Rodulf (petty King) - Rodulf of The Ranii

Rodulf of The Ranii

Rodulf of the Ranii tribe appears in the Getica (De origine actibusque Getarum; "The Origin and Deeds of the Goths") of the Roman historian Jordanes. Building on the now lost Historia Gothorum ("History of the Goths") of Cassiodorus, Jordanes wrote his account at the request of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy, in 525. In the Getica, it is said that Rodulf spurned his own kingdom, namely that of the Ranii tribe (probably from Romsdal or Ranrike), and therefore fled to seek the sanctuary and support of Theodoric. It is unclear whether he was king of the Ranii tribe alone, or if he ruled all the seven tribes described, starting in Grenland; "the Granii, Augandzi, Eunixi, Taetel, Rugii, Aprochi, Ranii." It is possible that it was Rodulf, or potentially some of his subjects, who provided Cassiodorus or Jordanes with the information for their extensive lists and deatils of Scandinavian peoples and tribes.