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Thread: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

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    Default [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E


    Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna (mosaic of Justinian I)
    This may be a modified portrait of Theodoric.






    Introduction

    In 488 CE the Emperor Zeno and Theodoric signed a treaty which made Theodoric a Patrician and allowed Theodoric to seize Italy and rule on behalf of the emperor. So in 489 Theodoric led his army into Italy, the ensuing war between Theodoric and Odovacer (the self proclaimed Rex Italae) lasted the best part of four years. Theodoric seized much of Italy in a fairly short time;including Mediolanum- where the majority of Odocars army was stationed including his Master of soldiers Tufa, but Odovacer held out in Ravenna till 493, eventually the two came to an agreement by which the two would share power. But once Theodoric was allowed into the city, Odovacer was quickly murdered, one story goes that Theodoric cut Odovacer in two at a banquet and laughed saying 'the man couldn't of had a bone in his body'





    Identity

    The Ostrogothic kingdom is seen as an ideal successor state after the fall of the Western half of the empire- a blend of the best of Roman and Germanic culture, but this isn't the whole story. The authority of the king in Ravenna was central to the state and his power absolute- but it was the upper echelons of the old Roman society that ran the kingdom, the civil service, and dictated the cultural ideals. and of course as Roman aristocracy they were supremely self confidant in their culture and ideals, where as it can be said of the Goths were insecure and unsure of their culture, years before these Goths would of been calling themselves Siiri or Gepids or any number of other tribal affiliation- that had served with Theodoric in the Balkans, in his capacity as Magister militum or Germanic warlord (which ever he happened to be at the time) To quote Cassiodorus 'It was the poor Romans who imitated the Goths, just as rich Goths imitated the Romans'. A common identity had to be found for these Gens Ostrogoth's and that task would fall to the Roman Cassiodorus -the would be Praetorian prefect and Master of offices under Theodoric's rule- to write one and he gave them that identity in his history of the Goths.


    Theodoric

    Theodoric was an educated man, having lived and been educated in Constantinople for ten years and risen to the rank of Magister Militum twice, he knew a few things about: what it meant to be a Roman and the workings of the Imperial court and so he neatly slotted his 'Goths' into Roman society, he worked within the established framework of Roman politics statesmanship; Senators, the titles, and Roman law.

    Theodoric even undertook to rebuild Roman; baths aqueducts and centres of administration in all the major Italian cities such as; Rome Ravenna and Pavia to name a few, he even re-established bread and circus!

    In 500 Theodoric entered Rome in his Adventus and was honoured by the senate, anyone watching might of thought nothing had changed, the Roman upper classes felt secure in their positions for the first time in years.

    In order to maintain this security Theodoric moved into Pannonia 504, the Roman emperor Anastasius was alarmed- five years earlier had renegotiated the treaty with Theodoric( although it's difficult to say what the emperor, really thought Theodoric's position really was.) But then with the seizure of Sirmium from the Gepids, the emperor launched a fleet action in 508 to raid the coast of Italy, he also made a diplomatic move to Clovis.

    In a letter from Theodoric to Anastasius dated 510 which reads:

    'You (Anastasius) are the fairest all the realms, you are the healthy defence of the world, to which all other rulers rightfully look up with reverence: We (Theodoric) above all, who by divine help learned in your republic the art of governing Romans with equity. Our royalty is an imitation of yours, modelled on your good purpose, a copy of the only Empire.

    And in so far as we follow you do we excel all other nations....

    We think that you will not suffer and discord should remain between two republics which are declared to have forever formed one body under their ancient princes, and which ought not to be joined together by a mere by mere sentiment of love but actively to aid one another with all their powers. Let There be always one will, one purpose in the Roman kingdom'

    It would seem that Theodoric was making his case as a true Roman, and that his 'kingdom' and not that of the Franks should be favoured by the emperor.

    Internal problems, the war with Persia and then the death of Clovis prevented an escalation of the war.
    At the same time Theodoric was expanding his power westwards firstly securing Provence in southern Gaul, then in 511 Theodoric annexed Visigothic Spain. Making himself the ruler of Italy, Spain areas of the Balkans and southern Gaul.

    In 518 the emperor died, and the comes excubitorum -the soon to be Emperor Flavivs Justinvs Avgvstvs (Justin)- took the throne for himself, a Latin speaker from the Balkans, he was far more interested in re-establishing relations with the senate in 'old Rome' than his predecessor had been. Relations between between the empire and the Ostrogothic monarchy were soured further by the elevation of this new emperor, but things were only to get worse, when Justin's successor came to the throne.


    Structure of the Ostrogothic kingdom

    The Ostrogothic kingdom
    by Gian Pietro Brogiolo
    abbreviated and summarized by Pompeius Magnus

    There is no doubt that Goths preserved their identity, which was connected above all with exclusive control over the army, for a long time. This was clearly expressed, at the end of their historical life span, by the armed dance of Totila before the Battle of Taginae in 552 (Procop.De bello Gothico IV 31) and by the valorous behaviour of Teia in the subsequent Battle of Mons Lactarius (Ibid. 35).

    Given the poor visibility of the Goths in material terms, the task of archaeology has been above all to document the structural transformations of that period, such as the strengthening of the defense systems and its effect on the regional structures, urban and rural transformation, and economic trends.

    These aspects must then be related to the forms taken by Gothic settlement in Italy, the decisions of the kingdom as handed down by Cassiodorus in his Variae, the the evolution of society in its two components of Goths and Romans.

    According to some estimates, the Gothic army numbered about 20.000 soldiers at the time of the conquest of Italy. If this figure is correct, the entire people number between 60.000 and 80.000, very few in resepct of the Italian population and moreover distributed only in some regions with the primary aim of securing control over the centers of northern Italy, which were of strategical importance.

    These centers had consisted for over a century of some cities and networks of castles and roadblocks (clausurae) ensuring defense in depth and not on the borders.

    In a celebrated passage of the Vita Epiphani (98, 15), Ennodius describes the quartering of Theoderic`s troops inside the city of Pavia and notes its disastrous effect on the luxurious homes - which were transformed into hovels.

    However, this situation cannot be taken pars pro toto for all urban settlements. A building of a certain quality was constructed in the nearby block on Via Alberto Mario in Bresca. Furthermore a Domus nearby the Via Vescovado in Verona was restructured in the Gothic period with vast bathing facilities.

    Gothic contingents and their families settled in the castles and remained there until the Roman-Gothic war.
    Archaeologists have also demonstrated the presence of Gothic families in Roman farms.
    The excavations at Ficarolo, Alessandria and Turin have demonstrated the introduction of poor quality building and Gothic burials within the structures of Roman villas.
    Building methods of Theoderic and devices are in fact documentated in Verona, Aquileia, Cividale, Brescia including th eaddition of a new ring of town walls, triangular buttresses, pentagonal towers and fortified redoubts inside or up against the urban walls.



    Grubenhäuser in Italy

    Rural Settlements: The Grubenhäuser in Italy
    by Gian Pietro Brogiolo
    abbreviated and summarized by Pompeius Magnus

    In the past 25 years, the spread of stratigraphic methods in archaological research has led to the discovery of isolated settlements and villages, characterised chiefly by timber of earthen architecture, in Italy and Spain.
    Archaeologists have focused in particular on a building type referred to as a "sunken hut" or "Grubenhaus" (german term).

    In Italy they do not predate the late 5th-early 6th century and, in most cases, a relationship has been established with the presence of Goths and Lombards, based on funerary accountrements or other objects found in a resitential context.





    Grubenhäuser
    drawing by F. Leja.
    and Heimatblätter Rosstal, Heft 27, 1993 I
    conclusion

    It is, therefore, difficult to speak about an affilitation or fusion between Goths and Romans. Rather it was more or less a peaceful coexistence with clear given frame conditions. Conflicts of interests rarely occured, disregarding the first years of Gothic rule, due to the limited areas of gothic settlements. Clear given parameters and an uninterrupted Roman administration brought a time span of peace and economical boom related to the Romans.

    It is fair to speak about a periode of catharsis and stability. Compared to the time period after Honorius and Valentinian III we can indeed speak about a Golden Age. However, the last years of Theodoric's rule was clouded by mistrust against the Romans and the Catholic church.
    Therefore it seems undersandable that many cities of central and south Italy opened immediately the gates for Belisarius and his army.


    Bibliography

    Ancient sources:
    Cassiodorus, Chronica
    Symmachus, Letters

    Modern Scholarship:
    Amory, Patrick. People and Identity in Ostrogothic Italy, 489–554. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997
    Bury, John B. History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian. 2 vols. 1923. Reprint, New York: Dover, 1959.
    Collins, Roger. Early Medieval Europe 300-1000 .Palgrave History of Europe: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010 third ed.
    O'Donnell, James. The Ruin of the Roman Empire. Profile books, 2009


    The Torricella Peligna Ostrogoth helmet




    Helmet

    The Torricella Peligna Ostrogoth helmet, so-called because it belonged to an Ostrogoth warrior, was found in 1922 during excavations in the locality of Santa Lucia, between Torricella Peligna and Roccascalegna, and was recently put on display, together with other findings, during the exhibition "From Coptic Egypt to Byzantine Abruzzo – The Byzantines in Abruzzo (6th – 7th Century)," organised in the ducal castle of Crecchio by the local section of the Archeoclub and by the Government Department of Antiquities of Chieti. The coastal Abruzzo region, including the Torricella region, was involved in marine traffic in Byzantine times and it continues to give us proof of both of the presence of and of settlements of Ostrogoth, Longobard and Norman peoples who crossed the peninsula. And the Torricellan Helmet is a proof of that. In 537 the territory of Torricella was fiercely contested fought over by Ostrogoths and Byzantines and the helmet, which has come down to us in very good condition, belonged to a warrior of the Ostrogoth army defeated by the Byzantines.





    Treasure of Desana



    Desana

    Ostrogothic looped eagle head fibula from a female grave at Desana, Italy. Ca. 500 A.D. (Turin: Mus. Vic.). Gold with enamel, garnet and emerald inlays. By wearing rich fibula, the top Ostrogothic aristocracy could gave tangible expression to its imperial service as the Roman court aristocracy had previously done.




    Sant Apollinare Nuovo



    Image of Sant Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna
    Ships at Classis
    Mosaic depicting boats at the ancient port of Classis (or Classe), originally founded by Augustus in c.30 BC.
    Detail of mosaic on the north wall of the nave at the west end of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna.
    The mosaic dates from c.500 AD under the Ostrogothic ruler Theodoric.



    Image of Sant Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna; Palace of Theodoric
    Detail of mosaic depicting the city of Ravenna and the Palace of Theodoric (foreground) in c.500 AD.





    Palace and Mausoleum of Theodoric at Ravenna, Italy,
    from Agincourt´s History of Art by its Monuments
    www.imagestate.com







    Credits

    Intellectual and literary property belongs to the author - in this case Constantius, member of AoD2.
    The elaboration may be used for other threads, mod-forums or internet pages - however, a written request is essential and a matter of courtesy.
    3D pictures and reconstructions made by the AoD2 team - otherwise the source of the shown material is always given.
    The chapters about the internal settlement structure of the Ostrogothi as well as the chapter of the Grubenhäuser was elaborated by the author Gian Pietro Brogiolo - abbreviated and summarized by Pompeius Magnus.


    Last edited by Pompeius Magnus; April 04, 2012 at 09:49 AM.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Good article, and helpful! I'd rep you if not for the infractions! ( you, n. p. !(only Bull knows what an n.p. is, don't worry, not you))

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    Constantius's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Thanks, you can owe


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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    great and very detailed, as always. +rep for u friend!
    unlike other users who probably only skimmed over this thread, i took time are read it thoroughly. and guess what, there's a small writing error at the very beginning.
    so, would u be kind and pay attention to the chapter "Introduction". please read it carefully and u'll notice that u accidentally wrote:
    "So in 499 Theodoric led his army into Italy, the ensuing war between Theodoric and Odovacer (the self proclaimed Rex Italae) lasted the best part of four years".

    as we know, Theodoric led his army into Italy in 488 so u should correct it.



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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Thanks but you didn't REP me Anyway the treaty between Theodoric and Zeno was made in 488 but the invasion took place in 489 -I still need to correct it but, I also needed to correct you


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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Quote Originally Posted by juvenus View Post
    unlike other users who probably only skimmed over this thread, i took time are read it thoroughly.
    thank you Juvenus for the attention.
    The year is corrected to 489 AD.

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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Quote Originally Posted by Constantius View Post
    Thanks but you didn't REP me Anyway the treaty between Theodoric and Zeno was made in 488 but the invasion took place in 489 -I still need to correct it but, I also needed to correct you
    okay okay! don't cry like a baby, i've just repped (is this correct spelling?) u too
    btw, sorry mate it wasn't intentional, i simply forgot it and repped (here i go again) PM since he posted it.
    and yes, i see u couldn't resist to correct me too


    these Historiae/Faction threads are great indeed. thanks to u guys this mod will have the best historical background ever!


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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Quote Originally Posted by juvenus View Post
    okay okay! don't cry like a baby, i've just repped (is this correct spelling?) u too
    btw, sorry mate it wasn't intentional, i simply forgot it and repped (here i go again) PM since he posted it.
    and yes, i see u couldn't resist to correct me too


    these Historiae/Faction threads are great indeed. thanks to u guys this mod will have the best historical background ever!
    хвала Thank you


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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Quote Originally Posted by Constantius View Post
    хвала Thank you
    no probs, my bad for forgetting u


  10. #10

    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Great read!


  11. #11

    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    So the Goth army was just 20,000 men? How will you mod it in game? State consisting of Italy and Balkans would have a huge army in RTW?

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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Not the entire army. The initial force.

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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    exactly. the initial force is estimated between 20.000 and 30.000. However the latter number seems too high for many modern historians - and I also think so.
    The Goths had a standing army during their rule over Italy - they also had a mobile field army in Illyria. But this is another chapter and will be elaborated in another thread in the closer future.
    It is actually difficult to estimate the number of available soldiers in Italy. On one hand we have garrisons which were always present - and then we have many Goths (and Rugii and others) who were not serving in the army - settled and living in cities (partially new built settlements; see chapter of Grubenhäuser post#1), but even most of those settled goths were available as warriors - in the case of emergency.

  14. #14
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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    I believe the Goths had several other gentes and foederati which marched with them into Italy. 20.000 men just couldnt defeat Odoacer and the late antique Italy which had a population of several (6?) millions..

  15. #15

    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    thanks for this interesting read.
    You fear the Unibrow. That shows RESPECT.

  16. #16
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    Default Re: [Faction] A Brief History of Italy: 493C.E -712 C.E

    Quote Originally Posted by Deutschland View Post
    I believe the Goths had several other gentes and foederati which marched with them into Italy. 20.000 men just couldnt defeat Odoacer and the late antique Italy which had a population of several (6?) millions..
    Yes, in the first moment when sombody read a number of "just" 20.000 you get of course the impression that this number seems low.
    But compared to the size of former (west)Roman field armies it was actually a huge army.

    The population density is completely uninteresting to judge a war.
    Africa also had several million inhabitants and was defeated by a relatively small group. (Vandals+Alans: max 80.000 people together with women, children and old peole; perhaps 15.000 to 20.000 of them were able to fight).
    Therefore this may not be a yardstick. Especially since the bulk of the Romans had no relation to military or war.

    a suggestion for further reading (it's in german)
    Herwig Wolfram: Theoderich der Große
    page 279 and on explains the number of warriors of this group and describes the stages of the war in Italy.


    @barbarian Roman
    thank you for the kind words
    Last edited by Pompeius Magnus; July 31, 2011 at 06:48 PM.

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