Alans

The Alans or Alani were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people, warlike nomadic pastoralists of mixed backgrounds, who spoke an Iranian language and shared, in a broad sense, a common culture.

The 'western' Alans and Vandals

About 370 the Alans were overwhelmed by the Huns. They were divided into two groups. One group fled westward. These 'western' Alani joined the Germanic nations in their invasion of Roman Gaul. Gregory of Tours mentions{{fact}} that their king Respendial saved the day for the Vandals in an armed encounter with the Franks at the crossing of the Rhine (c. 407).

Related Topics:
Huns - Germanic nations - Gaul - Gregory of Tours - Respendial - Vandals - Franks - Rhine

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Following the fortunes of the Vandals into Iberia, the separate ethnic identity of the western Alans dissolved. Although some of the Alani settled in Iberia, most went to North Africa with the Vandals. in 409. In 426, the western Alan king, Attaces, was killed in battle against the Visigoths, and this branch of the Alans subsequently appealed to the Vandal king Gunderic to accept the Alan crown. Later Vandal kings in North Africa styled themselves Rex Wandalorum et Alanorum (King of the Vandals and Alans).

Related Topics:
Iberia - North Africa - Attaces - Visigoths - Gunderic

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In Iberia, the Alans were famous in retrospect for their massive hunting and fighting dogs, which they apoparently introduced to Europe. A giant breed of dog still called Alano survives in the Basque region of northeastern Spain. The dogs, which are traditionally used in boar hunting and cattle herding, are associated with the massive dogs that Alans and Vandals brought into Iberia.

Related Topics:
Iberia - Dog - Basque region - Boar - Cattle

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