"...The news from the West was momentous -- the Visigothic kingdom had been torn apart by civil war. King Theodoric's warlords in charge of his Gallic conquests had chafed for years at his policy of consolidating the new provinces, rather than seizing additional land. When their followers began to melt away in search of better prospects for loot, the warlords joined together and rebelled. The final showdown took place in Liguria -- both sides coveting its strategic position. As they had in earlier battles, the warlords won. Theodoric ws left with little more than the Visigothic lands in Spain. During the chaos, Belgica was seized by the Frisians when the Visigoth garrison was called away. Elsewhere, all along the shores of the Mediterranean, warfare between the Byzantines and Vandals grew bitter and bloody. In North Africa, the Vandals rode to stamp out the last Byzantine toehold. On the Dalmatian coast, a Vandal fleet put ashore, intent upon seizing imperial lands. The Emperor struck back, though, as Byzantine forces in Egypt marched through the desert into Vandal Libya...."
Warlords Establish Kingdom
The royal and rebel armies faced each other across a series of hills and valleys in Liguria. The royal commandeer prudently occupied the high ground in the center, but the rebels attacked aggressively all along the line, breaking through on the left. As the commander ordered each formation into the widening hole in his lines, it was ridden down. Slowly, the king's men were forced from the field. The hard fought battle symbolized the rebels' hard-won victory in carving out their new kingdom -- the Visigothic kingdom of Gaul.
North Africa Falls
Fresh from stamping out the Berber uprising, the army of the Vandal warlord Thrasamund marched on Byzantine North Africa. When they met the Byzantine defenders, early success on their flanks spurred Vandal morale, while the Byzantine soldiers began to lose heart. The wavering became a rout and the Byzantines broke and fled for their ports, hoping to escape the Vandal pursuit by sea. Thrasamund was merciless, and his horsemen rode down or captured all, including Justinian's two commanders. Byzantine North Africa had fallen once more.
Another Retreat
General Diogenes was resting his army after last season's greuling retreat through the Alps, when word arrived of a Vandal fleet putting ashore on the Dalmatian coast. The relatively unproven Vandal warleader Genseric quickly sliced through the hills towards Diogenes weary and malnourished troops. Diogenes deployed then well, but they were cut down by the fresh Vandal troopers. Diogenes ordered another withdrawal, hoping to herd his men to safety.
Libyan Venture Lost
"Finally!" thought Bessas, the army was marching west to open a new front in the Vandalic War. Even Libyan sand looked more welcome to the Byzantine general -- much better than the Egyptian sand his army had worn its sandals out on for the last few months. Bessas was also pleased at the sight of the Vandal host, marshalled to meet him, the garrison obviously swelled by fresh levies. When battles was joined, though, his pleasure turned to horror as the Vandal charge burst through his lines and sent his army reeling back to Egypt. The long-awaited attack had been an utter failure.