Ragnaris (Greek spelling died 555) was a Hunnic warlord who fought for the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the larg ...

in the final stages of the Gothic War against the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gener ...

calls him a

Goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

, but the better informed

Agathias Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus ( grc-gre, Ἀγαθίας σχολαστικός; Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), pp. 23–25582/594), of Myrina (Mysia), an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor (Turkey), was a Greek poet and the principal histo ...

records that he was of the Hunnic tribe of the Vittores or Vitgores (possibly the Bittugures mentioned in

Jordanes Jordanes (), also written as Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th-century Eastern Roman bureaucrat widely believed to be of Goths, Gothic descent who became a historian later in life. Late in life he wrote two works, one on Roman history (''Romana ...

History

Ragnaris is first mentioned as the commander of the Ostrogothic garrison of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

in 552. According to Procopius, he began negotiations with the Eastern Roman general Pacurius for surrendering the city and entering imperial service with his men, but when he learned of the accession of

Teia Teia (died 552 or 553 AD), also known as Teja, Theia, Thila, Thela, and Teias, was the last Ostrogothic King of Italy. He led troops during the Battle of Busta Gallorum and had noncombatant Romans slaughtered in its aftermath. In late 552/early 5 ...

to the Ostrogothic throne he changed his mind. He took fifty Roman soldiers hostage so as to secure the release of his own men held by Pacurius, but the latter marched against him and he had them executed. Ragnaris did not await Pacurius behind his walls, but sallied forth to meet him in open battle, in which he was defeated. The Tarentines then refused to allow him to enter the city, forcing him to flee to nearby Acheruntia. He reappears in late 554 as the leader of 7,000 Gothic troops, possibly survivors of Teia's

last stand A last stand is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are defending a tactic ...

at the

Battle of Mons Lactarius The Battle of Mons Lactarius (also known as Battle of the Vesuvius) took place in 552 or 553 AD during the Gothic War (535–552), Gothic War waged on behalf of Justinian I against the Ostrogoths in Italy. After the Battle of Taginae, in which t ...

. Resolved to continue resisting the Romans, he led them to occupy the fortress of Compsa. The Eastern Roman general

Narses , image=Narses.jpg , image_size=250 , caption=Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna , birth_date=478 or 480 , death_date=566 or 573 (aged 86/95) , allegi ...

laid siege to them in the winter, but the Goths were easily able to hold out, having secured large provisions. In spring, Narses and Ragnaris met to discuss possible terms, but could not agree. As they parted, however, Ragnaris tried to shoot Narses with an arrow, whereupon he was set upon and severely wounded by the general's bodyguards. His followers managed to carry him into the fortress, but he died two days later, and the final Gothic stronghold surrendered.

References

Sources

* * * {{Huns 555 deaths Germanic warriors Huns Year of birth unknown People of the Gothic War (535–554)