Battle of Agrigentum (456)

The Battle of Agrigentum was fought in 456 A.D. at Agrigentum, now Agrigento in modern-day Sicily. An army of the Western Roman Empire, led by the general Ricimer, drove off an invading force, a fleet of sixty ships, sent by the Vandal king Gaiseric to raid Sicily. Ricimer then led the Roman fleet against the Vandals and defeated them in a naval battle off the coast of Corsica. The victory gave the Romans only temporary relief from Vandal raids.

Prelude
The Vandals led by their king Gaiseric (sometimes spelled Genseric) had earlier conquered North Africa after passing through Spain, frequently raided prosperous cities or areas of the European coast and sacked Rome in 455 AD. In spring or early summer of 456 AD, Ricimer led an army and navy of Romans, auxiliaries, and Germanic foederati to Sicily with the intention of repelling a known or suspected forthcoming Vandal attack.

Battle
The Vandals initially forced the Romans onto the defensive in a partly forested battlefield. They were unable to break Ricimer's troops and after a hard fought battle, the Romans drove off the Vandal force. The Vandals who survived the battle boarded their ships which sailed north toward Corsica. Ricimer followed the Vandals and defeated them in a naval battle off the coast of Corsica.

Aftermath
Ricimer returned home to Italy where he and the generals Majorian and Aegidius, seized power from the Western Roman emperor, Avitus. They proclaimed Majorian, who was a full-blooded Roman, emperor.