Aligern or Aligernus was an

Ostrogoth The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...

military leader, active in the Gothic War (535-554). By the end of the war, Aligern had joined the Byzantine army. The main sources about him are

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gener ...

and

Agathias Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus ( grc-gre, Ἀγαθίας σχολαστικός; Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), pp. 23–25582/594), of Myrina (Mysia), an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor (Turkey), was a Greek poet and the principal histo ...

.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 48

Biography

Agathias describes Aligern as the son of Fredigernus (Fritigern) and younger brother of

Teia Teia (died 552 or 553 AD), also known as Teja, Theia, Thila, Thela, and Teias, was the last Ostrogothic King of Italy. He led troops during the Battle of Busta Gallorum and had noncombatant Romans slaughtered in its aftermath. In late 552/early ...

, king of the Ostrogoths (r. 552-553). Procopius considers Aligern to be a brother of

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the t ...

(r. 541-552). This is probably an error, since Aligern could not be a brother to both monarchs. Modern historians consider Agathias more reliable on the matter. He is first mentioned, unnamed, in 552 by Procopius. Totila appointed Herodianus and Aligern as joined commanders over the city of

Cumae Cumae ( grc, Κύμη, (Kumē) or or ; it, Cuma) was the first ancient Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BC and soon becoming one of the strongest colonies. It later became a rich Ro ...

. What happened to Herodianus is uncertain. Aligern is mentioned defending the city to c. 554, following the deaths of both Totila and Teia. Agathias explains Aligern's continued defiance by pointing to the strong defensive position of the city and an apparent "abundance of supplies". During a Byzantine siege of the city, Aligern is recorded killing Palladius. The situation changed when the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

invaded the Italian Peninsula. The new threat convinced Aligern to surrender the city in late 553 or early 554. He visited

Narses , image=Narses.jpg , image_size=250 , caption=Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna , birth_date=478 or 480 , death_date=566 or 573 (aged 86/95) , allegi ...

, the Byzantine commander in Italy, to deliver the keys to the city. Narses immediately send Aligern to

Caesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. History Cesena was or ...

, for a first encounter with the Franks. His attempt to discourage the Franks from marching against Cumae failed. In October 554, Aligern fought on the Byzantine side at the Battle of the Volturnus, a decisive Byzantine victory. Nothing further is known of him after that.Bury (1958), p. 279

References

Sources

* * {{citation , last=Martindale , first=John R. , last2=Jones , first2=A.H.M. , last3=Morris , first3=John , title=The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume III: AD 527–641 , year=1992 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , isbn=0-521-20160-8 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fBImqkpzQPsC 6th-century Ostrogothic people 6th-century Byzantine military personnel Gothic warriors People of the Gothic War (535–554)