hed in Gaul and Spain, while Raetia and
Noricum were abandoned to the Alamanni, Thuringi and Rugii.

*The Ostrogothic conquest of Italy, 488-493 A. D.* In 488 A. D. the
position of Odovacar in Italy was challenged by Theodoric, king of the
Ostrogoths. This people after having long been subject to the Huns,
recovered their freedom at the death of Attila, and settled in Pannonia as
_foederati_ of the eastern empire. Theodoric, who became sole ruler of the
Ostrogoths in 481 A. D., had proved himself a troublesome ally of the
emperor Zeno who mistrusted his ambitions. Accordingly when Theodoric
demanded an imperial commission to attack Odovacar in Italy, Zeno readily
granted him the desired authority in order to remove him to a greater
distance from Constantinople. In 488 Theodoric set out with his followers
to invade Italy. Odovacar was defeated in two battles and, in 490 A. D.,
blockaded in Ravenna. After a long siege he agreed to surrender upon
condition that he and Theodoric should rule jointly over Italy. Shortly
afterwards he and most of his followers were treacherously assassinated by
the Ostrogoths (493 A. D.). Theodoric now ruled Italy as king of the
Ostrogoths and an official of the Roman empire, probably retaining the
title of master of the soldiers which he had held in the East.

VI. THE SURVIVAL OF THE EMPIRE IN THE EAST

*Arcadius, 395-408 A. D.* The year of the death of Theodosius the Great
saw the Asiatic provinces of the empire overrun by the Huns who ravaged
Syria and Asia Minor, while the Visigoths under Alaric devastated the
Balkan peninsula. The absence of the eastern troops in Italy prevented the
government from offering any effective opposition to either foe. And when
Stilicho came to the rescue from Italy and was holding the Visigoths in
check, his rival the praetorian prefect Rufinus, who directed the policy
of the young Arcadius, induced the emperor to order Stilicho to withdraw
and sent the troops of the East to Constantinople. This order resulted in
the death of Rufinus, who was killed by the returning soldiery at the
orders of their commander, the Goth Gainas.

The influential position of Rufinus at the court fell to the
grand-chamberlain Eutropius, who had been an enemy of the late prefect. He
had induced Arcadius to marry Eudoxia, daughter of a Frankish chief,
instead of the daughter of Rufinus, as the latter had desired. The fall of
Eutropius was brought about by Gaina