Barbarian Kings. Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great (c. 454-526) was the king of the Ostrogoths and the founder of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy. He succeeded in uniting the Roman population and the Germanic tribes, creating one of the most stable states of the Early Middle Ages on the ruins of the Western Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the restoration of ancient culture, large-scale construction, and religious tolerance unique for the time.
Early life and rise to power
According to Jordanes* (6th century AD), he belonged to the Amal family*, who ruled the Goths from ancient times, and was of royal blood (although this claim, like much of the work of the historian Jordanes, has been disputed). The son of an Arian* and Orthodox, during ten years of his childhood Theodoric was raised at the court of the Byzantine emperors (which is reminiscent of the practice of the British Empire, which gathered the children of allied rulers in the metropolis to create an imperial governing elite).
He was an avid hunter and an excellent archer. He also seems to have shown an early talent for commanding men and was appointed magister militum (commander-in-chief) under the Byzantine Emperor Zeno in 483 AD, and just a year later he was elected consul and received the very Roman name Flavius Theodoricus. He entered German folklore under the name Dietrich von Bern.*, the hero of many fairy tales in Middle High German and Icelandic literature, although a number of historians dispute this identification.
Dietrich von Bern is a hero of the German epic, who is the prototype historical The Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in Germanic heroic tales, a tragic figure forced to flee his home and often waging a desperate struggle against powerful enemies. Pictured left: the legendary Dietrich von Bern with Siegfried. He breathes fire. Fragment from a 15th-century manuscript in the Rose Garden in Worms. In the picture on the right: a drawing from a poem that tells of Dietrich's battle with the giant Sigenot, who defeats Dietrich and takes him prisoner
Theodoric was born in 454 in Pannonia (modern Hungary) to the Ostrogoth king Thiudimir.* and one of his concubines. He was baptized Dietrich, but at the age of eight he was sent to Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, as a political hostage to ensure his father's compliance with the treaty between the Romans and the Goths.
In the 5th century, Constantinople emerged as the most powerful and wealthiest metropolis in Europe. The city became the undisputed capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, boasting a population of approximately half a million and establishing itself as the cultural and religious center of Orthodox Christian civilization. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Empire became much more culturally Greek, with Greek supplanting Latin as the dominant language of everyday urban communication.
His name was later Latinized to "Theodoric," where he remained at the emperor's court, absorbing Greco-Roman values for ten years, first under the protection of Emperor Leo I (reigned 457–474) and then Emperor Zeno (reigned 474–491). Although he could neither read nor write, he nevertheless embraced Roman cultural norms, and later the poet and diplomat Sidonius Apollinaris * described him as a man of great refinement both in his personal and public life.
Barbarian and Roman
After his father's death, at the age of eighteen, he was allowed to return home, where he became the leader (rex) of his fellow Goths, whose growing numbers forced them to seek new lands. As king of the Ostrogoths, he was sometimes an ally and sometimes an enemy of the Byzantine emperors. The inconsistency of his policy can probably be explained by the fact that he had as a rival another Theodoric, also a Goth, nicknamed Strabo ("slant-eyed"), who, vying for the emperor's favor, intrigued against him at the court of Constantinople. After his death (481), Theodoric received the surname Flavius from the Byzantine emperor Zeno, thereby emphasizing that he founded the third Flavian dynasty. (Flavius Theodericus rex), patrician titles and positions magister militum, and in 484 he was appointed consul.
Various images of King Theodoric the Great. In the image in the center - the most probable portrait of Theodoric in imperial robes in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (Ravenna)
Thus, from the point of view of Constantinople, Theodoric is a patrician and consul, which means that the descendants of the ancient Roman families look upon him as the magister militum appointed by the emperor and the triumphant Augustus, and for the Ostrogoths themselves, Theodoric is a king, “the only Goth who has Roman citizenship.”
Italian hike
After the death of Theodoric ("the cross-eyed"), all Gothic forces united under the leadership of Theodoric, and he was sent by Emperor Zeno against his rival, General Illus, who had led a rebellion among the Isaurians (a mountain people living in southern Asia Minor). After defeating Illus (488 AD) and suppressing the Isaurian rebellion, Theodoric, now the most powerful military leader in the region, marched his troops back to Constantinople, determined to take from Zeno what he believed he deserved: land for his people and official recognition as king.
Extant images of Theodoric the Great
He launched a systematic campaign against the empire and the emperor who had brought him to power. Having been raised at the court of Constantinople, Theodoric understood well how military power can be transformed into political power, and he began raiding the cities he had previously defended. This is what the English historian of early medieval Europe, Guy Halsall, writes about this. (Guy Halsall):
The Goths threatened Constantinople and ravaged the Balkans, but were unable to take the capital, while Zeno, safe behind the city's famous triple wall, was unlikely to completely expel them from his territories. A solution acceptable to both sides was needed, and one was found: Theodoric's Ostrogoths would move to Italy and rid themselves of the "tyrant" Odoacer. In 488, the Ostrogoths took the long road west.
Whether the invasion of Italy was originally proposed by Emperor Zeno or Theodoric himself remains debatable, but it was most likely Zeno's solution to his pressing problems—lifting the siege of Constantinople and removing the rising power and influence of the barbarian king of Italy, Odoacer, who had supported the rebellion of Illus and annexed the Dalmatian region with impunity. Clearly, Zeno needed to get rid of both Odoacer and Theodoric, since one would surely kill the other, and then he would have one less problem.
Theodoric, for his part, seized the opportunity to gain further military glory and, if victorious, land for his people and his own rule formally legitimized by the emperor. He invaded Italy, devastating the land, and in 488 encountered his first resistance from the Gepids (Germans) at the Vuka River (a right tributary of the Danube). Whether they were allies of Odoacer or simply defending their lands from the invading invaders is unknown, but they were quickly defeated and then exterminated by Theodoric's forces. Theodoric moved on and on August 28, 489, met Odoacer, King of Italy, at the Battle of the Isonzo Bridge (a river in Slovenia and Italy), where Odoacer was defeated. Pursued by Theodoric, he retreated to Verona, where they met again and on September 29, 489, Odoacer was again defeated, but fled to Ravenna and prepared the city's defenses, while Theodoric continued the conquest of the country.
Austrian scientist Herwig Wolfram (Herwig Wolfram) writes:
Theodoric's campaign in Italy seemed destined for a swift and decisive victory. In Milan, which Theodoric captured after Verona, secular and ecclesiastical dignitaries greeted him as the emperor's representative. Even Odoacer's commander-in-chief, Tufa, and most of the defeated army joined the victor.
Military action continued until February 25, 493, when Bishop John of Ravenna concluded a treaty under which Odoacer and Theodoric would rule Italy jointly.
Bishop John II of Ravenna presents the keys of Ravenna to Theodoric in 493 CE. There is no historical record of Bishop John of Ravenna handing over the keys of the city to Theodoric. This scene of the bishop formally handing over the keys of the city to the conqueror is considered a common visual device, an undocumented historical event, and a powerful symbol of the transfer of power, often depicted in art.
Theodoric entered Ravenna on March 5, 493, and on March 15, at the official reconciliation dinner dedicated to the conclusion of the peace treaty, at the very climax of the feast, two of Theodoric's men seized Odoacer, after which Theodoric treacherously hacked him to death with his sword, striking him straight in the head, supposedly cutting him in half from the collarbone to the thigh, saying that "his body is boneless"Odoacer's last words were: "Where is God?", to which Theodoric replied: "This is what you did to my people." — in connection with his alleged oppression of the Goths in Italy and his destruction of the allied tribe of the Rugii (Germans), who were allied with the Goths. Herwig Wolfram describes the aftermath of Odoacer's death:
The deliberate and methodical nature of Theodoric's actions is clearly demonstrated by subsequent events: Odoacer was denied a Christian burial, and his wife, Sunigilda, was starved to death in prison. Odoacer's brother, Hunulf, sought refuge in a church and became a target for Gothic archers... On the day of Odoacer's assassination, his followers and their families were attacked. Wherever the Goths could lay hands on them, they met their end. Within 493, Theodoric had become the undisputed master of Italy.
In the picture on the left: A woodcut depicting Theodoric and Odoacer from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493 CE, written in Latin by Hartmann Schedel and translated into German by Georg Alt. Currently housed in the Bavarian State Library. In the picture on the right: The assassination of Odoacer, King of Italy, by Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, 493. Illustration from True Stories from Ancient History by Maria Elizabeth Budden. Artist: John Harris, London, circa 1830.
Odoacer ruled Italy prudently, from whom Theodoric inherited a wealthy kingdom. However, the fertile Italian land had been devastated by years of war, and so Theodoric's first priority was its restoration.
The Early Reign and Legitimation of Theodoric
After their victory over Odoacer, the Ostrogoths proclaimed Theodoric their king, and during his coronation in Rome, Theodoric made a special visit to the Roman Senate, where he delivered a speech about his admiration for the splendor of the Eternal City and with a promise to always strictly observe Roman laws, where he swore to do everything possible to ensure that “the Roman people were happy.”
The late Roman historian Jordanes writes:
In the third year after his entry into Italy, Theodoric, by decision of the Emperor Zeno, took off his private dress and the clothing of his tribe and assumed the magnificent royal attire as ruler of the Goths and Romans.
After Theodoric was proclaimed king, he immediately set about consolidating his rule, beginning to rebuild the war-ravaged country. Many forests had been cut down or destroyed in battle, and without trees to absorb rainwater, some regions of Italy regularly flooded, while others, deprived of their topsoil by the fighting, were arid. Theodoric began draining swamps, planting trees, and hiring experienced drillers to drill wells, create irrigation ditches, and cultivate the land.
Pictured right: The expansion of Theodoric's kingdom during his reign. Theodoric the Great, of the Amal line, was king of the Ostrogoths and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy from 493 to 526, regent of the Visigoths, and patrician of the Eastern Roman Empire. Under his rule, the Romans, despite his heresy, enjoyed much greater respect, and the example of Visigothic Spain proves that the Gothic elite could easily integrate into Latin post-Roman society.
Emperor Anastasius (reigned 491–518), who had recently come to power in Constantinople, was in no hurry to officially legitimize Theodoric as the official ruler of Italy, and only in 497 were the symbols of imperial power sent from Constantinople to Italy. ("vestems regiams").
Ravenna. In 402 AD, the threat of barbarian invasion forced the Western Roman Emperor to take action. Honorius moved his court from Rome to Ravenna. From then on, Ravenna served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire until its collapse in 476. In this capacity, Ravenna was adorned with magnificent monuments. In 438, the city also received the status of archbishopric. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, it became the capital of the first barbarian ruler of Italy, Odoacer (reigned 476–493), who in turn handed it over to the Ostrogothic king Theodoric.
Note. The British historian Edward Thompson (1924–1993) argued that, even despite the overthrow of the last Western emperor, Italy remained part of the Roman Empire and was formally ruled by the Byzantine emperors. Theodoric, in this system of power, was merely a "supervisor," overseeing and governing Italy in the emperor's name. Thus, in this sense, Theodoric's position was uncertain: he was king of the Ostrogoths, but not king of the Italians.
And the Austrian historian Herwig Wolfram (1934–2026) fully agrees with this, emphasizing that:
Theodoric in his Italian kingdom combined two different political traditions: the power of the king (regnum) over his people (gens) and the principate over the Roman people (populus).
In the photo on the leftThe tremiss is a coin of the late Roman Empire, worth 1,51 grams. Tremiss were also minted after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the Byzantine Empire. Pictured rightAnastasius I (430-518). He ascended the throne at the age of 61 and died in July 518 after a reign of 27 years. His advanced age meant his death was quite predictable, creating an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty at the imperial court. The reign of Anastasius I was marked by reforms and improvements in the administration, finances, and economy of the Empire. During his reign, he gained popularity with the people by easing the tax burden.
The reign of Theodoric the Great in Italy represented an attempt to continue the Roman form of government, but under barbarian leadership. The new ruler of Italy championed the idea of a fair distribution of rights and responsibilities between the native inhabitants of Italy and the barbarians who had arrived. Theodoric rightly believed that the Roman way of life, its laws, and institutions, were a worthy model for building his own state. Therefore, during his less than thirty-year reign, he did not attempt to transform the already established administrative and economic system in Italy. Instead, he sought to adapt to the existing economic and social conditions. Most interestingly, he paid particular attention to the Senate, even though the Senate itself no longer played any role in governing the state. And in 500, Theodoric publicly declared:
We are happy to live according to Roman law. Why abandon barbaric chaos if not to draw our own rules of life from the laws? Our desire is, with God's help, to achieve such victories that our subjects will regret not having come under our rule sooner.
Theodoric ruled over a diverse population of Goths and Italians, issuing decrees to ensure fair representation before the law. As an Arian, he demanded religious tolerance from all his subjects and hoped to completely unite the kingdom under his rule, regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Theodoric saw friendship between Romans and Goths as a guarantee of political stability. He supported Roman social institutions and sought to rule as the sole ruler of both Goths and Romans, calling himself "King of the Goths and Romans." His early reign was characterized by significant support from Roman senators, and his Arian faith was generally tolerated by the Catholic population of Italy and the Church.
Note. Along with the Goths, key positions in Theodoric's Ostrogothic Kingdom were held by representatives of the Romano-Italian nobility, and the language of administration, legislation, and culture was Latin; only a few Gothic inscriptions have survived. The Gothic military organization was utilized in the creation of the state apparatus in the Ostrogothic Kingdom, and in the provinces, not only Roman civil servants but also Gothic co-rulers operated.
Here's what he has stated repeatedly:
Our piety abhors people prone to violence. In legal proceedings, let justice prevail, not the strong hand.
The main goal of Theodoric's domestic policy was the unification of the Goths and native Italians into a single people and the restoration of a new Roman nation through Gothic forces. Theodoric outlined this idea in a letter to Emperor Anastasius:
Most Gracious Emperor! We must strive to preserve peace, especially since we have no cause for hostility. Peace is a desired benefit for every state; in it, nations prosper, and the interests of states are protected. Therefore, it is entirely in keeping with your power and honor that I seek union with you, enjoying your love thus far. Our kingdom is your likeness, a beautiful example, a specimen of a unique empire: to the extent that we imitate you, to that extent do we surpass other nations. And respect for the venerable Rome cannot be compatible with the thought of dividing that which is united by a common name. Let there always be one thought: a united Roman Empire.
Although Theodoric was officially legitimized as ruler of Italy and fully recognized by the Constantinople authorities, he still needed to establish himself more firmly on the throne. To this end, he married one of his daughters, Theodegotha, to the Visigothic king Alaric II. His second daughter, Ostrogotha, became the wife of another king, Sigismund of Burgundy. His third daughter, Amalasuntha, was married to the noble Visigoth Eutharic of the House of Amala. He himself married Autophleda, the daughter of the Merovingian Frankish king Childeric I and his sister. Clovis I, which allowed Theodoric to enter into an alliance with the Franks.
In the photo on the left: Alaric II. Succeeding his father Euric, Alaric II was King of the Visigoths from 484 to 507 and was the great-grandson of the more famous Alaric I, who sacked Rome in 410. Alaric II was an Arian by religion, but his tolerance of orthodox Catholics is evidenced by the decrees of the Council of Agde, convened by him in 506. In 507, at the Battle of Voglade (Vouillé), near Poitiers, the Visigoths were defeated, and Alaric, who fled, was overtaken and killed by Clovis himself. Pictured right: Theodoric's daughter, Theodegoth, married to the Visigoth king Alaric II. The fate of Thiudigoth after Alaric's death is unknown.
In addition, he married all his female relatives to princes or kings of the Visigoths, Vandals and Burgundians, thereby stopping the Vandal raids on his territories.
Through these marriages, Theodoric hoped to form a kingdom in which all the former peoples, known to the Romans as "barbarian tribes," could coexist peacefully. Here's how the Catholic Encyclopedia comments:
Proud of his Gothic nationality, Theodoric believed it possible to reconcile Roman and German interests. His people seemed to him equal to the Romans in ancient origins and military glory, and he understood that his power rested solely on Gothic valor. Clearly, his kingdom was an extension of the Roman Empire; in reality, his policies were in direct and fundamental contradiction to the Roman concept, according to which all national individuality was to be lost within the state as a whole. Theodoric opposed this theory of government, which sought to suppress nationalities; he deeply respected national independence and repeatedly took up weapon, to save it.
His entourage included people of all religions and ethnicities, and, just like Odoacer before him, he made great efforts to maintain peace among his subjects, not elevating his own people above others, and ensuring that everyone in his kingdom enjoyed equal rights. Although he could neither read nor write, he was a great patron of education and loved philosophical discussions. Theodoric encouraged literacy among the population and retained the philosopher Boethius at his court, who succeeded in combining the ideals of Christianity with the dignity of ancient philosophy. He issued decrees for the protection of ancient monuments, and Roman literature flourished again in Italy.
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (475–526), commonly known simply as Boethius, was a Roman senator, consul, magister officiorum (head of the imperial chancery), a polymath, historian, and philosopher of the early Middle Ages. Born into a Roman aristocratic family around the same time as the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus, he lived most of his life under the rule of Theodoric. He agreed to become magister officiorum He served under Theodoric, becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in Theodoric's kingdom. However, he quickly fell out with other officials while fighting corruption. He was accused of treason and practicing magic, after which he was imprisoned and likely executed in 526. In the picture on the left: depiction of Boethius in the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493. In the picture in the middle: Boethius (right) and the Jew Symmachus (left), whom he considered his adoptive father. Both were appointed high-ranking officials...
Theodoric's religious and national tolerance also extended to Jews. In 519, when a mob burned the synagogues of Ravenna, Theodoric ordered the city authorities to rebuild them at their own expense.
Note. Violence erupted in Ravenna, the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, after the Jewish community refused to convert to Christianity. According to another version, the anti-Jewish riots in Ravenna began with the sentence passed on Christian slaves who murdered their Jewish master, who had mistreated them.
It's also interesting that he appointed a Jew named Symmachus to his administration! It should be noted that at that time, Roman law did not provide for the appointment of Jews to such high positions, but Theodoric apparently cared more about the loyalty and administrative abilities of his officials than their religious preferences. Interestingly, historians still debate whether Symmachus was a religious Jew or simply a Jew who converted to Christianity and acted on behalf of the Arian king.
Although Theodoric was an Arian, he always defended other religions, speaking about his official policy of religious freedom:
We cannot command in religion, for no one can be forced to believe against his will.
Note. The Jew Symmachus was a prominent figure at the court of Theodoric the Great, though he played a key role in the event that led to his own downfall after Theodoric's death. He was an official in the royal administration and participated in the persecution of Catholics, ordering Arians to seize Catholic basilicas. But this led to a popular backlash: immediately after Theodoric's death, on the very Sunday when Symmachus's decree was being prepared to seize Catholic churches, the Catholics brutally executed him. Some historians suggest that Symmachus's punishment was perceived by the populace as divine punishment for his actions against the Catholic faith and that he suffered the same fate as Arius of Alexandria, the founder of the Arian heresy.
While ruling Italy, Theodoric strove to maintain harmony between the two peoples living side by side—the Goths and the Romans. He was never known to engage in religious persecution. In his edicts, he repeatedly emphasized that the Goths should not oppress the native Roman population, should not plunder their property or devastate their fields, and should strive to live with them in eternal friendship. He constantly exhorted his soldiers to behave decently and once even declared, "It is in your best interests that the Romans remain undisturbed, for by enriching our treasury, they increase your donations."
The Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500–565 AD) wrote:
Theodoric was extremely meticulous in maintaining justice... and attained the highest degree of wisdom and courage... Both the Goths and the Romans loved him very much.
Among his many other plans was the project of uniting all the warring barbarian peoples of the former Western Roman Empire into one harmonious system, and for this reason he repeatedly assisted the Frankish king Clovis against the Alemanni and Visigoths.
We do not know the exact extent of Theodoric's dependence on Constantinople, but the collection of documents from Theodoric's reign shows that he was firmly convinced that the Western Empire would continue in his person, with numerous intermarriages between his family and the royal families of other barbarian kingdoms undoubtedly intended to prepare the way for the dominance of his dynasty in the West.
Coinage
Theodoric minted Ostrogothic coins, masterfully combining his independent authority in Italy with strategic subordination to the Byzantine emperors. All coins issued during his reign bear the profiles of the Byzantine emperors of the time—Anastasius I (491–518) or Justin I (518–527).
And it's perfectly clear that the reason for this was political, for minting coins in the name of the German kings would have angered the Emperor of Constantinople, as many rulers of the barbarian kingdoms, including Theodoric himself, were officially considered mere officials of the Eastern Roman Empire. If Theodoric had begun minting coins in his own name, he would have openly defied the Constantinople emperors—Anastasius I or Justin I—and it was in his political interests to maintain proper relations with Constantinople, upholding traditional imperial authority.
Theodoric the Great minted coins of gold, silver and bronze, the obverse of which often featured the portrait of the reigning Byzantine emperor at the time (Zeno, 474–491, Anastasius, 491–518 and Justin I, 518–527), and the reverse – the monogram of Theodoric himself in the form of a “frame” or sometimes T and R, and sometimes a mint mark similar to those of Rome and Milan. These coins demonstrate Theodoric's attempt to legitimize his rule in Italy by largely continuing the Roman coinage tradition while simultaneously affirming his authority through a monogram. This strategy allowed Theodoric to integrate his authority into the established Roman economic and political system, confirming the legitimacy of his rule in Italy. There are also clues to their Ostrogothic origin, such as the inscriptions on the obverse— CONOB
Note. Theoderic issued gold solidi and tremisses bearing the names and portraits of the Constantinople emperors, but subtly marked these coins as his own by adding his own Latin monogram—a stylized "T" or "TR" (for Theodericus Rex). But in 503 CE, Theoderic broke with tradition by issuing an exceptional, heavy gold coin adorned with his own portrait on the obverse—a rather bold affirmation of his royal status.
Bronze coins issued during the reign of Theodoric and his successor, Athalaric, were anonymous. They bear no indication of the ruler. They were minted in Rome from 493 to 534.
The decline and death of Theodoric
Despite all his foreign and domestic political successes, Theodoric began to suffer difficulties and setbacks. In 507, the Frankish king Clovis I defeated Theodoric's ally, the Visigothic king of the Balt line, at the Battle of Poitiers.* Alaric II (reigned 484–507) and killed him, and then the Franks refused to intervene when the Burgundians, also allies of Theodoric, began raiding the Italian coast. Theodoric sent his forces against the Burgundians, defeated them, and expanded his kingdom.
Theodoric constantly attempted to manipulate his supposed allies in an attempt to maintain peace, while also recognizing the importance of Rome's existence in the East. Among his other concerns was his inability to produce a male heir to the kingdom, which he would need for his dynasty to be recognized by the authorities in Constantinople.
Unable to produce a male heir, King Theodoric named his grandson Athalaric (516-534) as his successor. Athalaric was the son of Theodoric's daughter Amalasuntha and the Visigothic prince Eutharic. Eutharic died early in marriage, leaving Amalasuntha a widow, leaving the young prince Athalaric as the only remaining choice. But more importantly, by naming him heir, Theodoric subjugated the Visigothic kingdom, as their prince was now heir to his throne.
Atalaric (516-534) was the grandson of Theodoric the Great, the son of his youngest daughter, Amalasuntha, and ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom from 526 to 534 from the Amal dynasty. Atalaric succeeded to the throne at the age of 10 after the death of his grandfather, Theodoric the Great. Since he was only ten years old at the time of his accession, his mother became regent and effectively ruled the kingdom until his death in his teens.
Note. Procopius of Caesarea, a Byzantine historian, described Athalaric as a man who led a hedonistic lifestyle. He drank heavily and indulged in excesses, which seriously undermined his health. After a great feast in 533, Athalaric's condition worsened, and he died in October 534, apparently from a combination of excessive alcohol consumption and progressive diabetes. According to Procopius, the Gothic aristocracy wanted Athalaric to be raised in the Gothic style, but Amalasuntha wanted him to emulate the Roman rulers. Amalasuntha adhered to Roman education and customs, which was particularly unacceptable to the other Goths, as they considered it a sign of cowardice and subservience.
Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I died in 518, and his throne was succeeded first by Justin I (reigned 518–527) and then by his young nephew Justinian I (reigned 527–565). During Justin's reign, Justinian played an active role in politics, including the persecution of Arian Christians in Constantinople. Justinian I was a Trinitarian (the doctrine of representing God as a Trinity) and considered Arianism a heresy dangerous to the "true church." In response, Theodoric launched his own persecution of Trinitarians in Italy, which inevitably led to tensions between his kingdom and Constantinople.
Pictured left: A detail from the Justinian mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, 547 CE. Justinian I (reigned 527-565), also known as Justinian the Great, was marked by an ambitious but only partially realized program. "renovatio imperii" ("restoration of the empire"). This goal found its expression in the partial return of territories of the abolished Western Roman Empire. Pictured on the right: Emperor Justin I (518-527). He laid the foundations for the reign of his nephew, Justinian I.
In 523, the former consul of Caecina, Decius Faustus Albinus (490–525), was accused of treason for alleged correspondence with Emperor Justin. The philosopher Boethius attempted to defend him, but was also accused of treason and later executed, a decision the king later regretted. The purge of Trinitarian Catholics in Rome would undoubtedly have accelerated, but Theodoric's health began to deteriorate, and he died of dysentery in 526, having reigned for over 30 years, attempting to maintain peace in Italy throughout his reign.
Theodoric the Great was buried with full honors in a remarkable tomb that still stands in Ravenna. His mausoleum is one of the city's finest monuments, and for all the achievements he made during his reign, he is considered the greatest of the Ostrogothic rulers. Unfortunately, after the Byzantine general Belisarius' victory over the Goths in 540, Theodoric's mausoleum was desecrated, but it was later restored and still stands in the city.
The mausoleum, built by Theodoric in 520 CE as his own burial place, displays a blend of Eastern influences and traditional Roman building techniques, common to several other mausoleums. The use of eclecticism in the architecture of this mausoleum created an architectural monument that served as a link between the Romans and the Gothic "invaders." The remains of Theodoric were kept here, but were moved and soon lost after Justinian's decree in 561 CE, when the mausoleum was converted into an oratory and consecrated for Orthodox worship. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Pictured right: a bowl with an overhanging rim, possibly from a Roman bath, said to have been reused in 526 CE as a sarcophagus for King Theodoric at Ravenna...
Theodoric is remembered as "the Great" for his regeneration of Italy and his efforts to govern a diverse population without trying to assimilate one culture into another.
Amalasuntha (c. 495–534/535) was a queen of the Ostrogoths who ruled as regent from 526 to 534. She was a Gothic princess, the daughter of King Theodoric the Great and the wife of Eutharic, a prominent Gothic nobleman. In 518, she gave birth to a son named Athalaric. Her husband later died, leaving Amalasuntha a widow who raised their young son and, after his death, fought for the kingdom. Her achievements during her years as regent were praised by many contemporaries, including the historian Procopius of Caesarea, who spoke of her bravery and knowledge.
After his death, the royal throne was inherited by his daughter Amalasuntha's son and his grandson Atalaric. However, since he was only ten years old at the time and unable to rule, Theodoric's daughter Amalasuntha assumed the throne as regent. She was a supporter of the Roman way of life and culture and entrusted her son to Roman tutors, who, taking advantage of their position, introduced the young king to drunkenness, which contributed to his early death in 534.
Results of the reign
The reign of Theodoric the Great (493-526) brought a period of peace, prosperity, and cultural revival to Ostrogothic Italy, thanks to the establishment of a Romano-Gothic regime and the restoration of Roman institutions. He ruled with great religious tolerance, as during the reign of his predecessor, Odoacer, preserving Roman law and infrastructure, facilitating continuity with the Roman Empire. However, the dual system of governance, consisting of Goths and Romans, proved unstable, and soon after his death in 526, the kingdom began to disintegrate, finally collapsing under the onslaught of the Byzantine invasion and subsequent challenges.
In the photo on the left: Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna. In the photo in the center: Bronze statue of Theodoric the Great in the court church in Innsbruck. Work of Peter Visscher the Elder, 1512–13. Pictured right: the Röck runestone, one of the earliest references to Theodoric in Germanic legends
Like most Goths, Theodoric was an Arian, a heretic in the eyes of his Catholic Roman subjects. However, by pursuing a policy of religious tolerance and avoiding interference in the religious strife that plagued the Church in his time, Theodoric managed to quell religious disputes in Italy. He secured the support of the Roman aristocracy, allowing them to govern Rome and hold the highest civil offices, believing that the best way to govern the two peoples under his control was to respect their cultural differences and grant each as much autonomy as was compatible with the Goths' military superiority.
Theodoric's sense of justice was widely known in a society where legal proceedings were often used by those in power as a weapon of oppression. The king even employed special Gothic agents called saiones, to investigate cases of injustice, oversee special projects, and enforce the royal will against bureaucrats. During his reign, taxes were collected more efficiently and fairly than before, while trade and production were encouraged, and famine relief was effectively organized.
Note. Theodoric maintained a complex dual system of government, where the civil service largely maintained the traditional Roman legal system, while the saiones, or agents, functioned as a separate, distinctly Gothic arm of the royal government. They reported solely to the king, allowing him to maintain tight centralized control over his vast territories. Theodoric used them to investigate regional injustices and root out corruption among abusive officials. They played a crucial role in his policy of "civilization," functioning as an oversight mechanism designed to balance the power of Roman officials and protect vulnerable populations from exploitation. Something like the Roman comes—future counts...
It is perhaps worth recalling here that even Theodoric's most implacable accuser, the philosopher Boethius, whom he executed, wrote that the image he created for his enemy was that of a Sovereign largely inspired by the principles of justice. And the same image of a just Emperor is given by most Byzantine historians, especially Procopius of Caesarea, who, although conditioned by Justinian's environment, still managed to maintain impartiality:
Theodoric was a tyrant in name, but in reality he was a true emperor, in no way inferior to those who had distinguished themselves in this honorable post in previous years.
The Gothic–Byzantine War was a war between the Eastern Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. It took place from 535 to 554 on the Italian Peninsula, in Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Corsica. It was the last war between the Goths and the Roman Empire, sparked by Emperor Justinian I's ambition to reclaim the provinces of the former Western Roman Empire, which the Romans had lost to the invasion of barbarian tribes during the Migration Period. The war followed immediately after the reconquest of the Roman province of Africa from the Vandals.
And when, after Theodoric's death, Justinian I's troops invaded Italy, the Goths put up fierce resistance, receiving significant support from their Roman subjects. But the Gothic-Byzantine War (535-554) devastated Italy and ended what most Italians later recalled as the last good times for their country for the next two centuries. Nevertheless, Theodoric's reign allowed Roman society to survive the fall of the empire unscathed and become the foundation of a new, vibrant, and creative Italy of the Middle Ages.
The image of Theodoric in modern Europe
In modern Europe, the image of Theodoric the Great serves as a symbol of cultural synthesis, religious tolerance, and the foundations of modern Western civilization. And instead of being seen as an aggressive conqueror, as all barbarians were then, he is widely revered as a far-sighted ruler who successfully bridged the cultural gap between the Germanic and Roman worlds.
Contemporary historians often view Theodoric's reign as an early model of a peaceful and diverse society. Ruling Ostrogothic Italy from 493 to 526, he famously preserved all Roman institutions while simultaneously promoting Gothic dominance, thus demonstrating that diverse peoples could thrive under a single leadership.
And even though he was a Goth and a "barbarian," he had a significant impact on the preservation of Roman society and culture in Italy, proving that the fall of Rome did not mean the complete end of Roman culture...
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*6th-century historian Jordanes (Jordan) — a historian and writer of Gothic origin who lived at the turn of the Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages. A Roman official turned monk, he wrote two important works detailing the early history of Rome and the Germanic tribes: Getica (On the Origins and Deeds of the Goths, 551 CE), his most famous work, which remains a foundational text on the period of the Great Migration and early Slavic history, and Romana, a brief overview of world history from the creation of the world to the era of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
*Amal family - a legendary royal family of the Ostrogoths that played a key role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire. According to the sixth-century historian Jordanes, the dynasty took its name from an early hero named Amal (meaning "mighty").
*Arians (Arians) — adherents of an early Christian religious movement. It was founded by the Alexandrian presbyter Arius in the 4th century. The core of its teaching was the denial of the consubstantiality of Jesus Christ with God the Father, which caused a serious schism within Christianity. Arianism was condemned at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and declared heresy.
*Dietrich von Bern Dietrich is a character in Germanic epic poetry who was originally a legendary version of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great. The name "Dietrich," meaning "Ruler of the People," is a form of the Germanic name "Theodoric." Poems about Dietrich were popular among medieval German nobility and even among patricians of the late Middle Ages, but were often criticized by the Church.
*Tiudimir King of the Ostrogoths, father of Theodoric. Initially a vassal of Attila, he later freed himself from Hunnic rule after his victory at the Battle of Nedao in 454. He played a decisive role in the Ostrogoths' transition from Hunnic vassals to Roman federates, laying the foundation for their subsequent establishment of their own kingdom in Italy.
*Sidonius Apollinaris (430–481/490 AD) – poet, diplomat, bishop of Clermont, and prefect of Rome. He was of Gallo-Roman descent and the son-in-law of the Western Roman Emperor Avitus. Sidonius is the author of nine books of letters and twenty-four poems, which, although criticized for their lack of literary excellence, offer valuable insights into the Gallic aristocracy and the role of the Church in preserving Roman traditions. He is venerated as a saint by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
*BaltsThe first ruling dynasty of the Visigoths, which ruled from 395 to 531 AD. It arose as a noble clan among the Tervingi Goths and led the Visigoths during the decline of the Western Roman Empire.
Literature
Jordanes. "On the Origin and Deeds of the Getae"
Procopius of Caesarea. "War with the Goths"
Wolfram Herwig, "The Goths: From the Origins to the Middle of the Sixth Century"
Georg Pfeilschifter. "Theodoric the Great"
Anonymous Valesia. "The Life of Theoderic"
Thomas Hodgkin. "Italy and Her Invaders"
Jonathan Arnold. "Theoderic and the Roman Imperial Restoration"
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