GENSERIC, jen'ser-flc, or GAISIC121C; king • of the Vandals: b. about 400; d. 477 A.D. He was a natural son of Godigisdus, the great leader of the Vandals when they over ran Spain. Goderic succeeded the latter as ruler of the conquered territory; and on his death Genscric, who had shown special capabili ties as a ruler of men, became king. An vitation in 429 from Bonifacc, Count of Africa, viceroy under Valentinian III, to come and help him against his rival Aetius, gave him a chance to display his military ability. Genseric landed in Africa with 50,00) men and swept everything before him in Mauritania, where the natives flocked to his standard. Boniface real izing that he had made a mistake in inviting the I rrihle leader of the Vandals to aid him, hastily attempted to organize his forces to op pose him. Twice defeated he was finally driven into the mountains and slain, and all northern Africa from Carthage NN estwar d, and finally the latter city, surrendered to Genseric who ex tended his conquests to parts of the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. He made Car thage the capital of this new empire in 439. In
455, on the invitation of the Empress Endoxia, Valentinian's widow, who sought his assistance against Maximus, the murderer of her husband, he landed at Ostia and marched to Rome, which he stormed and gave up to pillage for 14 days. On his he carried off the empress herself and her two daughters, one of whom he married to his son Huneric. Two attempts on the part of the empire to shake off the rule of Genseric were unsuccessful. The western em peror Majorian sent agreat fleet against the Vandals in 457. This Genseric met and des troyed in the Bay of Carthage. A similar: at tempt on the part of the Eastern Emperor Leo, in 468, met with a like fate at Bona. Thus, under Genseric, the Vandals became as for midable on. sea as they had become on land. Consult Gibbon, and Fall of the Ro man Empire' ; Hodgkin, 'Italy and her In vaders' (1892-95) ; Martroye, La Conquete vandale en Afrique' (Paris 1907) 'Cambridge Medieval History' (New York 1911). •