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28-678: Born in Tauresium , now in North Macedonia, around 480, Theodahad was the nephew of Theodoric the Great through his mother, Amalafrida . He was likely the son of Amalafrida's first husband, as her second marriage occurred around 500. His sister was Amalaberga , and his father's identity remains unknown. Theodahad may have arrived in Italy with Theodoric and was likely elderly at the time of his accession. According to Massimiliano Vitiello,

56-622: A Goth named Optaris to either capture or kill Theodahad. Optaris, who harbored personal grievances against Theodahad due to his actions towards a woman Optaris had courted, succeeded in killing Theodahad. Following Theodahad's death, Witiges was declared king of the Ostrogoths. Theodahad is featured in Felix Dahn 's 1876 historical novel Ein Kampf um Rom , which was translated into English in 1878 as A Struggle for Rome . In this novel, he

84-400: A ruse to free him: Vildifer disguises himself as a bear and infiltrates the court of Ósantrix in the guise of a dancing bear following a minstrel. In this way, he discovers where Witege is being held prisoner, attacks King Ósantrix, kills him, and frees his friend. Following the episode, a quarrel between Witege and Heime over the ownership of the sword Mimminc, which the latter had taken after

112-570: A settled castle with oddments from the 4th to 6th century". Baderiana or the modern Bader is located 6 km east of Tauresium and Taor. Vitiges Vitiges (also known as Vitigis , Vitigo , Witiges or Wittigis , and in Old Norse as Vigo ) (died 542) was king of Ostrogothic Italy from 536 to 540. He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the Gothic War of 535–554 , as Belisarius had quickly captured Sicily

140-517: A target of opposition from many Ostrogothic nobles, some of whom were executed for alleged plots against her. To bolster her position, Amalasuintha appointed Theodahad as co-monarch. Before this appointment, Theodahad had to swear loyalty to Amalasuintha and marry into the line of succession, aligning himself with Emperor Justinian I. Amalasuintha hoped to rehabilitate Theodahad's reputation following his controversial land acquisitions in Tuscany, urging

168-627: Is an archaeological site in North Macedonia , near the village of Taor . Tauresium is the birthplace of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (ca. 482) and King Theodahad of the Ostrogoths (480). According to other studies, Tauresium was located near the modern city of Niš , Serbia . Tauresium is located in Zelenikovo Municipality , near the village Taor , some 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Skopje. The site

196-431: Is portrayed as weak and subservient to his wife, Gothelinda, who is depicted as the true orchestrator of Amalasuintha's murder. Theodahad also appears, under the name "Thiudahad," in L. Sprague de Camp 's 1939 alternate history novel Lest Darkness Fall . Tauresium Tauresium ( Latin : Tauresium ; Ancient Greek Ταυρήσιον ; Macedonian : Тауресиум ), today known as Gradište ( Macedonian : Градиште ),

224-540: The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I , seeking his support for her rule and addressing Theodahad's attempts to sell the land he had acquired to Byzantine nobles and even to Justinian himself. Theodahad had a wife and three children: two sons, including Theodegisclus , and a daughter named Theodenanthe, both of whom are mentioned in Procopius's writings. Although Theodahad was born into nobility in

252-441: The ferryman . Having reached Witege's home, Dietrich steals the hero's sword Mimminc, then challenges him to a duel. Witege, deprived of his best weapon, is overwhelmed and dies, but not before inflicting deep wounds on his opponent. Dietrich, after throwing Mimminc into a lake, dies from the wounds inflicted on him by Witege. Vitiges appears as a character in the time travel novel Lest Darkness Fall , by L. Sprague de Camp . He

280-603: The Gothic dynasty in a flatteringly Roman light. Soon after he was made king, Vitiges had his predecessor Theodahad murdered. Theodahad had enraged the Goths because he failed to send any assistance to Naples when it was besieged by the Byzantines, led by Belisarius. Belisarius took both Vitiges and Matasuntha captive to Constantinople , and Vitiges died there in 542, without any children. Procopius described parallels among

308-534: The Huns. After several years, Dietrich, thanks to Etzel's support, organizes a campaign to reconquer his kingdom. Dietrich still trusts in Witege's friendship, but, he continues faithful to Ermrich. During a duel, Witege is forced to kill Orte and Scharphe , Etzel's sons, and Diether , Dietrich's brother, all three still children. Dietrich is furious and sets out in pursuit of Witege, who to save himself throws himself into

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336-572: The Latin tongue), thus paying a debt of gratitude to the home that fostered him..." The similarity in the names of Tauresium and Barderia as Taor ( Таор ) and Bader ( Бадер ) was brought to attention by Antun Mihanović , the First Austrian Konzul 1836–1858 and proposed to the writer Hun, who stopped on his journey to investigate the location, which is noted in the book Stara Srbija i Makedonija – Spiridion Gopčević . The stories from

364-558: The Ostrogothic Kingdom, it appears he was never considered a serious heir to the throne by Theodoric. This view is supported by historians and is evidenced by Theodahad's lack of battlefield experience. Initially dismissed as slander by Procopius , this assessment has since gained scholarly support. Theodahad's cousin, Amalasuintha, ruled as regent for ten years on behalf of her son Athalaric and continued to govern after his death. Her pro-Byzantine stance and gender made her

392-408: The Ostrogoths. Ill-prepared for the demands of war due to his lack of experience and knowledge, Theodahad struggled to mount an effective defense. Theodahad's son-in-law, Ebremud, was sent to face Belisarius but deserted the Gothic forces upon encountering him. Despite having studied Plato, Theodahad failed to strengthen his armies after initiating negotiations with Constantinople. As he took refuge in

420-473: The Roman Senate to recognize him as a capable landowner who could contribute to the kingdom's prosperity. However, her efforts met with mixed results. While Amalasuintha struggled to gain support due to her gender and connections to Constantinople, Theodahad remained unpopular among the nobility. Amalasuintha also had to prepare Theodahad for the responsibilities of kingship, as he had not been groomed for

448-615: The beginning of the Gothic Wars. Following the death of Amalasuintha, Emperor Justinian I seized the opportunity to invade Sicily, swiftly conquering it in hopes of reuniting the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. In response, Theodahad sought to negotiate peace with the envoys sent by Justinian before the invasion began, hoping to secure his freedom by potentially selling the kingdom. Justinian dispatched one of his most capable commanders, Belisarius , to conquer Italy from Theodahad and

476-517: The cities of Ravenna and Rome, dissatisfaction grew among the Goths due to his inadequate preparation for war and his refusal to assist the besieged city of Naples . This discontent led to the election of a new king, Witiges, a former general under Theodoric the Great. Upon learning of Witiges's election, Theodahad returned to Ravenna in an attempt to reclaim control and secure himself from the advancing Byzantine forces. During this retreat, Witiges sent

504-610: The deposition of Vitiges and Croesus, king of Lydia . After his death, Matasuntha married the patrician Germanus Justinus , a cousin of Justinian I through his uncle Justin I . Witige (in Norse Viðga) is one of the heroes of epic literature that flourished around the figure of Dietrich von Bern (Theodoric of Verona). Witige is the son of the mythical blacksmith Wieland and at the age of twelve, he leaves his father's house to seek adventure. Arriving in Bern (Verona) , he challenges

532-401: The epicenter of the earthquake was in the nearby city of Skupi . As a gesture of gratitude to his birthplace, Justinian I rebuilt the city. According to the excavations that have been done so far , it is estimated that the oldest parts of Tauresium date from the 4th century, and this oldest part is a castle with four towers known as Tetrapirgia . Regarding Baderiana, Procopius states that it "is

560-400: The former had been captured and left for dead. Witege gets his sword back and the two swear friendship. To win the hand of the beautiful Bolfrina, Witege leaves Dietrich's court and swears allegiance to King Ermrich, Dietrich's uncle. When Ermrich declares war on his nephew, Witege is forced to side with Ermrich: Dietrich flees before the enemy army and takes refuge at the court of Etzel, king of

588-503: The fortress which is called Bederiana, there was a hamlet named Taurisium, whence sprang the Emperor Justinian, the founder of the civilised world. He therefore built a wall of small compass about this place in the form of a square, placing a tower at each corner, and caused it to be called, as it actually is, Tetrapyrgia. And close by this place he built a very notable city which he named Justiniana Prima (this means "first" in

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616-566: The local peasants and badly damaged Cyrillic script were not sufficient to prove the theory initially, but later in the Monastery of St. John in Veles , Cyrillic writings were presented to him after which he concluded that this was the same Byzantine City of Tauresium, birthplace of Justinian I , who laid the foundation for The First Golden Age of The Byzantine Empire . Tauresium and the castle Baderiana were destroyed in an earthquake in 518;

644-570: The name "Theodahad" is a compound of the words for 'people' and 'conflict'. In his early life, Theodahad studied Plato and other Greek philosophers and amassed considerable wealth through property acquisitions in Tuscany, Italy, sometimes employing violent methods. He was later compelled to compensate citizens for land he had seized after a Byzantine envoy, sent by Queen Amalasuintha—who was ruling in her son's stead—arrived in Rome and Ravenna. Procopius's Chronicles recount that Amalasuintha sent letters to

672-499: The previous year and was in southern Italy at the head of the forces of Justinian I , the Eastern Roman Emperor . Vitiges was the husband of Queen Amalasuntha 's only surviving child, Matasuntha ; therefore, his royal legitimacy was based on this marriage. The panegyric upon the wedding in 536 was delivered by Cassiodorus , the praetorian prefect , and survives, a traditionally Roman form of rhetoric that set

700-418: The sea, where the mermaid Wachilde, his ancestor, welcomes him. Transported by the mermaid to Zealand , Witege lives for many years on a deserted island giving specific orders to the ferryman not to allow Dietrich there, of whom he provides a statue. Dietrich, however, finds Witege's hiding place and, wanting to avenge his brother Diether at all costs, has one of his eyes removed so as not to be recognized by

728-663: The throne by his predecessor Theodoric. Theodahad's lack of interest in learning about governance suggested he was reluctant to rule. His early life focused on acquiring and selling land, possibly in preparation for retirement in the East. Resentful of Amalasuintha for her actions in Tuscany, Theodahad eventually had her exiled to an island in Lake Bolsena near Orvieto , where she was assassinated. In response to her death, Emperor Justinian I initiated military actions in Sicily, marking

756-538: The young prince Dietrich to a duel and defeats him thanks to the sword given to him by his father, Mimminc. Dietrich and Witege make a pact of brotherhood. Among the heroes in Dietrich's service are the old Hildebrand and the brave Heime . The Hun king Etzel asks Dietrich for help in a military campaign against the Swedish king Ósantrix. During the battle, Witege is captured and Vildifer, his faithful friend, concocts

784-650: Was discovered by British archaeologist Arthur Evans in the late 19th century. According to Justinian 's biographer Procopius , the Emperor was born in Tauresium in 482, more precisely in the castle of Bederiana , which is near the modern city of Niš , Serbia . In the book De aedificiis , Procopius states: "...Among the Dardanians of Europe who live beyond the boundaries of the Epidamnians, close to

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