However, upon this young prince's death, either because she wished to lighten her<hr>
load in state affairs or because she believed the Ostrogoths wanted a king,<hr>
she placed Theodat, son of Amalafrida and nephew of her late father Theodoric, on the throne,<hr>
with the intention of sharing sovereign authority with him. However, as soon as he had the<hr>
scepter in his hands, this traitor exiled Amalasonta who, as she was about to leave, could have addressed him<hr>
with these words.<hr>
<hr>
<hr>
                                          Amalasonta to Theodat<hr>
      Have you forgotten, Theodat, how you came to the throne? Have you forgotten how you<hr>
received the crown you wear? Have you forgotten from whom you received the scepter I see in your<hr>
hands? And this absolute power which I cruelly endure today, was it given to you <hr>
by your worth, by the laws of this kingdom, or by the suffrage of all the Ostrogoths? Have you <hr>
conquered this vast expanse of land that acknowledges your authority? Are you a conqueror, a <hr>
usurper, or a legitimate king? Answer, Theodat, all these questions, or at least allow me <hr>
to answer them for you, for you could not uphold your honor to do so. And I am <hr>
still lenient enough not to require you to speak words that would be unpleasant to you.<hr>
Those who refuse to acknowledge an insult cannot suffer any greater torment than <hr>
being forced to acknowledge it publicly. Therefore, I do not wish to compel you <hr>
to admit from your own mouth that, neither by right of birth, nor by that of conquerors, nor by our laws, could you have aspired to rule will of the Ostrogoths as long as I was <hr>
alive. For it was my possession as the daughter, wife, and mother of the kings who ruled it <hr>
and left it to me as the legitimate heir. Therefore, you cannot ignore that you were born my subject <hr>
and would always have been so if, through an extraordinary benevolence, I had not <hr>
descended from the throne to install you there.<hr>
      Yet, after removing my crown to give it to you, after putting my scepter into your hands, and deciding to make you a king, the first thing you undertook once I had< hr>
managed, with great difficulty, to convince the Ostrogoths to obey you, was to recall to court all those I had exiled for their crimes.<hr>
And after choosing my greatest enemies among your principal ministers, Theodat, <hr>
the very Theodat whom I, Amalasonta, daughter of the great Theodoric, made king, whom I crowned <hr>
with my own hand and to whom I handed sovereign authority, you are unjustly banishing me to <hr>
display your power. Can such ingratitude exist among men? And did I <hr>
make such a terrible choice? No, Theodat, I am not like you, I do not wish to condemn you without hearing you. Surely there must be a reason for your hatred towards me. What have I done against you when you were my subject? What have I done against you <hr>
since I made you king? I can only recall that while you were under my obedience <hr>
and when I had the right to punish or reward you, a large number of Tuscans came<hr>
<hr>
                                                   72<hr>