28 August 526 – 25 Elul 4286
Theodoric the Great, King of the Eastern Goths (Ostrogoths), died 33 years after conquering north Italy. The tolerant monarch had granted his Jewish subjects freedom of religion, recording their rights in a writ to the Jews of Genoa, in which he asserted that the king could not command his subjects beliefs, as no-one can be forced to believe against their will. Theodoric’s policy was a stark contrast to the situation in south Italy, where the Pope held sway over both Church and State. The Goth’s comparatively liberal policy may also have had a more temporal cause, as he reportedly encouraged Jews to settle in his kingdom because he saw them as a source of economic benefit.