The Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths) were a branch of the Goths, a Germanic people from northern and central Europe. They lived north of the Black Sea and, in the late 4th century, were absorbed into the Hunnic Empire. After Attila's death and the Battle of Nedao in 454, they broke free and rebuilt their own power. In the Balkans they negotiated with the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). Their leader Theoderic (r. 471โ526) sought a homeland for his people. At Emperor Zeno's request he marched into Italy in 488, defeated Odoacer, and took Ravenna in 493, founding the Ostrogothic Kingdom. The kingdom kept many Roman laws and officials, so Roman Italians and Goths lived side by side. Theoderic repaired cities and roads and tried to balance both communities. After Theoderic's death, internal struggles weakened the kingdom. The Eastern Roman Empire launched the Gothic War (a long war to retake Italy), and by 553 the Ostrogothic Kingdom fell. The remaining Ostrogoths gradually blended into other peoples.