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Theodahad
Theodahad, also known as Thiudahad (; 480 – December 536), initially ruled the Ostrogothic Kingdom jointly with his cousin Amalasuintha. She elevated him to co-monarch in late 534, following the death of her son, King Athalaric, likely seeking male support to legitimize her regency. However, seeking sole power, Theodahad betrayed Amalasuintha; he had her imprisoned and subsequently murdered around April 30, 535. His tenure as sole ruler proved short and tumultuous, ending with his deposition and death in December 536 while fleeing the forces of his successor, Witiges. Theodahad's reign stands in stark contrast to the long and relatively stable rule of his uncle, Theodoric the Great, the kingdom's founder. Drawing on contemporary accounts (such as those by Procopius) and subsequent historical analysis, Theodahad's leadership is widely assessed as a disastrous failure. Key factors contributing to this view include his treacherous usurpation and murder of Amalasuintha—an ac ...
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Theodahad 534 536 Ostrogoth Minted In Rome
Theodahad, also known as Thiudahad (; 480 – December 536), initially ruled the Ostrogothic Kingdom jointly with his cousin Amalasuintha. She elevated him to co-monarch in late 534, following the death of her son, King Athalaric, likely seeking male support to legitimize her regency. However, seeking sole power, Theodahad betrayed Amalasuintha; he had her imprisoned and subsequently murdered around April 30, 535. His tenure as sole ruler proved short and tumultuous, ending with his deposition and death in December 536 while fleeing the forces of his successor, Witiges. Theodahad's reign stands in stark contrast to the long and relatively stable rule of his uncle, Theodoric the Great, the kingdom's founder. Drawing on contemporary accounts (such as those by Procopius) and subsequent historical analysis, Theodahad's leadership is widely assessed as a disastrous failure. Key factors contributing to this view include his treacherous usurpation and murder of Amalasuintha—an act ...
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Theodahad
Theodahad, also known as Thiudahad (; 480 – December 536), initially ruled the Ostrogothic Kingdom jointly with his cousin Amalasuintha. She elevated him to co-monarch in late 534, following the death of her son, King Athalaric, likely seeking male support to legitimize her regency. However, seeking sole power, Theodahad betrayed Amalasuintha; he had her imprisoned and subsequently murdered around April 30, 535. His tenure as sole ruler proved short and tumultuous, ending with his deposition and death in December 536 while fleeing the forces of his successor, Witiges. Theodahad's reign stands in stark contrast to the long and relatively stable rule of his uncle, Theodoric the Great, the kingdom's founder. Drawing on contemporary accounts (such as those by Procopius) and subsequent historical analysis, Theodahad's leadership is widely assessed as a disastrous failure. Key factors contributing to this view include his treacherous usurpation and murder of Amalasuintha—an ac ...
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Amalasuntha
Amalasuintha (495 – 30 April 535) was a ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom from 526 to 535. Initially serving as regent for her son Athalaric, she became queen regnant after his premature death. Highly educated, Amalasuintha was praised by both Cassiodorus and Procopius for her wisdom and her ability to speak three languages (Greek, Gothic, and Latin). Her status as an independent female monarch, and obvious affinity for Roman culture, caused discontent among the Gothic nobles in her court, and she was deposed and killed after six months of sole rule. Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I used her death as a ''casus belli'' to invade Italy, setting off the Gothic War. Family Amalasuintha was likely born in Ravenna in 495, the only child of Theodoric and his wife Audofleda, the sister of Clovis, King of the Franks. The union of Amalasuintha's parents were of a political purpose, as many royal marriages were at the time. Theodoric married Audofleda about the year 493, after he had ...
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Amalasuintha
Amalasuintha (495 – 30 April 535) was a ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom from 526 to 535. Initially serving as regent for her son Athalaric, she became queen regnant after his premature death. Highly educated, Amalasuintha was praised by both Cassiodorus and Procopius for her wisdom and her ability to speak three languages (Greek, Gothic, and Latin). Her status as an independent female monarch, and obvious affinity for Roman culture, caused discontent among the Gothic nobles in her court, and she was deposed and killed after six months of sole rule. List of Roman emperors#Later Eastern emperors (457–1453), Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I used her death as a ''casus belli'' to invade Italy, setting off the Gothic War (535–554), Gothic War. Family Amalasuintha was likely born in Ravenna in 495, the only child of Theodoric the Great, Theodoric and his wife Audofleda, the sister of Clovis I, Clovis, King of the Franks. The union of Amalasuintha's parents were of a political ...
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Peter The Patrician
Peter the Patrician (, , ''Petros ho Patrikios''; –565) was a senior Byzantine official, diplomat, and historian. A well-educated and successful lawyer, he was repeatedly sent as envoy to Ostrogothic Italy in the prelude to the Gothic War of 535–554. Despite his diplomatic skill, he was not able to avert war, and was imprisoned by the Goths in Ravenna for a few years. Upon his release, he was appointed to the post of ''magister officiorum'', head of the imperial secretariat, which he held for an unparalleled 26 years. In this capacity, he was one of the leading ministers of Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565), playing an important role in the Byzantine emperor's religious policies and the relations with Sassanid Persia; most notably he led the negotiations for the peace agreement of 562 that ended the 20-year-long Lazic War.. His historical writings survive only in fragments, but provide unique source material on early Byzantine ceremonies and diplomatic issues between Byza ...
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Ostrogothic Kingdom
The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), was a barbarian kingdom established by the Germanic Ostrogoths that controlled Italian peninsula, Italy and neighbouring areas between 493 and 553. Led by Theodoric the Great, the Ostrogoths killed Odoacer, a Germanic soldier and erstwhile leader of the . Odoacer had previously become the ''de facto'' Kingdom of Odoacer, ruler of Italy following his deposition of Romulus Augustulus, the final emperor of the Western Roman Empire, in 476. Under Theodoric, the Ostrogothic kingdom reached its zenith, stretching from Southern France in the west to Geography of Serbia, Western Serbia in the southeast. Most of the Roman society, social institutions of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, late Western Roman Empire were preserved during his rule. Theodoric called himself "King of the Goths and Succession of the Roman Empire, Romans" (), demonstrating his desire to be a leader for both peoples. Under Justinian I, the Byzantine ...
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Belisarius
BelisariusSometimes called Flavia gens#Later use, Flavius Belisarius. The name became a courtesy title by the late 4th century, see (; ; The exact date of his birth is unknown. March 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I. Belisarius was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and in Byzantium. One of the defining features of Belisarius' career was his success despite varying levels of available resources. He is frequently cited as being among the "Last of the Romans". He conquered the Vandal Kingdom of North Africa in the Vandalic War in nine months and conquered much of Italy during the Gothic War (535–554), Gothic War. He also defeated the Vandal armies in the battle of Battle of Ad Decimum, Ad Decimum and played an important role at Battle of ...
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Vitiges
Vitiges (also known as Vitigis, Vitigo, Witiges or Wittigis, and in Old Norse as Vigo) (died 542) was king of Ostrogothic Italy from 536 to 540. He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the Gothic War of 535–554, as Belisarius had quickly captured Sicily the previous year and was in southern Italy at the head of the forces of Justinian I, the Eastern Roman Emperor. Vitiges was the husband of Queen Amalasuntha's only surviving child, Matasuntha; therefore, his royal legitimacy was based on this marriage. The panegyric upon the wedding in 536 was delivered by Cassiodorus, the praetorian prefect, and survives, a traditionally Roman form of rhetoric that set the Gothic dynasty in a flatteringly Roman light. Soon after he was made king, Vitiges had his predecessor Theodahad murdered. Theodahad had enraged the Goths because he failed to send any assistance to Naples when it was besieged by the Byzantines, led by Belisarius. Belisarius took both Vitiges and ...
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Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populations who had settled in the Balkans in the 4th century. While the Visigoths had formed under the leadership of Alaric I, the new Ostrogothic political entity which came to rule Italy was formed in the Balkans under Theodoric the Great. Theoderic's family, the Amal dynasty, accumulated royal power in Roman Pannonia after the death of Attila, and collapse of his Hunnic empire. Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Zeno (emperor), Emperor Zeno played these Pannonian Goths off against the Thracian Goths to their south. However, instead the two groups united after the death of the Thracian leader Theoderic Strabo and his son Recitach. Zeno then backed Theodoric to invade Italy and replace Odoacer there, whom he had previously supported as its king. In 493, ...
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Amal Dynasty
The Amali – also called Amals, Amalings or Amalungs – were a leading dynasty of the Goths, a Germanic people who confronted the Roman Empire during the decline of the Western Roman Empire. They eventually became the royal house of the Ostrogoths and founded the Ostrogothic Kingdom. Origin The Amal clan was claimed to have descended from the divine. Jordanes writes: Now the first of these heroes, as they themselves relate in their legends, was Gapt, who begat Hulmul. And Hulmul begat Augis; and Augis begat him who was called Amal, from whom the name of the Amali comes. Athal begat Achiulf and Oduulf. Now Achiulf begat Ansila and Ediulf, Vultuulf and Ermanaric. This provides the following stemma for the earliest rulers of the Goths, before outlining in more detail the two divisions that arose from the son, Achiulf of Athal, the last in this early lineage: Gapt or Gaut is the Scandinavian god of war. Hulmul or Humli-Hulmul, is considered the divine father of the Danish p ...
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Lest Darkness Fall
''Lest Darkness Fall'' is a 1939 alternate history science fiction novel by the American author L. Sprague de Camp. ''Lest Darkness Fall'' is similar in concept to Mark Twain's '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'', but the treatment is very different. The later alternate history author Harry Turtledove has said it sparked his interest in the genre as well as his desire to study Byzantine history. Plot American classical archaeologist Martin Padway is visiting the Pantheon in Rome in 1938. A thunderstorm arrives, lightning cracks, and he finds himself transported to Rome in 535 AD. The Italian Peninsula is under the rule of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths. The novel depicts their rule as a relatively benevolent despotism, allowing freedom of religion and maintaining the urban Roman society they had conquered, though slavery is common and torture the normal method of interrogation. In the real timeline, the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire temporarily expande ...
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Tauresium
Tauresium (Latin: ''Tauresium''; Ancient Greek ''Ταυρήσιον''; ), today known as Gradište (), is an archaeological site in North Macedonia, near the village of Taor. Tauresium is the birthplace of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (ca. 482) and King Theodahad of the Ostrogoths (480). Location and general characteristics Tauresium is located in Zelenikovo Municipality, near the village Taor, some southeast of Skopje. The site was discovered by British archaeologist Arthur Evans in the late 19th century. According to Justinian I, Justinian's biographer Procopius, the Emperor was born in Tauresium in 482, more precisely in the castle of Bederiana, which is near the modern city of Niš, Serbia. In the book ''De aedificiis'', Procopius states: The similarity in the names of Tauresium and Barderia as Taor () and Bader () was brought to attention by Antun Mihanović, the First Austrian Konzul 1836–1858 and proposed to the writer Hun, who stopped on his journey to investig ...
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