AMALASONTHA, queen of Italy, and daughter of Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, was distinguished by her talents and virtues, as well as by the misfortunes which marked her short and unhappy reign. She was horn in 1498, and was married in 1515 to Eutharic, the last descendant of the Amali, who was destined by Theo doric to succeed him in the throne of the Ostrogoths. In consequence of the premature death of Eutharic, Ama lasontha was left with the charge of her infant son Atha laric, whose early education she watched with the most affectionate concern. Upon the death of Theodoric in 1526, Amalasontha was left the guardian of her son, and regent of the kingdom of Italy. The abilities of Ama lasontha were admirably fitted for this important charge. The natural talents which she had inherited from her father were improved by the most liberal education, and a deep acquaintance with the human heart, as well as with the philosophy and sciences of the age, inspired her with a vigour and intrepidity of mind, which were worthy of a more brilliant reign. Her knowledge of the Greek, Latin, and Gothic languages, which she spoke with equal fluency and elegance, prompted her to advance the interests of learning, and to court the society of its friends. Cassiodorus, the Calabrian, one of the most distinguished literary characters of the age, was placed at the head of her government; the salaries of the public teachers were regularly paid, and the chil dren of Boetius, the philosopher, were restored to the inheritance of which they had been unjustly deprived. By such means Amalasontha revived the prosperity of her father's reign ; and while she imitated the virtues, and protected the wise institutions of Theodoric, she strove to atone for the errors of his government, and to remove the restrictions which, in the decline of age and of judgment, he had imposed upon his people.
At peace with surrounding nations, and happy in the affection of her subjects, Amalasontha devoted the whole of her attention to the education of her infant son. She placed him under the charge of three learned Goths, to inspire him with the virtues that were suitable to a prince, and to instruct him in the sciences that were useful for the management of a kingdom ; but the ob stinate temper of Athalaric required a severity of disci pline which the good sense and affection of his mother compelled her to exercise. When the boy had one day
been punished by his mother, he escaped from her apart ment into a public meeting of the Goths, in the palace of Ravenna, and with tears in his eves complained of the harshness with which he was treated. The sympa thy of the barbarians was excited : They charged the queen regent with a design against the life of her son, and dragged the prince from beneath the wing of his parent. Athalaric, being thus liberated from every restraint, abandoned himself to the most licentious ex travagance, and took every opportunity of harassing the feelings, and thwarting the measures, of the queen.
The happiness of Amalasontha being thus at the mer cy of an unfeeling faction, she determined to throw her self under the protection of Justinian ; but her proud spirit could not, upon reflection, brook such a humiliat ing surrender, and she made one bold effort to recover her authority. Three of the most active partisans of Athalaric, who had been imprisoned on the frontiers of Italy, were assassinated by her command ; and though this daring measure re-established her authority, it did not extinguish the hostility and discontent of her sub jects. At this dangerous crisis, the death of Athalaric, who fell a victim to intemperance, completed the ruin of Amalasontha. Deprived by law of all share in the go vernment, she conceived the project of uniting with her cousin Theodotus in the usurpation of the supreme pow er, and Cassiodorus announced to the emperor and the senate, that Amalasontha and Theodotus were hence forth to fill the Italian throne. The weak mind of Theo (lotus being easily wrought upon by the enemies of the queen, he was instigated to imprison her in a small island in the lake Bolsena, where after a short confine ment she was strangled in the bath, (A. D. 535.) See Gibbon's Hist. vol. vii. p. 206. (s)