kingdom · Italy
Ostrogothic Kingdom
Origins
The Ostrogoths, settled in the Balkans as federates of the eastern empire, were sent to Italy by the emperor Zeno under their king Theodoric. They invaded in 489, besieged Odoacer in Ravenna and killed him in 493, and Theodoric became ruler of Italy under nominal imperial authority.
Rule and society
Theodoric governed through Roman officials and the Senate, while the Goths formed the army and kept their Arian faith. Romans such as Cassiodorus and Boethius served him, though he executed Boethius in 524. Ravenna gained Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and his mausoleum. His realm reached into Provence, Dalmatia and the Alps, and he led a network of Germanic kingdoms through marriage alliances.
Decline and legacy
After Theodoric's death in 526, the murder of his daughter Amalasuntha gave Justinian a pretext to invade in 535. Belisarius and Narses fought the Goths for almost twenty years, leaving Italy devastated. Totila was killed at Busta Gallorum in 552, and Teia at Mons Lactarius in 552 or 553.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Ostrogothic Kingdom was a vassal of Byzantine Empire493 CE – 535 CE
- Ostrogothic Kingdom in personal union with Visigothic Kingdom511 CE – 526 CE
- Ostrogothic Kingdom was conquered by Byzantine Empire553 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ostrogothic Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ostrogothic-kingdom
- MLA
- “Ostrogothic Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ostrogothic-kingdom. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ostrogothic Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ostrogothic-kingdom.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ostrogothic Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ostrogothic-kingdom (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻