TOTILA (d. 552)

This article appears in Volume V27, Page 91 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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TOTILA (d. 552) , king of the Ostrogoths, was chosen king after the death of his uncle Ildibad in 541, his real name being, as is seen from the coinage issued by him, Baduila. The

work

WORK

of his life was the restoration of the

Gothic

GOTHIC

kingdom in Italy and he entered upon the task at the very beginning of his reign, collecting together and inspiring the Goths and winning a victory over the troops of the emperor Justinian, near Faenza. Having gained another victory in 542, this time in the valley of Mugello, he left Tuscany for Naples, captured that city and then received the submission of the provinces of Lucania, Apulia and Calabria.

Totila

TOTILA (d. 552)

's conquest of Italy was marked not only by celerity but also by mercy, and Gibbon says " none were deceived, either friends or enemies, who depended on his faith or his clemency." Towards the end of 545 the

Gothic

GOTHIC

king took up his station at Tivoli and prepared to starve Rome into surrender, making at the same time elaborate preparations for checking the progress of Bellsarius who was advancing to its relief. The Imperial

fleet

FLEET

, moving up the Tiber and led by the

great

GREAT

general, only just failed to succour the city, which must then, perforce, open its gates to the Goths. It was plundered, although

Totila

TOTILA (d. 552)

did not carry out his threat to make it a pasture for cattle, and when the Gothic army withdrew into Apulia it was from a

scene

SCENE (Fr. scene, Lat. scaena, Gr. oflvil, a tent or booth, a stage or scene)

of desolation. But its walls and other fortifications were soon restored, and Totila again marching against it was defeated by Belisarius, who, however, did not follow up his advantage. Several cities were taken by the Goths, while Belisarius remained inactive and then left Italy, and in 549 Totila advanced a third time against Rome, which he captured through the treachery of some of its defenders. His next exploit was the conquest and plunder of Sicily, after which he subdued Corsica and Sardinia and sent a Gothic

fleet

FLEET

against the coasts of

Greece

GREECE

. By this time the emperor Justinian was taking energetic

measures

MEASURES

to check the Goths. The conduct of a new campaign was entrusted to the eunuch Narses; Totila marched against him and was defeated and killed at the battle of Tagina in July
552.
See E. Gibbon, Decline and Fall, edited by J. B. Bury (1898), vol. iv; T. Hodgkin, Italy and her Invaders (1896), vol. iv. and Kampfner, Totila,

Konig

KONIG, KARL RUDOLPH (1832-1901)

der Ostgoten (1889).

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