Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/134

 126 GOTHS tall manly forms. Modern authorities consider the Vandals. Hernli, Rugii, Gepidro, Alani, Sue- vi Longobards, Burgundians, and Franks as the principal families of the Gothic race. In the latter half of the 2d century A. D. the Goths appear on the N. shores of the Black sea. In the 3d century they were in possession of the region N. of the lower Danube. They invaded the Roman territory in 237, plundered Thrace, and defeated the emperor Decius in 251. A few years later they were defeated by ^Emilianus; but in 262 they ravaged Greece, and in 269 in- vaded the Roman empire again. The emperor Claudius defeated them in that year at Naissus. In 272 they obtained possession of Dacia. They invaded Moasia in 332, but were repulsed. In 366 they assisted in the revolt of Procopius ; but Valens defeated and drove them beyond the Danube. Meanwhile they had become di- vided into Ostrogoths and Visigoths, or East- ern and Western Goths. The former inhabited southern Russia between the Dniester and the Don ; the latter the territory from the lower Danube to the Carpathian mountains, and from Hungary to Bessarabia. Ermanric, who ruled over both bodies, came in collision with the Huns in 375, and was defeated by them. The Goths put themselves thereupon under the pro- tection of Valens, who assigned them a terri- tory in Thrace ; but reaching the provinces of Moesia (Bulgaria and Servia), they took pos- session of the country, defeated Valens in a bat- tle near Adrianople in 378, and ravaged Achaia and Pannonia. The Visigoths submitted to the Romans in 382 ; but the Ostrogoths continued their ravages several years longer, and finally settled in Thrace and Phrygia. Several Gothic tribes had already embraced the Christian faith, and about the year 360 Ulfilas, bishop of the tribes who dwelt in Moesia and Thrace, had translated the New Testament into the Gothic language. Upon the death of Theodosius, the barbarian nations took advantage of the dis- sensions of his successors to overrun the di- vided empire. The Huns poured in from one direction, while an army of Goths under Alaric invaded the region between the Adriatic and Constantinople, and subsequently marched into Italy and sacked Rome. (See ALARIC.) The Goths gradually intermingled in blood with the inhabitants of Italy. The Huns under At- tila, 600,000 barbarians of many tribes, now threatened Italy and entered Gaul (A. D. 451). They were encountered by Romans and Goths, combined under command of Aetius, and suf- terrible defeat. Theodoric, king of the Visigoths, was among the slain on the side of nans. Meanwhile Spain and southern France came under Gothic dominion ; and Odoacer, a prince of the Heruli, penetrating into Italy, dethroned Augnstulus, the last of -st-Roman emperors, and assumed the title of king of Italy (A. D. 476). Zeno was emperor of the East, and, becoming embroiled with the Ostrogoths under Theodoric, con-
 * to an invasion of Italy by this prince.

Theodoric accordingly crossed the Alps, de- feated Odoacer, compelled from him, at Ra- venna, the surrender of all Italy, and put him to death (493). Italy had begun to prosper under Odoacer, and the impulse was increased by the new king, who reigned 33 years. Profit- ing by the Gothic disorders consequent upon the death of Theodoric in 526, Justinian sent Beli- sarius to Italy. He took Rome, and, gaining the admiration of the Goths, was invited to be their king. This he refused, but held the Goths in subjection for his master. Totila, a noble Goth, rebelled, and mastered southern Italy. He was about to destroy Rome, but, yielding to the remonstrance of Belisarius that it would add more to his honor to spare it, contented him- self with dispersing the inhabitants (546), and repeopling it before the arrival of a fresh army from Constantinople under Narses. Totila fell in battle (552), and his successor Teias suf- fered the same fate (553). Italy was recon- quered, and the Gothic monarchy founded by Theodoric the Great was extinguished. In Spain and southern France the Visigoths main- tained a splendid monarchy till 711, when Ro- deric was killed in battle against the Moors, who, crossing from Africa, subjugated the king- dom. The Goths became a cultivated and en- lightened people. Grotius gives them high commendation for moral it} 7, integrity, love of justice, and good faith. There never had been a better administration in Italy than that of Theodoric. He was an Arian, but the Catholics were not only unmolested by him, but them- selves generally acknowledged that at no other period did their church enjoy greater prosper- ity. The Gothic princes and tribes were gen-, erally tolerant of the faith of others. They were also distinguished in some degree as friends of fine arts, science, and learning. Theodoric maintained overseers of works of art, whose duties were to guard the statues and to watch over the preservation of public buildings. These were kept in repair, and others were erected. The old Gothic style of architecture, comprising what are called transition styles with the rounded arch, Byzantine, Lombard, Norman, &c., was thus originated; a simple massive character of art, which must not be confounded with modern Gothic, which dates even later than the Lombards in Italy. The laws of the Visigoths were digested into a reg- ular code 50 years before the Pandects of Jus- tinian, who possibly borrowed the idea of a code from the Visi^othic princes. Theodoric and the Goths in Italy preserved and improved the Roman laws. (See CIVIL LAW, vol. iv., p. 623.) Their form of government was absolute monarchy of a mixed elective and hereditary nature ; and it has been said of most of the Gothic rulers in Italy, that they made good the promise of Theodoric, who on ascending the throne said that he would strive so to rule the empire that the "only regret of the people should be that the Goths had not come at an earlier period."