Ostrogothic Kingdom

The Ostrogothic Kingdom was established by the Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas from 493 to 553. In Italy the Ostrogoths replaced Odoacer, the de facto ruler of Italy who had deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus Augustulus, in 476. The Gothic kingdom reached its zenith under the rule of its first king, Theodoric the Great.

Most of the social institutions of the late Western Roman Empire were preserved during his rule. Starting in 535, the Eastern Roman Empire (the Byzantine Empire) invaded Italy under Justinian I. The Ostrogothic ruler at that time, Witiges, could not defend successfully and was finally captured when the capital Ravenna fell. The Ostrogoths rallied around a new leader, Totila, and largely managed to reverse the conquest, but were eventually defeated. The last king of the Ostrogothic Kingdom was Teia. At its greatest extent the kingdom stretched from modern France in the west into modern Serbia in the southeast.