Chapter XL
The years that follow the reconquest of Africa represent a period of changes for the entire Mediterranean world. The following chapter represent the first part of an overview of the Roman world and its surrounding area from the Pillars of Hercules to the New Rome on the Bosphorus.
Hispania
During the last months of the conflict between Rome and the Vandals, tension between opposing factions brought unrest to the Visigothic kingdom. Despite the difficult situation for king Agila, no one would have expected the incoming escalation of events. It was a normal day of routine at the royal palace and king Agila was discussing with Alaric about the administration of the kingdom. The discussion was particularly heated since the two men saw each other as rival, both pursuing different goals. It was not the first time Agila had to deal with his young colleague and his arrogance but on this particular occasion things further degenerated. Alaric openly accused the illegitimacy of Agila’s power and the usurpation he had perpetrated for almost 20 years. Agila didn’t expect such a direct attack but even worse than Alaric’s attack against him was the sudden interruption of the "debate" by a group of royal guards, sent there to arrest him. Sensing his end approaching, king Agila rushed against the mind behind this plot in a desperate attempt to bring his rival down with him. Unfortunately he was killed by the soldiers before having the chance to take his revenge on Alaric.
The Gothic kingdom immediately fell victim of civil war between the supporters of the two opposing families but it was clear to everyone that the Balti had the advantage. During the last years, king Agila had lost many important and trusted supporters like Caesarius and his wife Amalafrida, while his son was far and unable to now lead his loyalist against Alaric III thus weaking his cause. The news that Agila was going to surrender Tingi and Septem also further weakened his position. Quickly and ruthlessly Alaric eliminated those who still opposed him, effectively purging the army. The Gothic soldiers stationed on the Balearic islands, after being generously bought by the new king, promptly eliminated those who still supported Agila while in Africa the Goths remained loyal to his son Athalaric. On the mainland Alaric crushed any threat to his power, denying his brother Theodoric the joint rule of the kingdom and moving with his army against the outpost loyal to his half-brother: Agilapolis and the cities of southern Hispania, which still remembered the sack of Carthago Nova by Alaric’s father, Gesalec. These cities would send a desperate request to Athalaric asking him to come to their help and reconquer the kingdom, but with his limited resources and with his main ally still dealing with the pacification of Africa, there was no hope to successfully invade Hispania. Thus by the end of the year most of the cities of the region had been reconquered and punished allowing Alaric to move against the rebels in Agilapolis supported by the Suebi. The overthrow of king Agila, one of the worst political disaster for emperor Marcianus, would represent one of the most important event of the VI century, with unpredictable consequences that would, both directly and indirectly, influence the destiny of great men and the the people of Hispania during the second half of the century.
Africa
With the official end of the war in Africa most of the troops mustered from all over the empire could finally return home. Eastern roman soldiers were the first to leave Africa, quickly recalled by emperor Hypatius in order to deal with new problems on the frontier. Of a contingent of 7000 men, only 2000 soldiers would remain with Belisarius in Africa, mostly because these soldiers were directly employed and payed by the general and not by the emperor. Different was the situation of the soldiers who came from Italia and Illyricum. Many would return to their homes during that same year, as new threats emerged from the north, but the military needs of the new Diocese required the attention of its new Magister Militum and the creation of an army from what was left on the region of the Roman expedition and the Vandal population. The threats to the new conquest were serious: all over around the limited coastal territory controlled by the Romans were numerous Berber tribes who had fought against the Vandals and were now ready to fight for or against the empire. Additionally unrest would further trouble the Diocese as the Vandal population was far from being totally annihilate or assimilate by the Romans. Of 11000 western roman soldiers, 6000 would return back to Europe before the end of the year, with an additional amount of 1000 soldiers sent with Procopius to Septem and other 500 to the island of Sardinia. Thus Belisarius was effectively left with 3500 soldiers, including a regiment from the Scholae, and his own personal retinue. Barely enough to protect Carthago and its surrounding.
The situation was critical and required a quick response from both the military and civilian authority: Magister Militum Flavius Belisarius and the Praefectus Praetorio Petrus Marcellinus Felix Liberius would work tirelessly in order to improve the defense and the stability of the Diocese. Thanks to the treasure of Vandals, which had not entirely moved to Rome where it would be exposed to the people of Rome during the celebrations for the emperor’s triumphal procession, the Romans didn’t lack the resources necessary for the creation of a new administration and could even afford to grant temporary tax exemptions to the cities which suffered the most during the war: the population of Hippo Dyarrhytus and Hippo Reggius, whose territory had been devastated by the Vandals, and the city of Utica, which had generously resupplied the Roman army during its march, were among the many beneficiaries of this policy of tax leniency. Everyone else was required to resume their fiscal obligations at the beginning of the first year (535) since the return of peace.
Another important measure concerned the Vandal population and their lands. Here the Romans adopted a policy of compromise between the native Roman population and the Vandals: Vandal landowners would be allowed to retain a third of their lands in exchange for military service in the new African army and an additional third of the land could be retained through the payment of a special tax which amounted to the value of this third of the land and had to be payed within 5 years. Additionally the Vandal landowners would now be officially considered “Beneficiarii”, thus not completely owning their lands as the imperial government reserved the right to interfere with the management of their plots and, under special circumstances, reassign them. They also enjoyed the same privileges and duties of their colleagues in Italia with the exception of the supply for the Military Annona, which was replaced by direct military service, with the soldiers now required to provide for their own sustenance. Slightly different was the situation for vandal women (sisters and widows of fallen Vandal warriors), who were allowed to retain even the last third of their lands if they married Roman citizens, a requirements that the imperial government didn’t need to further encourage as Roman soldiers and veterans already started marrying vandals women before this measure, thus acquiring control over their wealths in exchange for the legal and economic protection Rome could now offer to their new wives under the new administration. Like the vandal men, the Romans and their families would inherit the same legal condition and the same duties. The lands confiscated and the income from the special tax would be redistributed among the descendants of the Roman landowners who lost all or part of their lands almost a century earlier. A special commission would soon be created by Liberius in order to find the rightful heirs.
On the diplomatic field Flavius Belisarius sought to establish friendly relations with most of the neighbouring tribes: honorary titles were generously granted by the Romans to the Berber leaders who were thus partially integrated, along with their controlled territories, in the administrative network of the Diocese. Some of them even received proper military title in exchange for military service, most of the time as garrisons, thus partially freeing the Roman army from the burden of garrisoning their border cities. Obviously this meant that the Romans had now to pay a tribute to these leaders and their soldiers, but this “humiliating" situation was partially mitigated by the fact that these tributes could be officially represented as normal payment that the central authority provided to its subordinate military officers, even though these “Roman officers” enjoyed a degree of autonomy equaled only by barbarian kings who beared a roman title. By the beginning of 535 AD the military situation of the Romans in Africa had definitely improved and Belisarius, with his reinforced army, was now ready to face the first phase of the new imminent conflict.
Next time: Italia and Illyricum!