Matasuntha

Matasuentha (also Mataswintha or Matasuntha ) (* 518/20; † after 551 ) was the daughter of the Ostrogothic queen Amalasuntha and the Visigoths Eutharic ( † about 523 ). She was thus the granddaughter of the Ostrogoth Theodoric.

Matasuentha was married against her will to the Ostrogothic king Witichis, the so hoped for a dynastic legitimacy, because he did not belong to the race of the Amali. During the Gotenkriegs it took bitter about the forced marriage, contact with the Eastern Roman officer John on, a sub- commander of General Belisarius. During the siege of Ravenna by the East Romans were circulating (probably unfounded ) rumors that she had started a fire in a grain storage, so as to facilitate the capture of the city. After the defeat Witichis ' in spring 540 and the taking of Ravenna by Belisarius, she was taken with her husband and the crown jewels of Theodoric to Constantinople Opel. After Witichis ' death Matasuentha was with Germanus, a cousin and a successful General Emperor Justinian married.

Germanus had perhaps hoped for a symbolic meaning of marriage, especially in view of the Gothic war again erupted. He should take the lead in Italy and speculated ( not unreasonably ) that the Goths concerns would have to continue the fight in these circumstances. However Germanus died shortly afterwards. The marriage came from 551 a son, also called Germanus († 605? ). About Matasuenthas later life nothing is known.

An important source to represent the life Matasuenthas Getica Jordanes, based partly on the Gothic history of Cassiodorus lost. Jordanes sat with a view to possibly be renovated western empire apparently some hopes in connection with Matasuenthas Germanus. Also Prokopios of Caesarea reported as part of his history of her ( especially with respect to the fighting in Italy).