The challenge is to have the Vandalic Kingdom in Africa last until at least late the late 1800's, it can last longer or up until modern day.
How do they avoid their fall into impotence in the 5th to 6th Century? How do they repulse/defeat the expanionist Muslims of the 7th Century?
I think geographically a kingdom encompassing the northwest African coastline, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and the Balearics (at least, if not also a chunk of southern Iberia) would be great!
Go, VANDALS!!!!!!!!
But couldn't the Vandal Aristocracy have survived while assimilating the masses with the rest of their population?Religion: I think the Italian example shows that conflict was avoidable. And the Vandals probably had a better position than the Ostrogoths, since the Donatists and Catholics had been opposing each other.
Politics: Gaiseric's successors just weren't as competent as he. And I tend to think that the intrusive groups tended to thin out, and become less migration-like and more army-like, in repeated movements. So the Moesian Goths [both the 348 group and 376 group] can be considered refugee flows, while the Visigoths, by the time the reached Gaul, and the Vandals, by the time they reached Spain, or at the latest by the time they reached Carthage, can be considered elite transfer. A warrior aristocracy either gets absorbed into the country it has conquered [as the Norman aristocracy became English] or it gets destroyed first [as the Vandal aristocracy did]. A warrior aristocracy can't put as many troops in the field, either.
But couldn't the Vandal Aristocracy have survived while assimilating the masses with the rest of their population?
Feh. Then we get into the issue of whether the so-called Migration Period actually featured meaningful migratory activity and to what extent the 'Goths', 'Vandals', and whatnot were in fact cohesive alien bodies...Politics: Gaiseric's successors just weren't as competent as he. And I tend to think that the intrusive groups tended to thin out, and become less migration-like and more army-like, in repeated movements. So the Moesian Goths [both the 348 group and 376 group] can be considered refugee flows, while the Visigoths, by the time the reached Gaul, and the Vandals, by the time they reached Spain, or at the latest by the time they reached Carthage, can be considered elite transfer. A warrior aristocracy either gets absorbed into the country it has conquered [as the Norman aristocracy became English] or it gets destroyed first [as the Vandal aristocracy did]. A warrior aristocracy can't put as many troops in the field, either.
The challenge is to have the Vandalic Kingdom in Africa last until at least late the late 1800's, it can last longer or up until modern day.
The extreme southern end of modern Algeria.And where is Mount Tahat?
That sounds pretty good, but I am not completely set on having Vandalia keep Sardinia and Corsica, more just keeping them in North Africa, specifically around Carthage. Also it would be very cool if they survived with an Arian aristocracy. Which may cause trouble if they have a Crusade ITTL.Well, like others said, it's really a matter of preventing Justinian from invading Vandalia. This would likely prevent Arabic invasions into the region, but that isn't to say the religion of Islam (if it even pops up) would not spread into the region.
Vandalia would be a very prosperous, being the bread basket of the mediterranean sea. The Vandalians (as I presume they would be called, or something similar) would need to expand their navy in order to keep their island possessions from falling into Gothic hands. Berber raids would be an issue, so they would also need to keep a somewhat competent army around.
In other words, a military that is actually worth two shits is necessary for Vandalian survival.
I'd imagine the language would become a Romance language, similar probably to Mozarabic with all the Berber influence that would surely happen. There would be Germanic loanwords, like there is in French, but the core would be a Latin-based language.
This topic has really perked my interest, so I've decided to make a TL on the matter. Hope no one objects.