“φίλος τε καὶ ξύμμαχος”: Reflections on the exchange of letters between Justinian and Gelimer in Procopius of Caesarea

Abstract

The Greek terms that appear in the title of this article: “φίλος τε καὶ ξύμμαχος” are a translation of Procopius of Caesarea from the Latin words: “socius et amicus” whose objective was to demonstrate that, through these titles attributed to the barbarian kings, such kings would submit to the Roman power and that the diplomatic relations between the barbarian kingdoms and the Roman Empire had been peaceful due to the concession of a legal right attributed, in this case, to the Vandals to possess and occupy Roman territories in Africa. This strategy of placing the Vandals as submissive of the imperial power aimed to demonstrate that the Roman Empire had not lost its territories in the Pars Occidentalis. These diplomatic relations are explored in this article through the letters of Emperor Justinian to the Vandal king Gelimer who wouldn't recognize this submission to Roman power, going so far as to dethrone his cousin Hilderic for considering him very close not only to the emperors in the East, but also of Roman traditions and heritages. Thus, our objective is to understand how the letters of Gelimer and Justinian present the diplomatic relations between these peoples and even help us to understand the growing hostility that culminated in war.

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