known as Theodoric the Great
born 454
died Aug. 30, 526
King of the
Sent by the Byzantine emperor Zeno to invade Italy in 488, he made himself sole ruler by 493 and murdered Odoacer by treachery. With Ravenna as his capital he staved off the Franks and Bulgarians, and he held sway over a kingdom that included Sicily, Dalmatia, and some German lands. An Arian (see Arianism ), he tolerated Catholicism and promoted peace between {{link=Goth">Goths and Romans.