Anthyrius I, King of the Herulii

Literatur

• Erich Kettenhofen: Die Einfälle der Heruler ins Römische Reich im 3. Jh. n. Chr. In: Klio. Band 74, 1992, S. 291–313.
• Pál Lakatos: Quellenbuch zur Geschichte der Heruler. Csukás István a Jate BTK dékánja, Szeged 1978 (Acta Antiqua et Archaeologica. Band 21; Opuscula Byzantina. Band 6).
• Stephan Lehmann: Der ‚Herulersturm’ und die Kunstproduktion in der Provinz Achaia. In: E. Walde, B. Kainrath (Hrsg.): Die Selbstdarstellung der römischen Gesellschaft in den Provinzen im Spiegel der Steindenkmäler. Tagungsakten des IX. Internationalen Kolloquiums über provinzialrömisches Kunstschaffen. Innsbruck 2007, S. 45–54.
• Günter Neumann, Matthew Taylor: Heruler. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2. Auflage. Band 14, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 1999, ISBN 3-11-016423-X, S. 468–474.
• Walter Pohl: Die Gepiden und die gentes an der mittleren Donau nach dem Zerfall des Attilareiches. In: Herwig *Wolfram, Falko Daim (Hrsg.): Die Völker an der mittleren und unteren Donau im fünften und sechsten Jahrhundert. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1980, ISBN 3-7001-0353-0, S. 239–305.
• Bruno Rappaport: Heruli. In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (RE). Band VIII,1, Stuttgart 1912, Sp. 1150–1167.

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The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. The name is related to earl (see erilaz) and was probably an honorific military title. One of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.

The 6th century chronicler Jordanes reports a tradition that they had been driven out of their homeland by the Dani, which places their origins in the Danish isles or southernmost Sweden. According to Procopius, they maintained close links with their kinsmen in Thule (Scandinavia). He relates that the Heruls killed their own king during their stay in the Balkans (cf. Domalde), and that they sent an emissary to Thule requesting a new king. Their request was granted, and a new king arrived with 200 young men.

The Heruls are first mentioned by Roman writers in the reign of Gallienus (260-268), when they accompanied the Goths ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. The mixed warbands sacked Byzantium in 267, but their eastern contingent was decimated in the Balkans at the Battle of Naissus two years later. A western contingent of Heruli are mentioned at the mouth of the Rhine in 289.

By the end of the 4th century the Heruls were subjugated by the Ostrogoths. When the Ostrogothic kingdom of Ermanaric was destroyed by the Huns in about 375, the Heruls became subject to the Hunnic empire. Only after the fall of the Hunnic realm in 454, were the Heruls able to create their own kingdom in southern Slovakia at the March and Theiss rivers.

After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" in Moravia, near Singidunum (Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.

Records indicate that the Heruli served in the armies of the Byzantine emperors for a number of years, in particular in the campaigns of Belisarius, when much of the old Roman territory, including Italy, Syria, and North Africa was recaptured. Pharus was a notable Herulian commander during this period. Several thousand Heruli served in the personal guard of Belisarius throughout the campaigns. They disappear from historical record by the mid-6th century.

According to Procopius, many Heruli returned to Scandinavia and settled beside the Geats (Gautoi). The places where they are assumed to have resettled have been identified with Vermland or the provinces of Blekinge and Värend, two districts where the women had equal rights of inheritance with their brothers. Some noble Swedish families in the area also claim to be descendants of the returning Heruli. It should be noted that such identifications are not widely accepted. It has also been suggested that it was returning Heruli who first colonized Iceland.[1]

No "Heruli" are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas ("nobles"), Old Saxon erlos ("men"), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that "Heruli" may have been a title of honor.

From the end of the third century, Heruls are also mentioned as raiders in Gaul and Spain, where they are mentioned together with Saxons and Alamanni. These Heruls are usually regarded as Western Heruls; their settlements are assumed to have been somewhere at the lower Rhine.

In Italy the noble family of Eroli (Narni, Rome), on the basis of an etymology of Eroli, claim descent from one of the Heruli, after the Italian conquest by Odoacer.

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Born 149 BC -------------------- The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. The name is related to earl (see erilaz) and was probably an honorific military title. One of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.

The 6th century chronicler Jordanes reports a tradition that they had been driven out of their homeland by the Dani, which places their origins in the Danish isles or southernmost Sweden. According to Procopius, they maintained close links with their kinsmen in Thule (Scandinavia). He relates that the Heruls killed their own king during their stay in the Balkans (cf. Domalde), and that they sent an emissary to Thule requesting a new king. Their request was granted, and a new king arrived with 200 young men.

The Heruls are first mentioned by Roman writers in the reign of Gallienus (260-268), when they accompanied the Goths ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. The mixed warbands sacked Byzantium in 267, but their eastern contingent was decimated in the Balkans at the Battle of Naissus two years later. A western contingent of Heruli are mentioned at the mouth of the Rhine in 289.

By the end of the 4th century the Heruls were subjugated by the Ostrogoths. When the Ostrogothic kingdom of Ermanaric was destroyed by the Huns in about 375, the Heruls became subject to the Hunnic empire. Only after the fall of the Hunnic realm in 454, were the Heruls able to create their own kingdom in southern Slovakia at the March and Theiss rivers.

After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" in Moravia, near Singidunum (Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.

Records indicate that the Heruli served in the armies of the Byzantine emperors for a number of years, in particular in the campaigns of Belisarius, when much of the old Roman territory, including Italy, Syria, and North Africa was recaptured. Pharus was a notable Herulian commander during this period. Several thousand Heruli served in the personal guard of Belisarius throughout the campaigns. They disappear from historical record by the mid-6th century.

According to Procopius, many Heruli returned to Scandinavia and settled beside the Geats (Gautoi). The places where they are assumed to have resettled have been identified with Vermland or the provinces of Blekinge and Värend, two districts where the women had equal rights of inheritance with their brothers. Some noble Swedish families in the area also claim to be descendants of the returning Heruli. It should be noted that such identifications are not widely accepted. It has also been suggested that it was returning Heruli who first colonized Iceland.[1]

No "Heruli" are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas ("nobles"), Old Saxon erlos ("men"), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that "Heruli" may have been a title of honor.

From the end of the third century, Heruls are also mentioned as raiders in Gaul and Spain, where they are mentioned together with Saxons and Alamanni. These Heruls are usually regarded as Western Heruls; their settlements are assumed to have been somewhere at the lower Rhine.

In Italy the noble family of Eroli (Narni, Rome), on the basis of an etymology of Eroli, claim descent from one of the Heruli, after the Italian conquest by Odoacer.

The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. The name is related to earl (see erilaz) and was probably an honorific military title. One of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.

The 6th century chronicler Jordanes reports a tradition that they had been driven out of their homeland by the Dani, which places their origins in the Danish isles or southernmost Sweden. According to Procopius, they maintained close links with their kinsmen in Thule (Scandinavia). He relates that the Heruls killed their own king during their stay in the Balkans (cf. Domalde), and that they sent an emissary to Thule requesting a new king. Their request was granted, and a new king arrived with 200 young men.

The Heruls are first mentioned by Roman writers in the reign of Gallienus (260-268), when they accompanied the Goths ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. The mixed warbands sacked Byzantium in 267, but their eastern contingent was decimated in the Balkans at the Battle of Naissus two years later. A western contingent of Heruli are mentioned at the mouth of the Rhine in 289.

By the end of the 4th century the Heruls were subjugated by the Ostrogoths. When the Ostrogothic kingdom of Ermanaric was destroyed by the Huns in about 375, the Heruls became subject to the Hunnic empire. Only after the fall of the Hunnic realm in 454, were the Heruls able to create their own kingdom in southern Slovakia at the March and Theiss rivers.

After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" in Moravia, near Singidunum (Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.

Records indicate that the Heruli served in the armies of the Byzantine emperors for a number of years, in particular in the campaigns of Belisarius, when much of the old Roman territory, including Italy, Syria, and North Africa was recaptured. Pharus was a notable Herulian commander during this period. Several thousand Heruli served in the personal guard of Belisarius throughout the campaigns. They disappear from historical record by the mid-6th century.

According to Procopius, many Heruli returned to Scandinavia and settled beside the Geats (Gautoi). The places where they are assumed to have resettled have been identified with Vermland or the provinces of Blekinge and Värend, two districts where the women had equal rights of inheritance with their brothers. Some noble Swedish families in the area also claim to be descendants of the returning Heruli. It should be noted that such identifications are not widely accepted. It has also been suggested that it was returning Heruli who first colonized Iceland.[1]

No "Heruli" are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas ("nobles"), Old Saxon erlos ("men"), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that "Heruli" may have been a title of honor.

From the end of the third century, Heruls are also mentioned as raiders in Gaul and Spain, where they are mentioned together with Saxons and Alamanni. These Heruls are usually regarded as Western Heruls; their settlements are assumed to have been somewhere at the lower Rhine.

In Italy the noble family of Eroli (Narni, Rome), on the basis of an etymology of Eroli, claim descent from one of the Heruli, after the Italian conquest by Odoacer.

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Born 149 BC -------------------- The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. The name is related to earl (see erilaz) and was probably an honorific military title. One of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.

The 6th century chronicler Jordanes reports a tradition that they had been driven out of their homeland by the Dani, which places their origins in the Danish isles or southernmost Sweden. According to Procopius, they maintained close links with their kinsmen in Thule (Scandinavia). He relates that the Heruls killed their own king during their stay in the Balkans (cf. Domalde), and that they sent an emissary to Thule requesting a new king. Their request was granted, and a new king arrived with 200 young men.

The Heruls are first mentioned by Roman writers in the reign of Gallienus (260-268), when they accompanied the Goths ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. The mixed warbands sacked Byzantium in 267, but their eastern contingent was decimated in the Balkans at the Battle of Naissus two years later. A western contingent of Heruli are mentioned at the mouth of the Rhine in 289.

By the end of the 4th century the Heruls were subjugated by the Ostrogoths. When the Ostrogothic kingdom of Ermanaric was destroyed by the Huns in about 375, the Heruls became subject to the Hunnic empire. Only after the fall of the Hunnic realm in 454, were the Heruls able to create their own kingdom in southern Slovakia at the March and Theiss rivers.

After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" in Moravia, near Singidunum (Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.

Records indicate that the Heruli served in the armies of the Byzantine emperors for a number of years, in particular in the campaigns of Belisarius, when much of the old Roman territory, including Italy, Syria, and North Africa was recaptured. Pharus was a notable Herulian commander during this period. Several thousand Heruli served in the personal guard of Belisarius throughout the campaigns. They disappear from historical record by the mid-6th century.

According to Procopius, many Heruli returned to Scandinavia and settled beside the Geats (Gautoi). The places where they are assumed to have resettled have been identified with Vermland or the provinces of Blekinge and Värend, two districts where the women had equal rights of inheritance with their brothers. Some noble Swedish families in the area also claim to be descendants of the returning Heruli. It should be noted that such identifications are not widely accepted. It has also been suggested that it was returning Heruli who first colonized Iceland.[1]

No "Heruli" are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas ("nobles"), Old Saxon erlos ("men"), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that "Heruli" may have been a title of honor.

From the end of the third century, Heruls are also mentioned as raiders in Gaul and Spain, where they are mentioned together with Saxons and Alamanni. These Heruls are usually regarded as Western Heruls; their settlements are assumed to have been somewhere at the lower Rhine.

In Italy the noble family of Eroli (Narni, Rome), on the basis of an etymology of Eroli, claim descent from one of the Heruli, after the Italian conquest by Odoacer.

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Heruli (hláskovaný různě v latině a řečtině) byl kočovný germánský národ, který byl ve 3. až 5. století podroben Ostrogótům, Hunům a Byzantincům. Jméno souvisí s hrabětem (viz erilaz) a pravděpodobně šlo o čestný vojenský titul. Jeden z Herulů, Odoaker, sesadil posledního západořímského císaře Romula Augusta.

Kronikář ze 6. století Jordanes uvádí tradici, že byli ze své vlasti vyhnáni Dani, což klade jejich původ na dánské ostrovy nebo nejjižnější Švédsko.  Podle Prokopia udržovali úzké vazby se svými příbuznými v Thule (Skandinávie).  Vypráví, že Herulové zabili svého vlastního krále během svého pobytu na Balkáně (srov. Domalde) a že poslali do Thule vyslance s žádostí o nového krále.  Jejich žádosti bylo vyhověno a přišel nový král s 200 mladými muži.

O Herulech se poprvé zmiňují římští spisovatelé za vlády Galliena (260-268), kdy doprovázeli Góty pustošící pobřeží Černého a Egejského moře. Smíšené válečné tlupy vyplenily Byzanc v roce 267, ale jejich východní kontingent byl zdecimován na Balkáně v bitvě u Naissu o dva roky později. Západní kontingent Heruli je zmíněn u ústí Rýna v roce 289.
Koncem 4. století byli Herulové podrobeni Ostrogóti. Když bylo kolem roku 375 zničeno Ostrogótské království Ermanaric Huny, Herulové se stali podřízenými Hunské říši. Teprve po pádu hunské říše v roce 454 si Herulové mohli vytvořit vlastní království na jižním Slovensku u řek March a Theiss.
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Poté, co bylo toto království zničeno Langobardy, herulské bohatství ubývalo. Zbývající Herulové se připojili k Langobardům a přestěhovali se do Itálie a někteří z nich hledali útočiště u Gepidů. Marcellinus je zaznamenán, že Římané (míněno Východní Římané nebo v moderním pojmenování Byzantinci) jim umožnili přesídlit vylidněné „země a města“ na Moravě, poblíž Singiduna (Bělehrad); toto bylo provedeno "na příkaz Anastasia Caesara" někdy mezi 29. červnem a 31. srpnem 512. Po jedné generaci toto menší federální království zmizelo z historických záznamů.

Záznamy naznačují, že Herulové sloužili řadu let v armádách byzantských císařů, zejména v Belisariových taženích, kdy byla znovu dobyta velká část starého římského území, včetně Itálie, Sýrie a severní Afriky.  Pharus byl v tomto období významným herulským velitelem.  Několik tisíc Heruli sloužilo v osobní stráži Belisarius během kampaní.  Z historických záznamů mizí v polovině 6. století.

Podle Prokopia se mnoho Heruli vrátilo do Skandinávie a usadilo se vedle Geatů (Gautoi). Místa, kde se předpokládá, že se přesídlily, byla ztotožněna s Vermlandem nebo provinciemi Blekinge a Värend, dvěma okresy, kde měly ženy stejná práva na dědictví jako jejich bratři. Některé šlechtické švédské rodiny v této oblasti také tvrdí, že jsou potomky vracejícího se Heruli. Je třeba poznamenat, že takové identifikace nejsou široce přijímány. To bylo také navrhl, že to bylo vracející se Heruli kdo nejprve kolonizoval Island.
V anglosaských, franských nebo severských kronikách nejsou žádné „Heruli“ zmíněny, takže se předpokládá, že byli na severu a západě známi pod jiným jménem. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 navrhla, že jelikož jméno Heruli samo o sobě mnozí ztotožňují s anglosaskými eorlas („šlechtici“), starosaskými erlos („muži“), jejichž jednotné číslo (erilaz) se často vyskytuje v nejstarších severních nápisech , že „Heruli“ mohl být čestný titul.

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Od konce třetího století jsou Herulové zmiňováni jako nájezdníci také v Galii a Španělsku, kde jsou uváděni společně se Sasy a Alamany. Tito Herulové jsou obvykle považováni za západní Heruly; předpokládá se, že jejich osady byly někde u dolního Rýna.

V Itálii si šlechtický rod Eroli (Narni, Řím) na základě etymologie Eroli nárokuje původ jednoho z Heruliů po italském dobytí Odoacerem.

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Narozen 149 př. n. l. <nowiki>--------------------</nowiki> 

Herulové (hláskovaní různě v latině a řečtině) byli kočovní germánští lidé, kteří byli podrobeni Ostrogóti, Hunové a Byzantinci ve 3. až 5. století. Jméno souvisí s hrabětem (viz erilaz) a pravděpodobně šlo o čestný vojenský titul. Jeden z Herulů, Odoaker, sesadil posledního západořímského císaře Romula Augusta.

Kronikář ze 6. století Jordanes uvádí tradici, že byli ze své vlasti vyhnáni Dani, což klade jejich původ na dánské ostrovy nebo nejjižnější Švédsko.  Podle Prokopia udržovali úzké vazby se svými příbuznými v Thule (Skandinávie).  Vypráví, že Herulové zabili svého vlastního krále během svého pobytu na Balkáně (srov. Domalde) a že poslali do Thule vyslance s žádostí o nového krále.  Jejich žádosti bylo vyhověno a přišel nový král s 200 mladými muži.

O Herulech se poprvé zmiňují římští spisovatelé za vlády Galliena (260-268), kdy doprovázeli Góty pustošící pobřeží Černého a Egejského moře. Smíšené válečné tlupy vyplenily Byzanc v roce 267, ale jejich východní kontingent byl zdecimován na Balkáně v bitvě u Naissu o dva roky později. Západní kontingent Heruli je zmíněn u ústí Rýna v roce 289.

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Koncem 4. století byli Herulové podrobeni Ostrogóti. Když bylo kolem roku 375 zničeno Ostrogótské království Ermanaric Huny, Herulové se stali podřízenými Hunské říši. Teprve po pádu hunské říše v roce 454 si Herulové mohli vytvořit vlastní království na jižním Slovensku u řek March a Theiss.

Poté, co bylo toto království zničeno Langobardy, herulské bohatství ubývalo.  Zbývající Herulové se připojili k Langobardům a přestěhovali se do Itálie a někteří z nich hledali útočiště u Gepidů.  Marcellinus je zaznamenán, že Římané (míněno Východní Římané nebo v moderním pojmenování Byzantinci) jim umožnili přesídlit vylidněné „země a města“ na Moravě, poblíž Singiduna (Bělehrad);  toto bylo provedeno "na příkaz Anastasia Caesara" někdy mezi 29. červnem a 31. srpnem 512. Po jedné generaci toto menší federální království zmizelo z historických záznamů.

Záznamy naznačují, že Herulové sloužili řadu let v armádách byzantských císařů, zejména v Belisariových taženích, kdy byla znovu dobyta velká část starého římského území, včetně Itálie, Sýrie a severní Afriky. Pharus byl v tomto období významným herulským velitelem. Několik tisíc Heruli sloužilo v osobní stráži Belisarius během kampaní. Z historických záznamů mizí v polovině 6. století.
Podle Prokopia se mnoho Heruli vrátilo do Skandinávie a usadilo se vedle Geatů (Gautoi). Místa, kde se předpokládá, že se přesídlily, byla ztotožněna s Vermlandem nebo provinciemi Blekinge a Värend, dvěma okresy, kde měly ženy stejná práva na dědictví jako jejich bratři. Některé šlechtické švédské rodiny v této oblasti také tvrdí, že jsou potomky vracejícího se Heruli. Je třeba poznamenat, že takové identifikace nejsou široce přijímány. To bylo také navrhl, že to bylo vracející se Heruli kdo nejprve kolonizoval Island.

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V anglosaských, franských nebo severských kronikách nejsou žádné „Heruli“ zmíněny, takže se předpokládá, že byli na severu a západě známi pod jiným jménem. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 navrhla, že jelikož jméno Heruli samo o sobě mnozí ztotožňují s anglosaskými eorlas („šlechtici“), starosaskými erlos („muži“), jejichž jednotné číslo (erilaz) se často vyskytuje v nejstarších severních nápisech , že „Heruli“ mohl být čestný titul.

Od konce třetího století jsou Herulové zmiňováni jako nájezdníci také v Galii a Španělsku, kde jsou uváděni společně se Sasy a Alamany.  Tito Herulové jsou obvykle považováni za západní Heruly;  předpokládá se, že jejich osady byly někde u dolního Rýna.

V Itálii si šlechtický rod Eroli (Narni, Řím) na základě etymologie Eroli nárokuje původ jednoho z Heruliů po italském dobytí Odoacerem.

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Born 149 BC

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The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. The name is related to earl (see erilaz) and was probably an honorific military title. One of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.

The 6th century chronicler Jordanes reports a tradition that they had been driven out of their homeland by the Dani, which places their origins in the Danish isles or southernmost Sweden. According to Procopius, they maintained close links with their kinsmen in Thule (Scandinavia). He relates that the Heruls killed their own king during their stay in the Balkans (cf. Domalde), and that they sent an emissary to Thule requesting a new king. Their request was granted, and a new king arrived with 200 young men.

The Heruls are first mentioned by Roman writers in the reign of Gallienus (260-268), when they accompanied the Goths ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. The mixed warbands sacked Byzantium in 267, but their eastern contingent was decimated in the Balkans at the Battle of Naissus two years later. A western contingent of Heruli are mentioned at the mouth of the Rhine in 289.

By the end of the 4th century the Heruls were subjugated by the Ostrogoths. When the Ostrogothic kingdom of Ermanaric was destroyed by the Huns in about 375, the Heruls became subject to the Hunnic empire. Only after the fall of the Hunnic realm in 454, were the Heruls able to create their own kingdom in southern Slovakia at the March and Theiss rivers.

After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" in Moravia, near Singidunum (Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.

Records indicate that the Heruli served in the armies of the Byzantine emperors for a number of years, in particular in the campaigns of Belisarius, when much of the old Roman territory, including Italy, Syria, and North Africa was recaptured. Pharus was a notable Herulian commander during this period. Several thousand Heruli served in the personal guard of Belisarius throughout the campaigns. They disappear from historical record by the mid-6th century.

According to Procopius, many Heruli returned to Scandinavia and settled beside the Geats (Gautoi). The places where they are assumed to have resettled have been identified with Vermland or the provinces of Blekinge and Värend, two districts where the women had equal rights of inheritance with their brothers. Some noble Swedish families in the area also claim to be descendants of the returning Heruli. It should be noted that such identifications are not widely accepted. It has also been suggested that it was returning Heruli who first colonized Iceland.[1]

No "Heruli" are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas ("nobles"), Old Saxon erlos ("men"), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that "Heruli" may have been a title of honor.

From the end of the third century, Heruls are also mentioned as raiders in Gaul and Spain, where they are mentioned together with Saxons and Alamanni. These Heruls are usually regarded as Western Heruls; their settlements are assumed to have been somewhere at the lower Rhine.

In Italy the noble family of Eroli (Narni, Rome), on the basis of an etymology of Eroli, claim descent from one of the Heruli, after the Italian conquest by Odoacer.

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Born 149 BC -------------------- The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. The name is related to earl (see erilaz) and was probably an honorific military title. One of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.

The 6th century chronicler Jordanes reports a tradition that they had been driven out of their homeland by the Dani, which places their origins in the Danish isles or southernmost Sweden. According to Procopius, they maintained close links with their kinsmen in Thule (Scandinavia). He relates that the Heruls killed their own king during their stay in the Balkans (cf. Domalde), and that they sent an emissary to Thule requesting a new king. Their request was granted, and a new king arrived with 200 young men.

The Heruls are first mentioned by Roman writers in the reign of Gallienus (260-268), when they accompanied the Goths ravaging the coasts of the Black Sea and the Aegean. The mixed warbands sacked Byzantium in 267, but their eastern contingent was decimated in the Balkans at the Battle of Naissus two years later. A western contingent of Heruli are mentioned at the mouth of the Rhine in 289.

By the end of the 4th century the Heruls were subjugated by the Ostrogoths. When the Ostrogothic kingdom of Ermanaric was destroyed by the Huns in about 375, the Heruls became subject to the Hunnic empire. Only after the fall of the Hunnic realm in 454, were the Heruls able to create their own kingdom in southern Slovakia at the March and Theiss rivers.

After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" in Moravia, near Singidunum (Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.

Records indicate that the Heruli served in the armies of the Byzantine emperors for a number of years, in particular in the campaigns of Belisarius, when much of the old Roman territory, including Italy, Syria, and North Africa was recaptured. Pharus was a notable Herulian commander during this period. Several thousand Heruli served in the personal guard of Belisarius throughout the campaigns. They disappear from historical record by the mid-6th century.

According to Procopius, many Heruli returned to Scandinavia and settled beside the Geats (Gautoi). The places where they are assumed to have resettled have been identified with Vermland or the provinces of Blekinge and Värend, two districts where the women had equal rights of inheritance with their brothers. Some noble Swedish families in the area also claim to be descendants of the returning Heruli. It should be noted that such identifications are not widely accepted. It has also been suggested that it was returning Heruli who first colonized Iceland.[1]

No "Heruli" are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or Norse chronicles, so it is assumed they were known in the north and west by another name. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 suggested that, since the name Heruli itself is identified by many with the Anglo-Saxon eorlas ("nobles"), Old Saxon erlos ("men"), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest Northern inscriptions, that "Heruli" may have been a title of honor.

From the end of the third century, Heruls are also mentioned as raiders in Gaul and Spain, where they are mentioned together with Saxons and Alamanni. These Heruls are usually regarded as Western Heruls; their settlements are assumed to have been somewhere at the lower Rhine.

In Italy the noble family of Eroli (Narni, Rome), on the basis of an etymology of Eroli, claim descent from one of the Heruli, after the Italian conquest by Odoacer.