HUNINGEN

huningen, a town of germany, in alsace-lorraine, situated on the left bank of the rhine, on a branch of the rhine-rhone canal, and 3 m. n. of basel by rail. pop. (1905) 3304. the rhine is here crossed by an iron railway bridge. the town boasts a handsome roman catholic church, and has manufactures of silk, watches, chemicals and cigars. huningen is an ancient place and grew up round a stronghold placed to guard the passage of the rhine. it was wrested from the imperialists by the duke of lauenburg in 1634, and subsequently passed by purchase to louis xiv. of france. it was fortified by vauban (1679-1681) and a bridge was built across the rhine. the fortress capitulated to the austrians on the 26th of august 1815 and the works were shortly afterwards dismantled. in 1871, the town passed, with alsace-lorraine, to the german empire. see tschamber, _geschichte der stadt und ehemaligen festung huningen_ (st ludwig, 1894); and latruffe, _huningue et bale devant les traites de 1815_ (paris, 1863). hunneric (d. 484), king of the vandals, was a son of king gaiseric, and was sent to italy as a hostage in 435 when his father made a treaty with the emperor valentinian iii. after his return to the vandal court at carthage, he married a daughter of theodoric i., king of the visigoths; but when this princess was suspected of attempting to poison her father-in-law, she was mutilated and was sent back to europe. hunneric became king of the vandals on his father's death in 477. like gaiseric he was an arian, and his reign is chiefly memorable for his cruel persecution of members of the orthodox christian church in his dominions. hunneric's second wife was eudocia, a daughter of valentinian iii. and his wife eudocia. (see vandals.)