GENESERICO, re dei VANDALI. - Natural son of King Godigisel, he ascended the throne after the death of his half-brother Gunderic (428). Short of stature, lame, cunning, he was nonetheless a warrior and a skilled politician. Hard pressed by the Visigoths in Spain, and taking advantage of the sorry condition of Africa, divided by religious strife and neglected by the imperial authority, he undertook its conquest. In 429 he landed there, plundering it, burning churches, killing churchmen and persecuting Catholics. The following year he besieged Hippo, but after 14 months he failed to take it: during the siege St. Augustine died. Count Boniface, who had shut himself up in the city, attempted a pitched battle, but was defeated (432) and G. remained master of Mauretania, Numidia and of a great part of Proconsularis. In 435 he came to an agreement with the court of Ravenna, which recognized his conquests in exchange for his promise not to molest Carthage and to pay an annual tribute. Four years later, however (439), he broke the pact and took Carthage. Once again the imperial court had to accept the accomplished fact, and G. was recognized ufficialmente come re del nuovo Stato indipendente, comprendente tutta l'Africa romana.
The fanatical Arian set about persecuting the Catholics in every way, and with well-equipped fleets he spread terror along the coasts of the Mediterranean, subjugating its principal islands and frequently plundering the coasts of southern Italy. On the death of Valentinian III (455) he considered himself free of the commitments he had undertaken and attempted a direct blow against the Empire. On 3 May he landed at Ostia; Rome, in the grip of tumult and terror, could not be defended. Only Pope Leo the Great dared to confront the barbarian king, as he had done three years earlier with Attila, but he could obtain only that fires and the killing of defenseless people be spared. For 14 days the city was systematically sacked, and G. returned to Africa carrying with him an enormous booty and thousands of prisoners, among whom were the empress Eudoxia and her daughters Placidia and Eudocia. Now powerful and feared, G. held in check for several years the combined forces of the East and West. In 460 he destroyed a fleet of 300 ships ready to attack him in Africa, and in 468 he knew how to avert the grave danger that loomed over him from the united forces of the two Empires, and he also conquered Sicily. This island was then ceded in 476 to Odoacer in exchange for an annual tribute. G. died in 477, leaving a powerful kingdom to his son Huneric.
BIBL.: sources
Agostino Amore
GENESFLEISCH, JOHANN von GUTENBERG: v. GUTENBERG, JOANNES, GENSFLEISCH, JOHANN von.