Erarich
Erarich († 541 ) was king of the Ostrogoths for five months in 541 .
Erarich was Rugier and thus a member of a related people who had joined the Ostrogoths. He came to the throne as the successor to Hildebad , but was not recognized by many Ostrogoth nobles. Instead, Totila , Hildebad's nephew and commander of the Treviso Fortress, was made king, and Erarich was murdered on his instructions in October 541.
Erarich had turned to the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I in the hope of finally ending the Gothic War . He is said to have suggested to the emperor through close confidants in the form of an official Gothic delegation to give the Ostrogoths a transpadanic empire , i.e. an area in northern Italy, north of the Po. The Ostrogoths of Erarich had settled there as imperial federates . Justinian had already formulated such a plan in 540, when he was still negotiating with Witigis . Justinian was inclined to agree to the plan, but according to Prokop , our only source for the government of Eraric, Erarich secretly only wanted to exchange his crown for the title of patrician and a large sum of money.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Herwig Wolfram : The Goths. From the beginning to the middle of the sixth century. Draft of a historical ethnography. Beck, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-406-33733-3 , p. 352.
- ↑ Felix Dahn: Erarich, King of the Ostgothen . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 48, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, p. 382 f.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Hildebad 540-541 | King of the Ostrogoths | Totila 541-552 |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Erarich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of the Ostrogoths |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 5th century or 6th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 541 |