User blog:123chaseyoung/Vikings vs Vandals

The Vikings! Bloodthirsty berserker who terrorized Europe!

vs

The Vandals! Destructive barbarians who pillaged Rome!

Who is deadliest?

No rules... no safety... no mercy! Its a duel to the death to decide who is the Deadliest Medieval Pirate!

Vikings
While originally meaning "sea raider", the term Viking has come to refer to the pagan Norse people of Scandanavia from about the eighth to the eleventh centuries, including present day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The Vikings were a warlike, seafaring culture, making frequent raids of Britain, France, and other European countries, and even going as far as Russia and Italy. The Vikings were also known as explorers, traders, and mercenaries. Vikings settled areas including parts of Britain, Normandy, Iceland, Greenland, and even had a brief presence in North America at L'Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Viking mercenaries were known to work for the Byzantines and Viking traders were known to have traded in markets in the Middle East. For a period of time, the Vikings even conquered and ruled part of Britain, known as the Danelaw, in the 800s and 900s AD.

Vandals
The Vandals were a Germanic tribe of Jutland (now in Denmark), who migrated to the valley of the Odra (Oder) River about the 5th century BC. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD they settled along the Danube River. Around 400, raids by the Huns forced many of the Germanic tribes like the Goths were to migrate to the Roman Empire, and fearing that they might be targeted next, the Vandals were pushed westwards crossing the Rhine into Gaul along with other tribes in 406. In 429, under king Genseric, the Vandals entered North Africa. By 439 they established a kingdom which included the Roman province of Africa as well as Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and the Balearic Islands, and became known as sea-faring pirates in the Mediterranean. They fended off several Roman attempts to recapture the African province, and sacked the city of Rome in 455. Today's usage of the word "vandal" reflects the wanton destruction the tribe precipitated in other people, especially the Romans, by their looting and pillaging.

X-Factors
Brutality


 * Vikings: 90


 * Vandals: 85

While the Vandals' name became synonymous today for total destruction of life and property, they did had a sense of control when they give their word not to kill. During the Sack of Rome the Vandals did not slaughter, burned or kill that much because they Pope Leo pleaded for them not to. Vikings on the other hand are not so easily persuaded. They kill, butcher and plunder both for survival and wealth. Their slaughter of both armed and unarmed Europeans gave them the name the "Great Heathen Army" and today, Viking bruality is still a known and fascinated.

Tactics


 * Vikings: 85


 * Vandals: 92

The Vikings are opportunistic predators. Striking mostly less-defended and easy to pillage towns and monasteries. They did became powerful overtime; building their own kingdoms and settlements, and started attacking heavily fortified cities such as their successful Siege of Paris in 845. But rich kingdoms with castles, forts and heavy cavalry still posed a challenge to them. Alfred the Great and Harold Godwinson once managed to prevent Viking incursion in Britain with the use of this tactic. Vandals on the other hand were one of the best barbarians of their time, utilizing hit and run raids on both land and sea. They fought and defeated both the West and East Roman Empire, Sacked Rome so bad that it started the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (something that Hannibal and Attile couldn't do), and their victory in the Battle of Cap Bone, where they used fire ships to defeat a larger Roman fleet (ala Spanish Armada), is considered one of the greatest navy feat today.

Training


 * Vikings: 90


 * Vandals: 88

The icy howling north where the Vikings came from hardened these men to create one of the greatest military unit in history. They were trained as vikings since they were 12 years old. The Vandals, though already a military unit, were refugees first before they became a Barbarian Kingdom and learning miltairy tech and tactics from the Romans overtime.

Note

 * Battle will end on May 30.


 * Battle will be one on one and will take place in a beach.