2021-08-30 Mon

Theodoric the Great was the king of Ostrogoths and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy from 493 to 526. As ruler of the combined Gothic realms, Theodoric controlled an empire stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Adriatic Sea.

Theodoric was born in 454 AD in Pannonia. He was the son of king Theodemir, a Germanic Amali nobleman, and his concubine Ereleuva. He kept good relations between Ostrogoths and Romans, maintained a Roman legal administration and oversaw a flourishing scholarly culture as well as overseeing a significant building program across Italy.

The above shown gold Solidus was issued under his reign from Rome mint. The obverse of a coin depicts the Helmeted bust front holding spear over shoulder and shield. The reverse of a coin represents Victory standing left holding long jeweled cross; star in right field, CONOB in exergue.

Theodoric died in 526 and was buried in a grand mausoleum in Ravenna. He lived on as the figure Dietrich von Bern in Germanic heroic legend.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org