Tenth Speech - Amalasuntha to Theodahad
Amalasuntha, Queen of the Ostrogoths
Context
Following the death of her husband Eutharic, Amalasuntha, the daughter of the great Theodoric, ruled
with prestige for eight years in Italy, during the minority of her son Athalaric. However, upon the
death of this young prince, whether because she wished to lighten her load in affairs of the
state or because she supposed the Ostrogoths desired a king, she placed Theodahad, son of Amalafrida and nephew of her deceased father Theodoric, on the throne,
with the intention of sharing sovereign authority with him. However, as soon as he seized the scepter, this traitor
exiled Amalasuntha who, about to depart, might have addressed these words to him.
Amalasuntha to Theodahad
Have you forgotten, Theodahad, how you ascended to the throne? Have you forgotten how you
received the crown you wear? Have you forgotten from whom you hold the scepter that I see in your
hands? And this absolute power which I now cruelly endure, was it given to you
by your merit, by the laws of this kingdom or by the consensus of all the Ostrogoths? Have you
conquered this vast expanse of land that recognizes your authority? Are you a conqueror, a
usurper or a rightful king? Answer, Theodahad, all these questions, or at least allow me
to respond for you, for doing so you could not preserve your honor. And I'm
merciful enough not to force you to utter things that would be displeasing to you.
Those who refuse to acknowledge an affront suffer the greatest pain when
forced to publicly acknowledge it. That's why I don't want to compel you to
admit with your own voice that neither by right of birth, nor by that of the conquerors, nor
by our laws, you could have claimed the kingdom of the Ostrogoths as long as I was
alive. For I had it as a daughter, wife and mother of the kings who ruled it
and left it to me as a legitimate heiress. You are thus not unaware that you were born my subject
and would have remained so, if by extraordinary kindness, I had not
descended from the throne to put you there.
Yet, after having removed the crown from my head to give it to you, after having put
my scepter in your hands and deciding to make you a king, it happens that the first undertaking
you have pursued, once I had struggled greatly to convince the
Ostrogoths to obey you, is to recall to court all those whom I had exiled for their crimes.
And after appointing my greatest foes among your chief ministers, Theodahad,
the same Theodahad whom I, Amalasuntha, daughter of the great Theodoric, made king, whom I crowned
with my own hands and to whom I entrusted sovereign authority, you unjustly banish me.
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