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[German version] Brother of Odoacer. After the fall of Attila's kingdom, O. led the Sciri (Iord. Get. 277f.), together with his father. After their defeat, he served the Romans from AD 469 on. Challenged by the magister militum praesentalis Armatus, he killed him in 477, on the orders of Zeno (Malchus, FHG 4, p. 117, fr. 8 = fr. 9,4 Blockley) [2. 411-413]. O. served as m agister militum in Illyria from 477 to 479, then changed to his brother's side and in 488 defeated the Rugians (Eugippius, Vita Severini 44,4). He was murdered in 493 after Odoacer's defeat (Io…

[German version] Gothic comes AD 505 [1. 886f.]. In a dispute with the Gepidae in 505, he occupied Sirmium and helped the local overlord Mundo [2. 397ff.] against troops of the Eastern Empire, defeating them (Ennod. panegyricus dictus clementissimo regi Theoderico 12; Iord. Get. 300f.) [3. 174f.]. Possibly identical to the Petia murdered in 514 by Theoderic (Theodericus (Theoderic) [3]) (Auctarium Havniense, MGH AA 9,331) [1. 861; 2. 406f.]. Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography 1 PLRE 2 2 P. Amory, People and Identity in Ostrogothic Italy, 1997, 489-554 3 J. Moorhead, Theo…

[German version] Suebian. With Sido, he deposed his uncle, Vannius , in AD 51, divided the kingdom of the Suebi with Sido and thereafter reigned in close dependency on the Roman Empire, but apparently detested by his subjects (Tac. Ann. 12,30). Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl)

[German version] Rex in Italy AD 476-493. Son of Edeco, brother of Onulf, probably born in 433 (cf. Iohannes Antiochenus, FHG 4, p. 617, fr. 209,1). O.'s family came from the circles around the court of Attila, and so it is hard to determine to which tribe they belonged [5. 124]. The number and identity of O.'s siblings is also a matter of debate ([4]; contra [2]). After the disintegration of Attila's empire (454) O.'s father and Onulf led the Sciri until 469. O.'s whereabouts during this period are uncertain; his identification with O., the leader of the Saxons, ([4. 347f.], c. 463-469 in Gaul, Greg. Tur. Franc. 2,18) is rather improbable [6. 265]. …

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[German version] [1] Great-grandfather of Eutharic Great-grandfather of Eutharic, Theoderic [3] the Great's designated successor (cf. Cassiod. Var. 11,1,19; Iord. Get. 81; 250 f.; 298). The family tree is probably partially an invention of Cassiodorus. Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography P. Heather, Cassiodorus and the Rise of the Amals, in: JRS 79, 1989, 103-128, esp. 118-120  PLRE 2,1116. [German version] [2] King of the Visigoths, mid-5th cent. Visigoth king 451-453 AD, son of Theoderic [1]. After Theoderic's death in the battl…

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[German version] King ( rex) in Visigoth Spain 531-548 AD, great-uncle of  Totila, probably from an influential Gothic family [2. 157 f.]. An 'arms bearer' ( armiger) of Theoderic [3] the Great, he was sent as commander-in-chief to the Visigoths c. 511, guardian of Amalaricus. T. married a well-to-do Spaniard and, with Theoderic's indulgence, exercised power in Spain (Procop. Goth. 1,12,50-54). After Amalaricus's death in 531 T. became rex, in 548 he was assassinated (Chron. Min. 2,283 f.; for the date see [4. 356]). Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography 1 P. Amory, People and…

[German version] (Ῥοδογάϊσος/ Rhodogáïsos). Goth king, crossed the Danube in AD 405 and invaded Italy (Zos. 5,26,3; Oros. 7,37,4-17; [1. 206-217; 2. vol. 3,1, 200 f.]). He divided his army into three groups (Chron. min. 1,652); one may have reached Gaul [2. vol. 3,2, 22 f.]. While besieging Florence he was repelled by Stilicho (Paulinus, Vita Ambrosii, ch. 50), surrounded at Fiesole, taken prisoner and executed (23.8.406: Chron. min. 1,299). The survivors evidently defected to the Roman side [3. 213]. PLRE 2, 934. Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography 1 M. Cesa, Römisches Heer…

[German version] Roman landowner in Bruttium and Lucania; in AD 546 he supported the Byzantines in the reclamation of this region (Procop. Goth. 3,18,20-23). His force of armed farmers, which was supposed to prevent Totila from advancing southwards, broke up under the latter's influence, however (Procop. Goth. 3,22,1-5). PLRE 3,1344. Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl)

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[German version] ( Theodahadus; Θευδάτος/ Theudátos). AD 534-536 king of the Ostrogoths in Italy, from the Amali family, son of Amalafrida, nephew of Theoderic the Great (Theodericus (Theoderic) [3]); he owned large estates in Tuscia, often illegally acquired (Proc. BG 1,3,2; cf. e.g. Cassiod. Var. 4,39). Afte…

[German version] Visigoth king 586-601 AD, son of Leowigild; in 587 he brought about the conversion of the Visigoths to Catholicism (Chron. min. 2,218). Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography D. Claude, Adel, Kirche und Königtum im Westgotenreich, 1971, 77-91  PLRE 3, 1079 f.

[German version] [1] Murderer of Valentinianus [4] III, 5th cent. AD Protector of Valentinianus [4] III, formerly in the service of Aetius [5]. He and Optila murdered Valentinianus in AD 45…

[German version] King of the Suebi in AD 465-469. R. was probably at the court of the Visigoths in 461. After the death of Frumarius [1. 486 f.] he was elevated to king of all the Suebi in 465 (Chron. min. 2,33). He was son-at-arms of king Theoderic II of the Visigoths (Chron. min. 2,33). He is not identical [2. 667 f.] to the pretender Rechimundus (AD 459-461) [1. 936]. R. was still alive when Hydatius [2] ended his Chronicle (AD 468). Suebi Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography …

[German version] Goth, commander of the troops in the Gothic part of Gaul which Vitigis abandoned in AD 536/7 (Procop. Goth. 1,13,15-16; 29). From there, M. was called to the siege of Rome (Procop. Goth. 1,19,12; PLRE 3B, 823f.) Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl)

[German version] (Viderich). Amalus (Amali), who came with his father Berimund from the territory of the Hunni to Gaul in AD 427 (Iord. Get. 251). Probably identical to Vitericus (Chron. min. 1,477 Mommsen), who fought with the Romans against the Visigoth Theoderic I (Theodericus [1]) in 439 ([2. 259 f.]; otherwise in e.g. [1]). Father of Theoderic the Great's (Theodericus [3]) designated successor Eutharicus Cilliga.…

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[German version] According to Zosimos (4,25,2-4) M. was a Goth of royal descent (relative of Athanaric [2. 189f.]. He went over to the Romans, received a military command and shortly after (380 AD?) in Thrace achieved a success (probably exaggerated by Zosimus [2. 77f.]) against pillaging Goths. Gregorius [3] of Nazianzus addressed two letters (epist. 136 and 137) to M. as magister militum. M. was a Christian but not an Arian [1. 388]. Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography 1 F. Paschoud, Zosime, vol. 2,2, 1979, 387f. 2 P. Heather, Goths and Romans, 1991.

[German version] Chief of the Greuthungi, who crossed the Danube in AD 386, but were defeated (Zos. 4,35,1; 38f.; Claud. Carm. 8,623-633). O. was killed and the surviving Greuthungi were settled in Phrygia by Theodosius I (cf. Chron. min. 1,244). Lütkenhaus, Werner (Marl) Bibliography PLRE 1, 639  P. Heather, Goths and Huns, in: CAH 13, 1998, 502; 512 n. 42.…