Have you heard the word ‘vandalism’? Vandalism is any kind of damage done on purpose, for no good reason. The word comes from ‘vandals’ which is the name of Germanic tribes that had a reputation for looting and sacking wherever they went. These tribes originally settled in Hungary, Romania, and Silesia. They were forced westward by the Huns and moved to Spain, and later to North Africa. They conquered Carthage in 439. Later, the Vandal leader, Geiseric built a powerful fleet and sailed to Italy to sack Rome. Eventually, the Vandals were defeated by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire.
The Lombards were also a Germanic tribe. Their origin was in Southern Sweden. They worked their way down into Italy by the 6th century. There, they established permanent German rule in Italy, but became Italians in the process and gave their name to the Northern Italian region of Lombardia.
The Lombards were always in conflict with the Popes, and had to continually defend themselves against attacks from the Franks, who were supporters of the Pope and the Byzantines. The Lombards were finally brought under the control of the Franks, and then the Normans. It is thought that their name refers either to their long beards, or to their long handled battle axes!