![Gothic War - First Phase, 535-540](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Gothic_War_-_First_Phase%2C_535-540.svg)
Vitiges or Vitigis or Witiges (died 542) was king of
Ostrogothic Italy
The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), existed under the control of the Germanic Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas from 493 to 553.
In Italy, the Ostrogoths led by Theodoric the Great killed and replaced Odoacer, ...
from 536 to 540.
He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the
Gothic War of 535–554, as
Belisarius
Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terri ...
had quickly captured
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
the previous year and was currently in
southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
at the head of the forces of
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
, the
Eastern Roman Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...
.
Vitiges was the husband of Queen
Amalasuntha
Amalasuintha (495 – 30 April 534/535) was a ruler of Ostrogothic Kingdom from 526 to 535. She ruled first as regent for her son and thereafter as queen on throne. A regent is "a person who governs a kingdom in the minority, absence, or disabili ...
's only surviving child,
Matasuntha
Mataswintha, also spelled Matasuintha, Matasuentha, Mathesuentha, Matasvintha, or Matasuntha, (fl. 550), was a daughter of Eutharic and Amalasuintha. She was a sister of Athalaric, King of the Ostrogoths. Their maternal grandparents were Theodor ...
;
therefore, his royal legitimacy was based on this marriage.
The
panegyric upon the wedding in 536 was delivered by
Cassiodorus
Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Roman statesman, renowned scholar of antiquity, and writer serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senator'' w ...
, the
praetorian prefect
The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...
, 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
Theodahad, also known as Thiudahad ( la, Flavius Theodahatus , Theodahadus, Theodatus; 480 – December 536) was king of the Ostrogoths from 534 to 536.
Early life
Born at in Tauresium, Theodahad was a nephew of Theodoric the Great throu ...
murdered.
Theodahad had enraged the Goths because he failed to send any assistance to
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
when it was besieged by the Byzantines, led by Belisarius.
Justinian's general Belisarius took both Vitiges and Matasuntha as captives to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
,
and Vitiges died there in 542, without any children. Procopius described parallels among the deposition of Vitiges and
Croesus, king of Lydia.
After his death, Matasuntha married the patrician
Germanus Justinus
Germanus ( el, Γερμανός; died 550) was an East Roman (Byzantine) general, one of the leading commanders of Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). Germanus was Emperor Justinian's cousin, and a member of the ruling dynasty. He held commands i ...
, a nephew of Justinian I by his sister
Vigilantia Vigilantia ( el, Βιγλεντία, born 490) was a sister of Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565), and mother to his successor Justin II (r. 565–574).
Name
The name "Vigilantia" is Latin for "alertness, wakefulness". Itself deriving ...
.
In fiction
Vitiges appears as a character in the time travel novel ''
Lest Darkness Fall'', by
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
. He is portrayed by
Florin Piersic
Florin Piersic (; born 27 January 1936) is a well-known Romanian actor and TV personality. He is particularly famous for his leading roles in ''The White Moor'' and the ''Margelatu'' series films. He has a reputation, often parodied in popular ...
in the 1968 film ''
Kampf um Rom
''Kampf um Rom'' (English language title: ''The Last Roman'') is a West German-Italian historical drama film starring Laurence Harvey, Orson Welles, Sylva Koscina and Honor Blackman. It was produced by Artur Brauner and was the last film to be ...
.''
References
Ostrogothic kings
6th-century kings of Italy
6th-century monarchs in Europe
People of the Gothic War (535–554)
Year of birth unknown
6th-century Ostrogothic people
542 deaths
{{Italy-hist-stub