Heruli

The Heruli (also Eluri, Eruli, Herules, Herulians) were one of the smaller Germanic peoples, who, along with their neighbours the Scirii, Rugii and Gepids, are best known from records from the late 5th century AD and early 6th century, when they lived in a series of small kingdoms established near the Roman frontier along the Middle Danube.

Before the 5th century, the Heruli were apparently forced to move like the Goths and Alans from Eastern European homelands, because of the dramatic entry of the Huns from the east. Before their appearance near the Danube they are generally equated to the "Elouri" who lived near the Sea of Azov in the third century, and took part in massive raids into Roman provinces in the Balkans and Aegean Sea, attacking not only by land, but notably also by sea. The equation of these Elouri with the "Eruli" is already made by several later authors. However, some scholars such as Ellegård consider it uncertain, and have proposed that the Heruli homeland may be have been on the Middle Danube. Similar to the Goths, many of the Heruli subsequently entered the Roman empire and served in their military, where they developed a particularly notable reputation. Others settled just outside the Roman frontiers and caused disruption inside and outside of the empire. In 405 or 406 Heruli were among the ferocious nations who Saint Jerome described as occupying all of Roman Gaul. Attila and his Huns came to dominate the Danubian region, and the Heruli kingdom probably already existed within his empire, like the kingdoms of the Ostrogoths, Scirii, and Gepids.

The Danubian Heruli also participated in successive conquests of Italy by Odoacer, Theoderic the Great, Narses and probably also the Lombards. However, their independent kingdom was destroyed by the Lombards by the early 6th century AD. A part of this population subsequently became established inside the Roman empire near Belgrade, and continued contributing fighting men to the Eastern Roman Empire, and participating in Balkan and Italian conflicts. With their last kingdom eventually dominated by Rome, and smaller groups integrated into larger political entities such as the Gepids and Lombards, the Heruli disappeared from history around the time of the conquest of Italy by the Lombards.

Scholars are uncertain of many aspects of their history. Some scholars believe that the Heruli originated in Scandinavia, and that different Herule groups existed in different parts of Europe, who were not all descended from those who lived near the Black Sea and Danube. Notably, there is an old proposal that there was a western Herule kingdom somewhere near the Lower Rhine.