The Death Of Theodoric The Ostrogoth & Lombard Italy
At the beginning of the sixth century, the Ostrogothic kingdom established in Italy seemed a success. Theodoric, as mentioned earlier, had spent his boyhood as a hostage in Constantinople, and gained a fine appreciation of Roman civilisation. In his kingdom, he strove to establish a duality to accommodate all of his subjects. It was not his ambition to fuse the culture of the Ostrogoths and Romans, but to foster an environment where both could coexist peacefully.
On the administrative side of things, he wielded authority as both a Roman patrician, who theoretically paid allegiance to the Byzantine Empire, and as the king of the Ostrogoth warriors. His subjects were further split along the lines of religion; while the Ostrogoths were Arian, the Roman subjects were Catholics. In this aspect too, Theodoric practiced tolerance, saying that religion could not be commanded, as no one could be coerced into believing against his will. Furthermore, Theodoric established friendly relations and family ties with the other rulers of Europe. Even the ambitious Clovis took Theodoric’s advice and showed the Alammani mercy after their defeat (the Alammani were subsequently taken under Theodoric’s protection).
However, the division of religion was a fundamental problem, and after the death of Theodoric in 526 A.D., growing tensions and conflict over the succession heralded the end of Ostrogothic Italy. Justinian I, after a successful expedition in Africa against the Vandals, invaded Italy, and nearly two decades of destruction ensued. The year 568 A.D. saw another invasion of Italy, this time by the Lombards, a West Germanic people settled along the Danube. The Lombards were less interested in Roman administration than Theodoric had been, and Italy came under Lombard law, which was very Germanic with little Roman influence. However, the Lombards were also less conscious of the preservation of their own ways, for they had converted from Arianism to the orthodox form by the seventh century. The Lombards never came to rule all of Italy as Theodoric had before them. They only established authority over discontinuous patches of Italy, while the Byzantine Empire exerted control over other parts, including both Rome and Ravenna.
At the beginning of the sixth century, the Ostrogothic kingdom established in Italy seemed a success. Theodoric, as mentioned earlier, had spent his boyhood as a hostage in Constantinople, and gained a fine appreciation of Roman civilisation. In his kingdom, he strove to establish a duality to accommodate all of his subjects. It was not his ambition to fuse the culture of the Ostrogoths and Romans, but to foster an environment where both could coexist peacefully.
On the administrative side of things, he wielded authority as both a Roman patrician, who theoretically paid allegiance to the Byzantine Empire, and as the king of the Ostrogoth warriors. His subjects were further split along the lines of religion; while the Ostrogoths were Arian, the Roman subjects were Catholics. In this aspect too, Theodoric practiced tolerance, saying that religion could not be commanded, as no one could be coerced into believing against his will. Furthermore, Theodoric established friendly relations and family ties with the other rulers of Europe. Even the ambitious Clovis took Theodoric’s advice and showed the Alammani mercy after their defeat (the Alammani were subsequently taken under Theodoric’s protection).
However, the division of religion was a fundamental problem, and after the death of Theodoric in 526 A.D., growing tensions and conflict over the succession heralded the end of Ostrogothic Italy. Justinian I, after a successful expedition in Africa against the Vandals, invaded Italy, and nearly two decades of destruction ensued. The year 568 A.D. saw another invasion of Italy, this time by the Lombards, a West Germanic people settled along the Danube. The Lombards were less interested in Roman administration than Theodoric had been, and Italy came under Lombard law, which was very Germanic with little Roman influence. However, the Lombards were also less conscious of the preservation of their own ways, for they had converted from Arianism to the orthodox form by the seventh century. The Lombards never came to rule all of Italy as Theodoric had before them. They only established authority over discontinuous patches of Italy, while the Byzantine Empire exerted control over other parts, including both Rome and Ravenna.
| Updated >> 21 September 2004 |