Editing Vitiges

{{Expand Italian|topic=bio|Vitige|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox monarch
| name = Vitiges
|image       = Quarter Siliqua of Witigis.jpg|thumb
|caption     = Quarter Siliqua of Witigis.
| title = King of the Ostrogoths
| spouse = [[Matasuntha]]
| reign = 536{{snd}}540
| issue = 
| father = 
| mother = 
| predecessor = [[Theodahad]]
| successor = [[Ildibad]]
| birth_date = ≥500
| death_date = 542
}}
{{short description|6th-century king of the Italian Ostrogoths}}
{{For|the racehorse|Vitiges (horse)}}
[[File:Gothic War - First Phase, 535-540.svg|thumb|right|Campaign map of the first phase of the Gothic war, 535–540]]
'''Vitiges''' (also known as '''Vitigis''', '''Vitigo''', '''Witiges''' or '''Wittigis''', and in [[Old Norse]] as '''Vigo''') (died 542) was king of [[Ostrogothic Kingdom|Ostrogothic Italy]] from 536 to 540.<ref name="GibbonMilman1880">{{cite book|author1=Edward Gibbon|author2=Henry Hart Milman|title=The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o38PAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA271|year=1880|publisher=Harper & brothers|page=271}}</ref> He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the [[Gothic War (535–554)|Gothic War of 535–554]], as [[Belisarius]] had quickly captured [[Sicily]] the previous year and was in [[southern Italy]] at the head of the forces of [[Justinian I]], the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Emperor]].

Vitiges was the husband of Queen [[Amalasuintha|Amalasuntha]]'s only surviving child, [[Mataswintha|Matasuntha]];<ref name="Pflugk-HarttungWright1905">{{cite book|author1=Julius von Pflugk-Harttung|author2=John Henry Wright|title=The great migrations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GAo6AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA374|year=1905|publisher=Lea brothers & company|page=374}}</ref> therefore, his royal legitimacy was based on this marriage.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Kovács|first=Tamás|date=2019|title=Procopius's Sibyl – The Fall of Vitigis and the Ostrogoths|url=https://digilib.phil.muni.cz/bitstream/handle/11222.digilib/141757/1_GraecoLatinaBrunensia_24-2019-2_10.pdf|journal=Graeco-Latina Brunensia|volume=24|issue=2|pages=113–124|doi=10.5817/GLB2019-2-8|doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[panegyric]] upon the wedding in 536 was delivered by [[Cassiodorus]], the [[Praetorian prefecture of Italy|praetorian prefect]], and survives, a traditionally Roman form of rhetoric that set the Gothic dynasty in a flatteringly Roman light. Soon after he was made king, Vitiges had his predecessor [[Theodahad]] murdered.<ref name="Rosser2012">{{cite book|author=John H. Rosser|title=Historical Dictionary of Byzantium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AYpqikYr3Q8C&pg=PA458|year=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7567-8|page=458}}</ref> Theodahad had enraged the [[Goths]] because he failed to send any assistance to [[Naples]] when it was besieged by the Byzantines, led by Belisarius.

Belisarius took both Vitiges and Matasuntha captive to [[Constantinople]],<ref name="AbbottLay1900">{{cite book|author1=John Stevens Cabot Abbott|author2=Wilfred C. Lay|title=Italy|url=https://archive.org/details/italy00laygoog|year=1900|publisher=P. F. Collier|page=[https://archive.org/details/italy00laygoog/page/n424 424]}}</ref> and Vitiges died there in 542, without any children. Procopius described parallels among the deposition of Vitiges and [[Croesus|Croesus, king of Lydia]].<ref name=":0" /> After his death, Matasuntha married the patrician [[Germanus (cousin of Justinian I)|Germanus Justinus]], a cousin of Justinian I through his uncle [[Justin I]].<ref name="Rix2014">{{cite book|author=John R. Martindale|title=The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume II, AD 395–527|url=https://archive.org/details/prosopography-later-roman-empire/PLRE-II/|year= 1980|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-20159-4|page=505}}</ref>

==Legend==
Witige (in [[Norse language|Norse]] Viðga) is one of the heroes of epic literature that flourished around the figure of [[Dietrich von Bern]] (Theodoric of Verona).<ref>The saga of Thidrek of Bern, translated by Edward R. Hayes, New York, Garland, 1988.</ref>
Witige is the son of the mythical blacksmith Wieland and at the age of twelve, he leaves his father's house to seek adventure. Arriving in [[Verona|Bern (Verona)]], he challenges the young prince Dietrich to a duel and defeats him thanks to the sword given to him by his father, Mimminc. Dietrich and Witege make a pact of brotherhood. Among the heroes in Dietrich's service are the old [[Hildebrand]] and the brave [[Heime]].
The Hun king [[Attila|Etzel]] asks Dietrich for help in a military campaign against the Swedish king Ósantrix. During the battle, Witege is captured and Vildifer, his faithful friend, concocts a ruse to free him: Vildifer disguises himself as a bear and infiltrates the court of Ósantrix in the guise of a dancing bear following a minstrel. In this way, he discovers where Witege is being held prisoner, attacks King Ósantrix, kills him, and frees his friend.

Following the episode, a quarrel between Witege and Heime over the ownership of the sword Mimminc, which the latter had taken after the former had been captured and left for dead. Witege gets his sword back and the two swear friendship.
To win the hand of the beautiful Bolfrina, Witege leaves Dietrich's court and swears allegiance to King Ermrich, Dietrich's uncle. When Ermrich declares war on his nephew, Witege is forced to side with Ermrich: Dietrich flees before the enemy army and takes refuge at the court of Etzel, king of the Huns.
After several years, Dietrich, thanks to Etzel's support, organizes a campaign to reconquer his kingdom. Dietrich still trusts in Witege's friendship, but, he continues faithful to Ermrich. During a duel, Witege is forced to kill Orte and [[Scarphe (mythology)|Scharphe]], Etzel's sons, and [[Diether]], Dietrich's brother, all three still children. Dietrich is furious and sets out in pursuit of Witege, who to save himself throws himself into the sea, where the mermaid Wachilde, his ancestor, welcomes him.

Transported by the [[mermaid]] to [[Zealand]], Witege lives for many years on a deserted island giving specific orders to the ferryman not to allow Dietrich there, of whom he provides a statue. Dietrich, however, finds Witege's hiding place and, wanting to avenge his brother Diether at all costs, has one of his eyes removed so as not to be recognized by the [[ferryman]]. Having reached Witege's home, Dietrich steals the hero's sword Mimminc, then challenges him to a duel. Witege, deprived of his best weapon, is overwhelmed and dies, but not before inflicting deep wounds on his opponent. Dietrich, after throwing Mimminc into a lake, dies from the wounds inflicted on him by Witege.<ref>  Von der Hagen's, summary of Thidrekssaga chapters 1-79,  chapter-numbering of the Membrame-manuscript, consistency of the saga by Boer; C. Boer, Ueber die Handschriften und Redactionen der Thidrekssaga, in: Arkiv foer nordisk filolog </ref>

==In fiction==
Vitiges appears as a character in the time travel novel ''[[Lest Darkness Fall]]'', by [[L. Sprague de Camp]]. He is portrayed by [[Florin Piersic]] in the 1968 film ''[[Kampf um Rom]].''

==See also==
*[[Witege]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Theodahad]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of the Ostrogoths]]|years=536–540}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ildibad]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Antique Kings of Italy}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ostrogothic kings]]
[[Category:6th-century kings of Italy]]
[[Category:6th-century monarchs in Europe]]
[[Category:People of the Gothic War (535–554)]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:6th-century Ostrogothic people]]
[[Category:542 deaths]]


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