Aligern or Aligernus was an

Ostrogoth The Ostrogoths () 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 Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

military leader, active in the Gothic War (535-554). By the end of the war, Aligern had joined the

Byzantine army The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct continuation of the East Roman army, Eastern Roman army, shaping and developing itself on the legac ...

. The main sources about him are

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent Late antiquity, late antique Byzantine Greeks, Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Justinian I, Empe ...

and

Agathias Agathias Scholasticus (; Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 23–25582/594) was a Greek poet and the principal historian of part of the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian I between 552 and 558. Biography Agathias was a native of Myrina ( ...

.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 48

Biography

Agathias describes Aligern as the son of Fredigernus (Fritigern) and younger brother 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 ...

, king of the Ostrogoths (r. 552-553). Procopius considers Aligern to be a brother of

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War (535–554), Gothic War, recovering b ...

(r. 541-552). This is probably an error, since Aligern could not be a brother to both monarchs. Modern historians consider Agathias more reliable on the matter. He is first mentioned, unnamed, in 552 by Procopius. Totila appointed Herodianus and Aligern as joined commanders over the city of

Cumae Cumae ( or or ; ) was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy and was founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BCE. It became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of ...

. What happened to Herodianus is uncertain. Aligern is mentioned defending the city to c. 554, following the deaths of both Totila and Teia. Agathias explains Aligern's continued defiance by pointing to the strong defensive position of the city and an apparent "abundance of supplies". During a Byzantine siege of the city, Aligern is recorded killing Palladius. The situation changed when the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

invaded the Italian Peninsula. The new threat convinced Aligern to surrender the city in late 553 or early 554. He visited

Narses Narses (also spelled Nerses; ; ; ; c. 478–573) was a distinguished Byzantine general and statesman of Armenian heritage, renowned for his critical role in Emperor Justinian I’s military campaigns. Alongside the famed Belisarius, Narses was ...

, the Byzantine commander in Italy, to deliver the keys to the city. Narses immediately send Aligern to Caesena, for a first encounter with the Franks. His attempt to discourage the Franks from marching against Cumae failed. In October 554, Aligern fought on the Byzantine side at the

Battle of the Volturnus The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 between an army of the Eastern Roman Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni. The Byzantines, led by the old eunuch general Nars ...

, a decisive Byzantine victory. Nothing further is known of him after that.Bury (1958), p. 279

References

Sources

* * {{citation , last=Martindale , first=John R. , last2=Jones , first2=A.H.M. , last3=Morris , first3=John , title=The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume III: AD 527–641 , year=1992 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , isbn=0-521-20160-8 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fBImqkpzQPsC 6th-century Ostrogothic people 6th-century Byzantine military personnel Gothic warriors People of the Gothic War (535–554)