Ostrogoths definition of Ostrogoths in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Ostrogoths (East Goths), division of the Goths, one of the most important groups of the Germans Germans, great ethnic complex of ancient Europe, a basic stock in the composition of the modern peoples of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, N Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, N and central France, Lowland Scotland, and
..... Click the link for more information. . According to their own unproven tradition, the ancestors of the Goths were the Gotar of S Sweden Sweden, Swed. Sverige, officially Kingdom of Sweden, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 9,002,000), 173,648 sq mi (449,750 sq km), N Europe, occupying the eastern part of the Scandinavian peninsula.
..... Click the link for more information. . By the 3d cent. A.D., the Goths settled in the region N of the Black Sea. They split into two divisions, their names reflecting the areas in which they settled; the Ostrogoths settled in Ukraine Ukraine (y

`krān, y
..... Click the link for more information. , while the Visigoths Visigoths (West Goths), division of the Goths, one of the most important groups of Germans . Having settled in the region W of the Black Sea in the 3d cent. A.D., the Goths soon split into two divisions, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths.
..... Click the link for more information. , or West Goths, moved further west of them. By c.375 the Huns conquered the Ostrogothic kingdom ruled by Ermanaric Ermanaric (ûrmăn`ərĭk), d. c.375, king of the Ostrogoths.
..... Click the link for more information. , which extended from the Dniester River, north and east to the headwaters of the Volga River. The Ostrogoths were subject to the Huns until the death (453) of Attila Attila (ətĭl`ə, ăt`ələ), d. 453, king of the Huns (445–53).
..... Click the link for more information. , when they settled in Pannonia (roughly modern Hungary) as allies of the Byzantine (East Roman) empire. The Ostrogoths, who had long elected their rulers, chose (471) Theodoric the Great Theodoric the Great, c.454–526, king of the Ostrogoths and conqueror of Italy, b. Pannonia. He spent part of his youth as a hostage in Constantinople. Elected king in 471 after his father's death, he became involved in intrigues in which he was by turns the
..... Click the link for more information. as king. A turbulent ally, the Byzantine emperor, Zeno Zeno (zē`nō), d. 491, Roman emperor of the East (474–491).
..... Click the link for more information. , commissioned Theodoric to reconquer Italy from Odoacer Odoacer (ōdōā`sər) or Odovacar
..... Click the link for more information. . The Ostrogoths entered Italy in 488, defeated and slew (493) Odoacer, and set up the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy Italy (ĭt`əlē), Ital. Italia, officially Italian Republic, republic (2005 est. pop.
..... Click the link for more information. , with Ravenna as their capital. After Theodoric's death (526) his daughter Amalasuntha Amalasuntha (ă'mələsŭn`thə), d. 535, Ostrogothic queen in Italy (534–35), daughter of Theodoric the Great .
..... Click the link for more information. was regent for her son Athalric. She placed herself under the protection of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I Justinian I (jŭstĭn`ēən), 483–565, Byzantine emperor (527–65), nephew and successor of Justin I .
..... Click the link for more information. . Her murder (535) served as pretext for Justinian to send Belisarius Belisarius (bĕlĭsâr`ēəs), c.505–565, Byzantine general under Justinian I .
..... Click the link for more information. to reconquer Italy. He crushed the Ostrogothic kingdom, but on his recall (541) the Ostrogoths rebelled under the leadership of Totila Totila (tŏt`ĭlə) or Baduila
..... Click the link for more information. . In 552 the Byzantine general Narses Narses (när`sēz), c.478–c.573, Byzantine official and general, one of the eunuchs of the palace.
..... Click the link for more information. defeated Totila, who fell in battle. As a result, the Ostrogoths lost their national identity, and the hegemony over Italy passed to Byzantium and shortly afterward to the Lombards. Under the Ostrogothic kings, the culture of late antiquity was revived by Boethius and Cassiodorus; Dionysius Exiguus Dionysius Exiguus (dīənĭsh`ēəs ĕksĭg`y
..... Click the link for more information. compiled church law; and Saint Benedict laid the basis of Western monasticism. Roman law and institutions were for the most part maintained; however, the Ostrogoths were resented as aliens by the Italians, from whom they differed not only in culture but also in religion, since they were Arians.

Bibliography

See T. Hodgkin, Italy and Her Invaders, Vol. I–III (2d ed. 1892–96, repr. 1967); T. S. Burns A History of the Ostrogoths (1984).