Vandal

Vandals were a group of Teutonic (Germanic) tribes, who, during the fifth century, fought their way westward across the Rhine (406) and the Pyrenees (409). Led by their hero king, Genseric (d.477), from 428 to 477, they went on to Africa where they captured Carthage (439) and made it their capital. From this base, they attacked Constantinople and Rome, plundering and destroying all in their way. With Genseric's death, their power declined rapidly.

Although the Vandals were probably no worse than their contemporaries, their name has become a synonym for wanton and willful destroyers of the property of others, particularly works of art.