Description
Odoacer represented the low point of Italian history. He was a German warrior who became the first king of Italy in 476 after leading the revolt that threw out the last Roman emperor in the West, Romulus Augustus.
Then, after assuming total power of the empire, Odoacer did next to nothing with it. There were no grand buildings, no funding of literature, no artistic advancements, no great works of engineering, although he did terrorize his neighbors, one of whom was Theodoric, King of the Goths.
After invading Italy and forcing Odoacer into Ravenna and soon thereafter obtaining his surrender, Theodoric slew Odoacer at a reconciliation banquet. Theodoric immediately began restoring ancient monuments in Rome, including the Colosseum and Theater of Pompey. He also built an impressive palace and had a massive mausoleum constructed for himself.
He directed the decoration of Saint Apollinare, among other building projects that transformed Ravenna into a great capital city. Under his rule, Ravenna soon began to look and act like the great capital it was.
Theodoric was born in Pannonia in 454, after his tribe had defeated the Huns at the Battle of Nedao. From the age of 10, Theodoric had grown up as a hostage in Constantinople, receiving a privileged imperial Roman education.
He succeeded his father as leader of the Pannonian Ostrogoths in 473. And just 15 years later he would find himself the ruler of the remnants of the western Roman empire as well as the Ostrogoths and Visigoths. This is his amazing story.
In this classic book, written in 1891, scholar Thomas Hodgkin recounts not only Theodoric’s great accomplishments, but also the unraveling of his empire upon his death.
Softcover, 442 pages. #953
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Theodoric’s Ancestors
• The Might of Attila
• Theodoric’s Boyhood
• Southward Migration
• Storm and Stress
• Italy Under Odoacer
• Conquest of Italy
• Civilitas
• Roman Officials
• The Arian League
• Anastasius
• Rome and Ravenna
• Roethius
• Theodoric’s Tomb
• Amalasuentha
• Belisarius
• Totila
• Narses
• The Theodoric of Saga
• Indexed
• 32 illustrations
• Geneaologies
