140 Radtki
hostility toward the elite whom Theoderic once courted could disrupt the care-
ful equilibrium that facilitated the governance of Italy.123
After Theoderic’s Death
Theoderic died in 526 with many problems unsolved. To restore the political
harmony, Amalasuentha, acting as the guardian of Theoderic’s grandson, tried
to maintain the political position of the Amal court with a policy of appease-
ment, evident in the restoration of properties that had been seized as a result
of the condemnation of Boethius and Symmachus.124 But despite these
attempts, the executions had cast a shadow on Theoderic’s last years and con-
tinued to be virulent in the years to follow.
The problem facing Amalasuentha’s reign was that, apart from the loss of
reputation following the execution of Boethius and Symmachus, strong divi-
sions within the senatorial elite undermined Amalasuentha’s position as guard-
ian of the future Amal king and later as queen. The quarrel at this time, on the
eve of the conflict with Justinian, consisted of opposition from a pro-Gothic,
anti-Byzantine party, which favoured affiliation with Gothic military culture,125
and a pro-Roman party interested in reconciling Gothic rule with established
senatorial families. Including among the anti-Byzantine party were well-
known figures such as Cyprianus, Opilio, Decoratus, Gaudentius, and Basilius
(senators who had already opposed traditional senatorial families), with their
leaders Theodahad (Amalasuentha’s cousin and later co-regent) and Tuluin,
the new leader of the army. On the other side were senators who still believed
in a peaceful coexistence of Goths and Romans (the values of Theoderic’s
reign), including the loyal officer Cassiodorus, a man with close and friendly
connections to Amalasuentha, and certain senators originally advanced by
Theoderic but who had been replaced by members from the other party in
527: Abundantius (in 527 dismissed from his position as praefectus praetorio),126
Ambrosius (dismissed from his position as quaestor),127 and furthermore
Arator128 and Liberius. The period between 527 and 534 is hard to characterize
123 Ibid.
124 Procopius, De Bellis Libri 1.2.5, ed. Haury/Wirth; Ensslin, Theoderich, p. 325; Wolfram,
Die Goten, p. 334; Bjornlie, Politics, p. 141.
125 Wolfram, Die Goten, p. 336.
126 PLRE II, pp. 3f.
127 PLRE II, p. 69.
128 PLRE II, pp. 126f.