The Emergence of Europe (286-843) Part VIII-Theodoric the Great, King of Italy, almost Emperor of Rome

A series of civil wars and repeated invasions by Germanic tribes caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Following the end of imperial authority, several Germanic tribes struggled against each other for control of territory. The Franks became the dominant power in Gaul, but Greater Frankia repeatedly broke apart during wars between rival claimants for the throne. Finally, Charlemagne united the Franks, and greatly expanded the size of the kingdom. However, his grandsons proved unwilling to share the empire, and divided it in 843, laying the foundations for France and Germany. Episode Seven explains that Odovacar had seized power in Italy, and had little trouble with his neighbors in Gaul because they were busy fighting each other. However, emperor Zeno convinced Theodoric to lead his people west to invade Italy, rather than continue to revolt in the eastern empire. A siege of Ravenna dragged on for over two years until a very hungry Odovacar agreed to share the throne, but there was only one throne, so Theodoric broke the agreement, and killed Odovacar, thus becoming king of Italy.

 

Cast of Characters:

Odovacar-king of Italy (476-493)

Leo I-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (457-474)

Zeno-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (474-475, 476-491)

Anastasius I-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (491-518)

Aspar-generalissimo of the Eastern Roman Empire (434-471)

Theodoric-king of Italy (493-526), king of the Osotogths (475-526)

Theodoric Strabo-chieftain of the Thracian Goths

Euric-king of the Visigoths, brother of Theodoric II (466-484)

Alaric II-king of the Visigoths, son of Euric (484-507)

Gundobad-king of the Burgundians (473-516), generalissimo of the Western Roman Empire (472-473), nephew of Ricimer

Childeric-Frankish chieftain, father of Clovis

Clovis-king of the Franks (481-511)

 

Sources:

Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion-Peter Heather

Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West 376-568-Guy Halsall

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians-Peter Heather

The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization-Bryan Ward-Perkins

The Inheritance of Rome-A History of Europe from 400 to 1000-Chris Wickham

Empires of Faith: The Fall of Rome to the Rise of Islam, 500-700-Peter Sarris

Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages-Dan Jones

The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders-Peter Heather

Theodoric the Great: King of Goths, Ruler of Romans-Hans-Ulrich Wiemer, Translated by John Noel Dillon

The Franks-Edward James

Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization-Lars Brownsworth

Byzantium: The Early Centuries-John Julius Norwich

Visigothic Spain 409-711-Roger Collins

History of the Goths-Herwig Wolfram, translated by Thomas J. Dunlap

 

Image Credit

By Unknown author - [1] 'Grandes Chroniques de France, Mandragore, BNF, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=723625