Henceforward, the history of the Visigoths and Ostrogoths flows in two rather divergent streams. Before tracing either of these, however, it should be mentioned that the Goths, for the most part, became converts to Christianity about the middle of the 4th c., adopting the Arian form of belief, in accordance with the instructions of their renowned teacher and apostle, bishop Ulfilas. Here, also, it may be stated that the term Mceso-Goths, was applied to certain of the western Goths, who having settled in Mcesia, there devoted themselves to agricultural pursuits, under the protection of the Roman emperors.
Vislyoths.—Upon the death of Theodosius the Great in 395, and the partition of the empire between Honorius and Arcadius, the renowned Alaric, king of the Visigoths, sought the command of the armies of the eastern empire, and upon being refused, -invaded Greece with an army of his countrymen. About 400. he invaded Italy, took and pillaged Rome (410), and was preparing to carry his arms into Sicily and Africa, when his career was arrested by death. See ALARIC. Alaric was succeeded in the sovereignty by Athaulf (410-415), who, having married Placidia, the sister of Honorius, withdrew from Italy into the s. of Gaul, and about 412 crossed the Pyrenees into Spain. Athaulf was assassinated at Barcelona. and his successor, Sbzerie, dying the same year, the choice of the Goths now fell on Wallia (415-418), who extended his power over a great part of southern Gaul and Spain, and made Toulouse his capital. The Goths, under this monarch, greatly assisted the Romans in their contests with the Vandals and the Alani. Wallia was succeeded by Theodoric I. (418-451), son of the great Alaric. He lost his life in the bloody engagement of Chtdons-sm-Marne, leaving the throne to his son Thorismund (451-452), who, however, was assassinated by his brother Theodoric II. (452-466), who reigned for some years, but was at length himself assassinated by his brother Euric (466-483), whose reign was unusually brilliant and successful. He extended the sovereignty of the considerably both in France and Spain, introduced the arts of civilization among his subjects, and drew up for their use a code of laws, in which were embodied many sound principles of jurisprudence. Under his successors, Alaric II. (433-506) and Amalaric (S06-531), however, the kingdom of the Visigoths declined before that of the Franks. The former fell by the hand of Clovis in battle in 507, and the latter was killed either in battle or by the hand of an assassin in the year 531. Under his successor Theudes, the rule of the Visigoths was confined exclusively to Spain. Thendes was in his turn assassinated in his palace at Barcelona in the year 548. It will not be necessary to trace the long line of Visigothic kings that subsequently ruled in from -this period down to the year 711. The Visigoth's power was completely broken, and their last king. Rodrigo or Roderick, slain by the Saracen invaders on the battle-field of Xeres de la Frontera.
the time when the Visigoths were admitted by Valens within the boundaries of the Roman empire, the same favor was solicited by the Ostrogoths, but was refused them by that emperor. They revenged themselves for this slight or injury by making frequent incursions into the Roman territories, sometimes on their own account, and sometimes as the allies of the Visigoths. In 386 the Ostrogoths sustained a severe defeat under their king or general, Alatheus, in attempting to cross the Danube, when many thousands of them perished, Rither by the sword of the Romans, or in the waves of the river. After this, they obtained a settlement in Phrygia and Lydia, but
were ever ready to aid any fresh band of barbarians that prepared to assault the empire. Thus, they joined Attila in his renowned expedition against Gaul (450-453), and fell by thousands under the swords of their kinsmen, the Visigoths. at.the battle of Chalons sur-Marne. After this, they obtained a settlement in Pannonia, whence they pressed upon the eastern empire' with such effect that the sovereigns of Constantinople were glad, to purchase their forbearance by large presents of money. In '475 Theodorie, the greatest of the Ostrogoth sovereigns, succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father Theodemir. He directed his arms almost immediately against the eastern emperor Zeno; and having gained considerable advantages over him, obtained a grant of some of the richest provinces in the empire. Eventually, he was named chief of the Imperial guard, and" indeed consul for the year 484. In 488, with the consent and advice of Zeno, he planned an immense expedition against Odoacer, king of Italy, who had held that title, since 476, when he dethroned Augustulus, the last of the western emperors. Theodoric utterly defeated Odoacer, slew him, it is said, with his own hand, and reigned undisturbed' sovereign of Italy until his death in .526. The seat of his empire was at Ravenna, which he sometimes exchanged for Verona, and once—i.e., in 500—he visited Rome, when he convened a meetino. of the senate, and declared that it was his intention to rule the people committed to meeting charge with even-handed justice, To a great extent, he fulfilled this promise, and governed his subjects upon the whole wisely and to their .advantage. The glory of his reign was, however, sullied by the execution of two of the most distinguished men of that age, Boethius and Symmaelms, upon the plea that they were engaged in a conspiracy against him. During his reign, the Ostrogoth kingdom included, besides Italy, all the adjoining countries within the Rhone and the Danube; also the modern Bosnia, Servia, Transylvania, and Wallachia. In the disorders consequent upon the death of Theodoric, the emperor Justinian sought to win back Italy to the allegiance of the emperors of Constantinople; and for this pur pose he dispatched Belisarius at the head of an army into that country. In 536, Belisarius entered Rome. which he held for his master, although invited by the Goths to become himself their king; but all his and his successor's efforts to subdue the Goths were at that time utterly fruitless. Totila (541-552), a noble Goth, was elected as suc cessor to Vitiges, the antagonist of Belisarins, but was conquered in the battle of Tagina, by the imperial in the year 552. In that battle, Totila receives his death-wound, and was succeeded by Teias, who did all that a brave man could to repair the misfortunes of his countrymen. It was to no effect, however, for he also was killed in battle in the follciwing year, when "his head," says Gibbon, "exalted on a spear, proclaimed to the nations that the Gothic kingdom was no more." The Ostrogoth:, broken and dispersed by their calamities, henceforward disappear from history as a distinct nation, their throne in Italy being filled by the exarclis cf Ravenna; while the nation generally became absorbed in the indiscriminate mass of Alani, Huns, Vandals, Burgundians. and Franks, who had from time to time established themselves in the dominions of the old Roman empire.