Ebook History of Italy

3. Theodoric, Lieutenant of the Emperor, 493-526. Like Odoacer, Theodoric conquered and ruled by a com. Mission from the Emperor, but the splendour and prosperity of his reign weakened the tie which bound Italy to the Emperor. Unlike Odoacer, he aimed at setting up a dynasty. He recognized his own people as the conquerors, and at the same time he impartially administered their own laws to the conquered Italians. Religious jealousy marred the happiness of his reign and the success of his plans. The Gothic rule was short-lived: the northern race was unsuited to a life of inactivity, and the scandals of the Court after the death of Theodoric greatly weakened the power of the East — Goths.