Incorporating exciting new material that has come to light since the last German edition of 1980, Herwig Wolfram places Gothic history within its proper context of late Roman society and institutions. He demonstrates that the barbarian world of the Goths was both a creation of and an essential element of the late Roman Empire.

Preface      Introduction       Gothic History as Historical Ethnography 1. The Names         The Gothic Name        The Dual Names of the Two Gothic Peoples       Visigoths and Ostrogoths as Western Goths and Eastern Goths      The Epic and the Derisive Names of the Goths      Biblical and Classical Names for the Goths    Gothic Royal Houses and Their Names        2. The Formation of the Gothic Tribes before the Invasion of the Huns       Gutones and Guti       Politics and Institutions of the Gutones  The Trek to the Black Sea     The Goths at the Black Sea          The Gothic Invasions of the Third Century         The Gothic Advance into the Aegean           Aurelian and the Division of the Goths    The Tervingian-Vesian Confederation at the Danube           The Events of 291 to 364          The Era of Athanaric, 365-376/381      Ulfilas and the Beginning of the Conversion of the Goths   The Ostrogothic Greutungi until the Invasion of the Huns         Ermanaric's Greutungian Kingdom and Its Dissolution     Political Organization and Culture of the Goths at the Danube and     the Black Sea         The Gutthiuda: The Land of the Tervingi and Taifali         The Kuni: Community of Descent and Subdivision of the Gutthiuda          The Harjis, the Tribal Army          Gards, Batirgs, Sibja: Lordship, Retainers, Community of Law             Haims (Village): The Social World of the Gothic Freeman          Cult and Religion among the Goths           Language and Daily Life          The Ostrogothic-Greutungian Kingship      3. The Forty-year Migration and the Formation of the      Visigoths, 376/378 to 416/418         The Invasion and Settlement of the Goths in Thrace          From the Crossing of the Danube (376) to the Battle of         Adrianople (378)          Theodosius and the Settlement of the Goths in Thrace    The Balkan Campaigns of 395-401             The Foedus of 397 and the Settlement of the Goths in Macedonia           Alaric's Elevation to the Kingship        Fravitta and Eriulf         Gainas and Tribigild     The Goths in the Western Empire, 401-418            Alaric's Italian Wars         Athaulf and the Gothic Trek Westward           Athaulf 's Contribution to the Visigothic Ethnogenesis       The Visigoths Become Horsemen            Radagaisus and His Contribution to the Visigothic        Ethnogenesis          Valia and the Goths "in Roman Service"      4. The Kingdom of Toulouse, 418 to 507             The Aquitanian Federates, 418-466       The Visigothic "Superpower," 466-507            Euric (466-484) and the Breach of the Foedus of 416/418           The Conquest of the Auvergne and Tarraconensis            The Last Battles with the Empire         The Organization and Development of Dominion             Alaric II (484-507)     The Legal and Ecclesiastical Policies of Euric and Alaric II      The Legislation of Euric and Alaric II        The Ecclesiastical Policies of Euric and Alaric II  The King and the Royal Clan           The Royal Family           The King           Court Life: Religion, Language, and Culture     The Kingship: Its Functions and Functionaries         Military Organization          The Courtiers          Royal Estates and Finances      The Settlement of the Visigoths    The Peoples of the Kingdom of Toulouse: Ethnic and Social Composition          Goths and Romans in the Kingdom of Toulouse             Jews, Greeks, and Syrians         The Native Barbarians          The Immigrant Barbarians           Conditions of Dependency           The End That Was No End  5. The "New" Ostrogoths           The Division and Reunification of the Amal Goths, 375-451           Pannonian Greutungi, Hunnic Goths, and Ostrogoths         The Ostrogothic Kingdom in Pannonia, 456/457-473         The Ostrogoths in the Balkans, 473-488       Theodoric's Battle for Italy, 488-493        The Ostrogothic March to Italy          The Battles in Italy, 489-493     Flavius Theodericus Rex: King of the Goths and Italians, 493-526       Theodoric's Efforts To Obtain Imperial Recognition,        490/493-497                     Some Questions           Theodoric's Kingdom: An Attempt at a Constitutional        Analysis         Theodoric's Rule in Theory and Practice     Exercitus Gothorum           Comites Gothorum, Duces, Saiones, Millenarii, Mediocres, Capillati         The Settlement of the Gothic Army          Polyethnicity, Social Status, and Compulsory Military Service      Ostrogothic Weapons and Fighting Techniques        Theodoric's Barbarian Policy and the Securing of Italy       The Vandals          The Visigoths          The Burgundians           The Franks          Raetia and Western Illyricum under Ostrogothic Dominion           Barbarian Traditions and Ethnography       Theodoric's Roman Policy and the End of His Kingship, 526       The Amal Successors of Theodoric, 526-536           Athalaric (526-534)          Theodahad (534-536)        The Non-Amal Kings and the Fall of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, 536-552            Vitigis (536-540)         Hildebad and Eraric (540/541)          Totila (541-552)          The Epilogue: Teja (552)      Appendixes        1. Roman Emperors 2. A Survey of Gothic History 3. Genealogical Charts of the Balthi and Amali Notes      List of Abbreviations       Bibliography       Index      Maps