The Ostrogoths: Transition from Mobile Army to Gothic Kingdom

The Ostrogothic Kingdom, ruled by Theodoric and his successors, established themselves as the rulers of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Unlike the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths presented themselves as defenders of Rome and maintained an administrative system comparable to that of the imperial court. They collected taxes, appointed officials, and maintained diplomatic relations with other barbarian kingdoms. The kingdom sought to continue the traditions of the Roman Empire and created an extraordinary collection of documents called the Varii, unique for its time. The Ostrogoths were recent migrants to the Roman Empire, but they built the most self-consciously Roman state among the barbarian kingdoms.