Eraric (died 541) was briefly King of the

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 ...

s, elected as the most distinguished among the Rugians in the confederation of the Ostrogoths. The Goths were vexed at the presumption of the Rugians, but nevertheless they recognized Eraric. He summoned a council directed to convincing the confederation to make peace with the Eastern Roman emperor

Justinian Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

, under Roman suzerainty. The Ostrogoths opposed the truce under the negotiations, and they instead elected Ildibad's nephew

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 ...

. Soon afterwards Eraric was killed by Totila's followers after a reign of five months.''The Age of Justinian: The Circumstances of Imperial Power'', p. 151, by J. A. S. Evans. Routledge, 2002.

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History of the later Roman Empire from the death of Theodosius I ..., Volume 2
by John Bagnell Bury. 6th-century kings of Italy Ostrogothic kings Rugian people 541 deaths Assassinated Gothic people 6th-century murdered monarchs 6th-century monarchs in Europe 6th-century Ostrogothic people People of the Gothic War (535–554) Year of birth unknown {{Europe-royal-stub