Theoderic the Great

King of Goths, Ruler of Romans

By: Hans-Ulrich Wiemer, John Noel Dillon - translator

Narrated by: Julian Elfer

In the year 493, the leader of a vast confederation of Gothic warriors, their wives, and children personally cut down Odoacer, the man famous for deposing the last Roman emperor in 476. That leader became Theoderic the Great (454-526). This engaging history of his life and reign immerses listeners in the world of the warrior-king who ushered in decades of peace and stability in Italy as king of Goths and Romans. Theoderic transformed his roving "warrior nation" from the periphery of the Roman world into a standing army that protected his taxpaying Roman subjects with the support of the Roman elite. With a ruling strategy of "integration through separation," Theoderic not only stabilized Italy but also extended his kingdom to the western Balkans, southern France, and the Iberian Peninsula.

Using sources as diverse as letters, poetry, coins, and mosaics, Hans-Ulrich Wiemer brings listener into the world of Theoderic's court, from Gothic warriors and their families to the notables, artisans, and shopkeepers of Rome and Ravenna to the peasants and enslaved people who tilled the soil on grand rural estates. This book offers a fascinating history of the leader who brought peace to Italy after the disintegration of the Roman Empire.

©2018 Verlag C.H.Beck oHG, München; English translation copyright 2023 by Yale University (P)2023 Tantor

incredible breadth of detail describing a lost world.

Fascinating academic tour of Italy under the Goths. Not narrative history, but compelling in the depth of new and interesting information conveyed about the period.

The true final episode of the Western Empire

I really liked the treatment especially on the society and culture of Italy under Theodoric and the challenges that he faced as a ruler

interesting in places and dry in others

Overall, I enjoyed it, but unlike the Burgundians, which I enjoyed immensely and would listen again, this one was a lot drier and more academic. That's not saying it wasn't interesting. but there were facts after facts after facts. No like humor stories that I can remember. Now I know this is further back in time than the Burgundians really, but nothing memorable like the Burgundians. Overall, I would recommend this, because it is a good book really, if a bit dry. I would probably listen to this one again but not for awhile.

Lessons for the present

Rich in detail and characters though he sometimes more detail than desired. I would have preferred shorter or more narrowly focused chapters.

Fundamental study

This is a “must read” for an advanced reader of the period surrounding the “fall of Rome”. It addresses the history of Goths thoroughly and in-depth. I wouldn’t recommend it to a novice or a seeker of general review. This a serious study.