Ostrogothic people

Ostrogod Kingdom of Italy.

The Ostrogoths were a Germanic people from the division suffered by the Goths in the III century span>.

The Goths who settled east of the Dniester River, in the lands around the Black Sea (what is now part of present-day Ukraine and Byelorussia), formed a confederation with the steppe peoples known as the Greutungs. The Greutungs were subject to the Huns from 375, the year in which they defeated King Hermanaric, until the battle of Nedao, which occurred in 454, when they regained their independence, and the Ostrogoths, as they came to be called, established themselves as a federated people of Rome.

They were later joined by other Goths who had fled their lands when the Huns arrived. In the year 474, Theodoric, the best known of the Ostrogothic monarchs, was elected king. There were several periods of wars and truces between him and the Byzantine Emperor Zeno. In 488 Theodoric invaded Italy and in 493 he defeated and killed Odoacer, king of the Heruli, at Adda.

After his death in 526, the situation became so violent that in 535 the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I sent his general Belisarius against the Ostrogothic armies in Italy. The superiority of the Byzantine army was the key to the defeat, extermination and crushing of the Ostrogothic resistance.

This people was eventually gradually assimilated by other Germanic tribes, such as the Vandals and the Franks.

Tervingi and Greutungi

The division of the Goths is first stated in 291, where the Thervingians are mentioned; this first mention occurred in a eulogy of the Emperor Maximian (285–305), delivered in or shortly after 291 (or perhaps pronounced in Trier on April 20, 292) and traditionally attributed to Claudius Mamertinus, who says that the "Tervingians, another division of the Goths" (Tervingios pars alia Gothorum ) joined the the Taifalos to attack the Vandals and the Gepids. The term "vandals" may be wrong and actually refer to the "victohali" because around the year 360 the historian Eutropius narrates that Dacia was then (never) inhabited by the taifalos, victohali and Thervingians.

Contemporary references to the Gothic tribes used the terms Vesi, Austrogothi, Tervingi and Greuthungi. Most scholars have concluded that the terms Vesi and Tervingi were both used to refer to the same particular tribe, while the terms Ostrogothi > and Greuthungi were used to refer to another. Herwig Wolfram indicates that, while the primary sources do not mix the names of the towns, they mention the Tervingi-Greutungian couple on the one hand and the Vesi-Ostrogothic couple on the other and in no other combination, although occasionally all four are listed. names like Gruthungi, Austrogothi, Tervingi, Visi. According to Herwig Wolfram, in the Notitia dignitatum the vesi are equated to the Tervingians in a to the years 388-391; this is not clear from the Notitia itself. There is much scholarly debate over the identification of the vesi with the Thervingians and the Greutungs with the Ostrogoths. That the Tervingians were the Visigoths and the Greutungs the Ostrogoths is also indicated by Jordanes, who identified the Visigothic kings from Alaric I to Alaric II as the heirs of the 16th-century Thervingian judge IV, Athanaric; and the Ostrogothic kings from Theodoric the Great to Theodatus as the heirs of the Greutungian king Hermanaric. This interpretation, however, although widely disseminated among current scholars, is not universal.

For Wolfram there is a continuity between the Thervingians and the Visigoths, and between the Greutungs and the Ostrogoths. The Gothic defeats in the time of Claudius II and Aurelian would have caused the Goths to split, East of the Dniester the Greutungs remained, and in the Lower Danube the Tervingians formed, together with other peoples such as the Taifalos or Sarmatians, a confederation of towns. The Visigoths would emerge from this confederation of towns. For Heather, on the other hand, the division of the Goths was caused by the invasion of the Huns: the Visigoths would result from a mixture of Thervingians and Greutungians and followers of Radagaiso, who settled south of the Danube at the end of the century IV; while the Ostrogoths would be the result of the union of forces of Theodoric II and Theodoric the Great at the end of the V century. Roger Collins believes that the Visigothic identity arose from the Gothic War (376-382) when a group of Thervingians, Greutungians and other "barbarian" contingents formed a federated army in the eastern Balkans that did not integrate into Roman society, and that therefore they could not be recognized solely as Tervingians.

Wolfram claims that Vesi and Ostrogothi were the terms each tribe would have used to describe themselves; thus, the vesi were the 'good' ones. and the ostrogoths were the 'goths of the rising sun'; while Tervingi and Greuthungi were geographical identifiers with which each tribe described the other tribe, which would explain why these last terms ceased to be used after 400, when the Goths had been displaced by the invasions of the Huns.

The term Visigothic is an invention of the VI century. Cassiodorus, who was a Roman in the service of King Theodoric the Great, invented the term Visigothi to correspond with that of Ostrogothi. While he thought that the latter term meant Eastern Goths, he invented a term for Western Goths.

History

Origins

Its written history begins with the independence of the Hunnic Empire, after the death of Attila. Allying themselves with their former vassals and rivals, the Gepids, the Ostrogoths—led by Theodomir—manage to defeat the Hunnic forces commanded by Attila's sons at the Battle of Nedao in 454.

The Ostrogoths began their relationship with the Roman Empire and settled in Pannonia.

For most of the second half of the V century, the Ostrogoths in southeastern Europe played the role that the Visigoths played a century before. His relationship with the Western Empire was marked by rapprochements and distancing that even led to some hostilities. All this lasted until, like the Visigoths before, they moved from the East to the West.

Theodoric the Great

The greatest of all the Ostrogothic rulers was Theodoric the Great, who was born around 455, shortly after the Battle of Nedao. His childhood is spent as a forced "guest" in Constantinople, receiving a very thorough education there.

He participated in several conflicts, intrigues and wars in the Byzantine Empire and had as a rival a distant relative —son of Triarius— known as Theodoric Strabo, who was the head (not the king) of the branch of Ostrogoths who had installed in the territories of the Empire a few years before.

Theodoric the Great was both a friend and an enemy of the Empire, depending on the circumstances. He had several Roman titles, such as patrician and consul, but above all he was still the king of the Ostrogothic people.

In 488 he conquered the Italian peninsula by order of the Eastern Emperor Zeno I, in order to remove it from the vicinity of Constantinople where his troops had already shown their strength. The peninsula was ruled by Odoacer, who had earlier dethroned the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus in 476.

In 493, Theodoric conquered Ravenna, where Theodoric himself killed Odoacer. The power of the Ostrogoths was at that time at its peak in Italy, Sicily, Dalmatia and in the lands to the north of Italy. At the time of this reconquest, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths began to collaborate and that collaboration became closer over time, making the Ostrogoths and Visigoths a single nation.

Theodoric's power extended over much of Gaul and Hispania when he became regent of the Visigothic kingdom of Tolosa (Toulouse).

With the death of the Visigothic king Alaric II, Theodoric's son-in-law, in the battle of Vouillé against the Franks of Clovis, the Ostrogothic king assumes the guardianship of his grandson Amalric and reserves dominion over all of Hispania and over a part of Gaul.

Tolosa passes into the hands of the Franks, but the Goths dominate Narbonne and Septimania: this region was the last part of Gaul where the Goths still ruled and for many years it was known as Gotia. (The name of neighboring Catalonia derives from Godalia, 'land of the Goths and Alans'^{[citation required]}).

During Theodoric's lifetime, the Gothic and Visigothic peoples remained united. He also established at that time a kind of protectorate with respect to the West Germanic peoples, excepting the Franks.

Ostrogothic Kingdom

The rule of the Ostrogoths at that time was as great and much more splendid than in the time of Hermanaric, but above all it was of a completely different character.

The two nations, which differed in their customs, language and religion, lived side by side in Italy. Each one was directed by a single sovereign but under the legal personality regime.

It is above all this image of the reign of Theodoric the Great that arises from ordinances elaborated in his name and that of his successors; In short, the Goths remained concentrated in northern Italy. In the south, they hardly established garrisons.

In Theodoric's conception, the Goths were the armed protectors of the mild-mannered Romans; the Gothic king was burdened with the difficult task of governing, while the Roman consul was honored for it. Likewise, all forms of Roman administration subsisted under Theodoric's reign. Roman politics and culture also had a great influence on the Goths. It is there where the double culture of the barbarian king plays a fundamental role.

It is worth emphasizing that sovereignty over other nations, different but established on the same soil, was necessarily a Roman conception of power, which left its obligations weighing heavily on the freedom of the Germanic troops. But such a system needed strong power, exercised by a personality like Theodoric's. Upon his death, the building collapsed.

In 526, the Ostrogoths and Visigoths split once more. Some examples in which it is still seen that they proceed in agreement refer to issues spaced out and of no real importance. Amalric inherited the Visigothic kingdom in Hispania and in Septimania. Provence was added to the domain of the new Ostrogothic king, Atalaric, Theodoric's grandson by his mother's Amalasunda.

Neither of the two sovereigns was able to settle the conflicts that occurred within the Gothic elites. Teodato, Amalasunda's cousin and Theodoric's nephew through the latter's sister, succeeded him after having cruelly assassinated them. However, this usurpation would unleash even greater massacres. Three Gothic kings succeeded each other on the throne in the space of five years.

Byzantine reconquest of Italy

The weakness of the position of the Ostrogoths in Italy was then clearly shown. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I had always strove, wherever possible, to restore imperial power over the entire expanse of the Mediterranean, and he seized this opportunity to act.

In 535, he ordered his best general, Belisarius, to attack the Ostrogoths. He quickly invaded Sicily and landed in Italy, where he took Naples and then Rome in 536. He then marched north and conquered Mediolanum (Milan) and Ravenna, the capital of the Ostrogoths, in 540.

It is then that Justinian offered the Goths a generous deal—a little too generous in the eyes of Belisarius—the right to maintain an independent kingdom in northwestern Italy, but on the condition that they compensate him with a tribute consisting of the half of his treasury to the Empire.

Belisarius conveyed the message to the Goths, though he himself did not approve. The Goths, who did not trust Justinian, feared an ambush, but since in their opinion Belisarius had behaved so well after the reconquest of Italy, they agreed to recognize this agreement if Belisarius gave his approval. This situation led to an impasse.

A faction of the Gothic nobility relented: decreeing that their own king, Vitiges, who had just been vanquished, was a coward, and that they needed a new sovereign, they turned to Belisarius. Erarico, his boss, offered the crown to the latter. Belisarius was a loyal soldier to Justinian and not a statesman. He made as if he accepted the offer, turned his steps towards Ravenna to be crowned, but quickly had the Gothic chiefs arrested. Thereupon, he claimed the entirety of his kingdom for Rome.

Justinian was furious: the Persians had attacked the Eastern Empire in the east, and he wanted a neutral and stable state to buffer the border between his western possessions and the kingdom of the Franks. Indeed, the latter were strange and seemed hostile in the opinion of the Eastern court.

Belisarius was then summoned and sent to the East against the Persians, leaving a Roman officer, named John, as temporary governor of Italy.

In 545, when he was finally able to return to Italy, he found a considerably changed situation: Eraric had been assassinated and the pro-Roman faction of the Gothic elite brought down.

The Ostrogoths elected Totila as their new chief. This "nationalist" Goth, a brilliant general, had recaptured all of Northern Italy and driven the Byzantines out of Rome.

Belisarius then took the offensive again: he deceived Totila to reconquer Rome, but lost the city again after Justinian, jealous and fearful of his power, cut off his supplies and reinforcements. The aging general was thus forced to ensure the defense by his own means.

In 548, Justinian replaced him with the eunuch general Narses, in whom he had greater confidence. Narsés did not disappoint Justiniano.

Totila was savagely murdered after the battle of Taginae (Gualdo Tadino) in July 552, and his supporters Teya or Teias (Theias), Aligernos, Scipuarnos and Gibal were killed or surrendered after the battle of Mons Lactarius in October of 552 or 553.

Widhin, the last known commander of the Gothic army, revolted in the late 550s with minimal military aid from Franks and Alemanni. The revolt had no consequences: the Ostrogoths revolted in Verona and Brescia, but the revolt ended with the capture of their leader in 561. Widhin was finally led to be executed there in 561 or 562. A minority, subservient to the Romans and converted to Christianity, she survived in Ravenna.

Ostrogothic heritage in Europe

After this latest defeat, the name of Ostrogoths fell into oblivion. The nation practically dissolved on Theodoric's death. The possibility of forming a State in Italy by bringing together Roman and Germanic elements, such as those that arose later in Gaul, in Hispania and later in the regions of Italy under the sovereignty of the Lombards, was also wasted.

Consequently, the place occupied by the Goths in Spanish memory differs from the one they occupy in Italian memory: in Italy, the Goths were only a temporary invader, soon supplanted by the Lombards, while in Hispania they knew how to constitute a important element of the Hispanic nations in the Early Middle Ages.

Thus, the image of the Goths in modern Spanish historiography is positive, and the contribution they made has not been forgotten or disdained: a part of northern Spain, in present-day Catalonia, preserved for some time the name of Gotia, as well as the former Gothic possessions in southwestern Gaul, despite having passed first into Moslem hands and then into Frankish hands.

Population

In the east of the Roman world there were two large groups of "Balkan Goths": the "Pannonian Goths", led by the Greutungian Theodoric the Great, and the "Thracian Goths", under the command of Theodoric Strabo; when the latter died in 481 most of his people joined Theodoric and numbered 13,000 fighters.This dispersal was caused by Attila's invasion some decades earlier.

That contingent invaded Italy in 488, over 10,000 warriors and 20,000 at most. This leads Peter Heather and Herwing Wolfram to estimate a total population of 100,000. There is debate as to whether These invaders should be considered a people or an army accompanied by a large number of women and children, something common at the time. Thomas Burns stands out in favor of the latter position, who considers that the 20,000 warriors had a much smaller number civilian followers, 15,000 to 20,000 maximum.

By the time of the Byzantine conquest the number of Ostrogothic warriors had been reduced to 7,000, plus some garrisons.

Timeline

• 242: dismemberment of the Roman world; the Cimerian Bosphorus (now Crimea) falls under the rule of the greutungs installed in Ukraine.
• Century III: the goths are separated in tervingios and greutungos after the battle of Naissus of the year 268.
• 271: In what constitutes the first major retreat from the beginning of the Empire, the Romans leave the Dacia.
• 371: the kingdom of the cattle is in the hands of the Huns.
• 375: strong pressure of the Huns, who destroy the greutung kingdom in southern Russia.
• 380: a confederation of greutungos, alanos and hunos is established by the emperor Graciano in Panonia, from which they will be expelled in 427.
• 456: ostrogotes are established in the lower Danube.
• 493: The Great Theodoric, the leader of the ostrogotes, is now king of Italy.
• 508: beginning of a campaign of the ostrogotes under the command of Theodorico the Great in the direction of southern Galia, which ends in 511.
• 526: Atalaric happens to Theodorico the Great as king of the ostrogotes.
• 526: Theodoric the Great, king of the ostrogotes and of Italy, dies of dysentery.
• 534: On October 2, Atalaric king of the ostrogotes died.
• 535: Theoath, the new king of the ostrogotes, strangles his wife, the queen Amalasunta, the daughter of the king Theodorico the Great.
• 536: the ostrogotes depose their passive king, Teodato, and choose to Vitigesa general, to replace him.
• 536: the ostrogotes yield Provence to the francs.
• 537: Having secured the backs by granting the francs the Provenza, in the hands of the ostrogotes since 508, Vitiges is heading to Rome and submits it to place.
• 539: Milan, the most important city in Italy after Rome, is once again won by the ostrogotes and destroyed. Men are executed and women sold as slaves.
• 540: Vitiges, king of the ostrogotes, is captured by Belisario, who takes over Rávena.
• 543: the ostrogotes carry out an agrarian reform that benefits the Italian peasants.
• 543: Totila, the new king of the ostrogods, enters Italy and takes Naples after besieging it; Belisario returns to Italy.
• 546: Totila, king of the ostrogods, conquers Rome after besieging it for a year.
• 552: Narsés defeats and kills Totila, king of the ostrogotes, in the battle of Busta Gallorum.
• 553: the Byzantine general Narsés defeats Teya, the successor of Totila as king of the Ostrogotes, in the Battle of Mons Lactarius.
• 554: Byzantine Emperor Justinian I launches a program of reorganization of the Italian administration after the chaos of 20 years of war against the ostrogotes.

Kings

Greutungians

• 291-350: Achiulfo
• 350-375: Sister
• 375-376: Vitimiro.

With the invasion of the Huns, most of the Greutung people came under the domination of the Huns. It is a period that Jordanes calls the interregnum and that lasted two generations.

There was a part of the people that formed a confederation together with the Alans and a part of the Huns, who escaped the expansion of the Huns by crossing the Danube in 376. In 380 the emperor Gratian located the Greutungs of Alateus and Safrax in the provinces of Valeria and Pannonia II, from where they would not be expelled until the year 427.

• 376-?: being Viderico (Widoric) a child, the mandate is exercised by the doubts Sáfrax and Alateo
• 376-386: Odoteo.

Ostrogoths

• 447: Vandalario
• 447-469: Valamiro
• 469-474: Teodomiro
• 474-526: Theodoric the Great
• 526-534: Atalaric
• 534-536: Teodato
• 536-540: Vitiges
• 540-541: Hildibaldo
• 541-541: Eraric
• 541-552: Totila
• 552-553: Teya.