies to Belisarius , pledging allegiance to the Empire . Some even offered hostages and asked for the insignia of office traditionally awarded to them by the emperor : a gilded silver staff and a silver crown , a white cloak , a white tunic , and a gilded boot . Belisarius had been furnished by Justinian with these items in anticipation of this demand , and duly dispatched them along with sums of money . Nevertheless it was clear that , as long as the outcome of the war remained undecided , neither side could count on the firm loyalty of the Moors . During this period , messengers from Tzazon , sent to announce his recovery of Sardinia , sailed into Carthage unaware that the city had fallen and were taken captive , followed shortly after by Gelimer ' s envoys to Theudis , who had reached Spain after the news of the Roman successes had arrived there and hence failed to secure an alliance . Belisarius was also reinforced by the Roman general Cyril with his contingent , who had sailed to Sardinia only to find it once again in possession of the Vandals . As soon as Tzazon received his brother ' s message , he left Sardinia and landed in Africa , joining up with Gelimer at Bulla . The Vandal king now determined to advance on Carthage . His intentions are not clear ; the traditional interpretation is that that he hoped to reduce the city by blockading it , but Ian Hughes believes that , lacking the reserves for a protracted war of attrition , he hoped to force Belisarius into a " single , decisive confrontation " . Approaching the city , the Vandal army cut the aqueduct supplying it with water , and attempted to prevent provisions from arriving in the city . Gelimer also dispatched agents to the city to undermine the loyalty of the inhabitants and the imperial army . Belisarius , who was alert to the possibility of treachery , set an example by impaling a citizen of Carthage who intended to join the Vandals . The greatest danger for defection came from the Huns , who were disgruntled because they had been ferried to Africa against their will and feared being left there as a garrison . Indeed , Vandal agents had already made contact with them , but Belisarius managed to maintain their allegiance — at least for the moment — by making a solemn promise that after the final victory they would be richly rewarded and allowed to return to their homes . Their loyalty however remained suspect , and , like the Moors , the Huns probably awaited to see who would emerge as the victor and rally to him . Tricamarum and the surrender of Gelimer . After securing the loyalty of the populace and the army , and completing the repairs to the walls , Belisarius resolved to meet Gelimer in battle , and in mid - December marched out of Carthage in the direction of the fortified Vandal camp at Tricamarum , some 28 km from Carthage . As at Ad Decimum , the Roman cavalry proceeded in advance of the infantry , and the ensuing Battle of Tricamarum was a purely cavalry affair , with Belisarius ' army considerably outnumbered . Both armies kept their most untrustworthy elements — the Moors and Huns — in reserve . John the Armenian played the most important role on the Roman side , and Tzazon on the Vandal . John led repeated charges at the Vandal centre , culminating in the death of Tzazon . This was followed by a general Roman attack across the front and the collapse of the Vandal army , which retreated to its camp . Gelimer , seeing that all was lost , fled with a few attendants into the wilds of Numidia , whereupon the remaining Vandals gave up all thoughts of resistance and abandoned their camp to be plundered by the Romans . Like the previous battle at Ad Decimum , it is again notable that Belisarius failed to keep his forces together , and was forced to fight with a considerable numerical disadvantage . The dispersal of his army after the battle , looting heedlessly and leaving themselves vulnerable to a potential Vandal counter - attack was also an indication of the poor discipline in the Roman army and the command difficulties Belisarius faced . As Bury comments , the expedition ' s fate might have been quite different " if Belisarius had been opposed to a commander of some ability and experience in warfare " , and points out that Procopius himself " expresses amazement at the issue of the war , and does not hesitate to regard it not as a feat of superior strategy but as a paradox of fortune " . A Roman detachment under John the Armenian pursued the fleeing Vandal king for five days and nights , and was almost upon him when he was killed in an accident . The Romans halted to mourn their leader , allowing Gelimer to escape , first to Hippo Regius and from there to the city of Medeus on Mount Papua , on whose Moorish inhabitants he could rely . Belisarius sent 400 men under the Herul Pharas to blockade him there . Belisarius himself made for Hippo Regius , where the Vandals who had fled to various sanctuaries surrendered to the Roman general , who promised that they would be well treated and sent to Constantinople in spring . Belisarius was also fortunate in recovering the Vandal royal treasure , which had been loaded in a ship at Hippo . Bonifatius , Gelimer ' s secretary , was supposed to sail with it to Spain , where Gelimer too would later follow , but adverse winds kept the ship in harbour and in the end , Bonifatius handed it over to the Romans in exchange for his own safety ( as well as a considerable share of the treasure , if Procopius is to be believed ) . Belisarius also began to extend his authority over the more distant provinces and outposts of the Vandal kingdom : Cyril was dispatched to Sardinia and Corsica with Tzazon ' s head as proof of his victory , John was sent to Caesarea on the coast of Mauretania Caesariensis , another John was sent to the twin fortresses of Septem and Gadira , which controlled the Straits of Gibraltar , and Apollinarius to take possession of the Balearic Islands . Aid was also sent to the provincials in Tripolitania , who had been subject to attacks by the local Moorish tribes . Belisarius also demanded the return of the port of Lilybaeum in western Sicily from the Ostrogoths , who had captured it during the war , as it too had been part of the Vandal kingdom . An exchange of letters followed between Justinian and the Ostrogoth court , through which Justinian was drawn into the intrigues of the latter , leading to the Roman invasion of Italy a year later . Meanwhile , Gelimer remained blockaded by Pharas at the mountain stronghold of Medeus , but as the blockade dragged through the winter , Pharas grew impatient . He attacked the mountain stronghold , only to be beaten back with the loss of a quarter of his men . While a success for Gelimer , it did not alter his hopeless situation as he and his followers remained tightly blockaded and began to suffer from lack of food . Pharas sent him messages calling upon him to surrender and spare his followers the misery , but it was not until March that the Vandal king agreed to surrender after receiving guarantees for his safety . Gelimer was then escorted to Carthage . Aftermath . Belisarius ' triumph . Belisarius would not remain long in Africa to consolidate his success , as a number of officers in his army , in hopes of their own advancement , sent messengers to Justinian claiming that Belisarius intended to establish his own kingdom in Africa . Justinian then gave his general two choices as a test of his intentions : he could return to Constantinople or remain in Africa . Belisarius , who had captured one of the messengers and was aware of the slanders against him , chose to return . He left Africa in the summer , accompanied by Gelimer , large numbers of captured Vandals — who were enrolled in five regiments of the " Vandali Iustiniani " ( " Vandals of Justinian " ) by the emperor — and the Vandal treasure , which included many objects looted from Rome 80 years earlier , including the imperial regalia and the menorah of the Second Temple . In Constantinople , Belisarius was given the honour of celebrating a triumph — the first to be celebrated in Constantinople since its foundation and the first granted to a private citizen in over five and a half centuries — and described by Procopius : Gelimer was given an ample estate in Galatia , and would have been raised to patrician rank if he had not steadfastly refused to renounce his Arian faith . Belisarius was also named " consul ordinarius " for the year 535 , allowing him to celebrate a second triumphal procession , being carried through the streets seated on his consular curule chair , held aloft by Vandal warriors , distributing largesse to the populace from his share of the war booty . Re - establishment of Roman rule in Africa and the Moorish Wars . Immediately after Tricamarum , Justinian hastened to proclaim the recovery of Africa : The emperor was determined to restore the province to its former extent and prosperity , indeed , iIn the words of J . B . Bury , he intended " to wipe out all traces of the Vandal conquest , as if it had never been , and to restore the conditions which had existed before the coming of Gaiseric " . To this end , the Vandals were barred from holding office or even property , which was returned to its former owners ; most Vandal men became slaves , while the victorious Roman soldiers took their wives ; and the Chalcedonian Church was restored to its former position while the Arian Church was dispossessed and persecuted . As a result of these measures , the Vandal population was diminished and emasculated , and gradually disappeared entirely , absorbed into the provincial population . Already in April 534 , before the surrender of Gelimer , the old Roman provincial division along with the full apparatus of Roman administration was restored , under a praetorian prefect rather than under a diocesal " vicarius " , since the original parent prefecture of Africa , Italy , was still under Ostrogothic rule . The army of Belisarius was left behind to form the garrison of the new prefecture , under the overall command of a " magister militum " and with several regional " duces " . Almost immediately , an extensive fortification programme was also begun , including the construction of city walls as well as smaller forts to protect the countryside , whose remnants are still prominent in the region . Despite Justinian ' s intentions and proclamations , however , Roman control over Africa was not yet secure . During his campaign , Belisarius had secured most of the provinces of Byzacena , Zeugitana and Tripolitania , but further west , imperial control extended in a series of strongholds captured by the fleet along the coast as far as Constantine , while most of the inland areas of Numidia and Mauretania remained under the control of the local Moorish tribes , as indeed had been the case under the Vandal kings . The Moors initially acknowledged the Emperor ' s suzerainty and gave hostages to the imperial authorities , but they soon became restive and rose in revolt . The first imperial governor , Belisarius ' former " domesticus " Solomon , who combined the offices of both " magister militum " and praetorian prefect , was able to score successes against them and strengthen Roman rule in Africa , but his work was interrupted by a widespread military mutiny in 536 . The mutiny was eventually subdued by Germanus , a cousin of Justinian , and Solomon returned in 539 . He fell , however , in the Battle of Cillium in 544 against the united Moorish tribes , and Roman Africa was again in jeopardy . It would not be until 548 that the resistance of the Moorish tribes would be finally broken by the talented general John Troglita .