Gothic War (535-554)
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Was a war between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. The war had its roots in the ambition of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I to recover the provinces of the former Western Roman Empire, which the Romans had lost to invading barbarian tribes.
Chronology
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Was the first Eastern Roman campaign in Italy under General Belisarius during the Gothic War (535-554).
September 535: Belisarius lands in Sicily.
September 535: Mundus conquers Dalmatia.
January 536: Sicily conquered by Eastern Roman Empire.
July 536: Belisarius, a Byzantine general under Emperor Justinian I, captured the city of Regium in 536. This victory was part of his campaign to reconquer the Western Roman Empire territories from the Ostrogoths during the Gothic War.
December 536: In 536, the Byzantine general Belisarius captured Naples from the Ostrogoths during the Gothic War. This victory was part of the Eastern Roman Empire's efforts to reclaim Italy under the rule of Emperor Justinian I.
January 537: In 536, the Byzantine general Belisarius successfully captured Rome from the Ostrogoths.
November 537: Byzantines conquer Ariminum and Ancona.
March 538: The Siege of Rome by the Ostrogoths in 538 was led by the Gothic king Vitiges against the Eastern Roman Empire, ruled by Emperor Justinian I. The siege lasted over a year and resulted in the city falling to the Ostrogoths before being recaptured by the Byzantines.
May 538: In 538, the Byzantine general Solomon led the conquest of Liguria, expanding the Eastern Roman Empire's territory up to Mediolanum (modern-day Milan). This marked a significant military achievement for the Byzantines in their efforts to reclaim lost territories in Italy.
May 538: In 538, the city of Mediolanum (modern-day Milan) was besieged and sacked by the Burgundians and the Goths, led by their respective kings, Godegisel and Vitiges. This event marked a significant blow to the Western Roman Empire, as the territory fell under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire.
June 538: Mediolanum, a city in Italy, was sieged and sacked in 538 by the Burgundians and the Goths, led by King Vitiges. The attack was part of the Gothic War between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ostrogoths.
September 538: Byzantine conquest of Urbinum, Urbs Vetus, Auxinum and Faesulae.
September 539: Frankish raid in Liguria.
October 539: After their raid, the Franks left Liguria.
June 540: Byzantine occupation of Ravenna.
June 541: Ildibad reestablished control over Venetia and Liguria and decisively defeated the Roman general Vitalius at Treviso, but after having Uraias murdered because of a quarrel between their wives, he too was assassinated in May 541 in retribution.
January 543: After much urging by Justinian, the generals Constantian and Alexander combined their forces and advanced upon Verona. Through treachery they managed to capture a gate in the city walls, but then delayed so much by quarreling over the prospective booty that the Goths were able to recapture the gate, forcing the Byzantines to withdraw. Totila came up upon their camp near Faventia, and with 5,000 men destroyed the Roman army. Totila then marched down into Tuscany, where he besieged Florence. Three Roman generals, John, Bessas, and Cyprian marched to its relief, but in the Battle of Mucellium, their forces were defeated and dispersed.
January 550: The Ostrogothic reconquest of Rome in 549 was led by the Ostrogothic king Totila, who successfully recaptured the city from the Byzantine Empire during the Gothic War. This marked a significant victory for the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths in their ongoing conflict with the Byzantines.
April 536: Tho Ostrogoths reconquer part of Dalmatia.
April 537: The Siege of Rome by the Ostrogoths in 537 was led by the Gothic king Vitiges against the Byzantine garrison in the city, commanded by Belisarius. The siege lasted over a year and resulted in the Ostrogoths capturing Rome and establishing it as the capital of their kingdom.
July 536: The Byzantines reconquer Dalmatia.
January 547: Instead of remaining in central Italy, where his forces were outnumbered and even a single defeat might prove disastrous, Totila decided to march south, where Roman garrisons were few and weak. He bypassed Rome, and very soon, the provinces of southern Italy were forced to recognize his authority. This campaign amply illustrates the crucial points of Totila's strategy: rapid movements to take control of the countryside, leaving the Byzantines in control of isolated strongholds, mostly on the coast, which could be reduced later. When a fortified location fell, its walls were usually razed so that it would no longer be of any military value. Furthermore, Totila followed a conscious policy of treating his captives well, thus enticing them to surrender rather than resist to the end, and actively tried to win over the Italian population to his side.
Was the second major Eastern Roman offensive during the Gothic War (535-554).
January 563: The lands and cities across the River Po were still held by Franks, Alemanni and Goths, and it was not until 562 that their last strongholds, the cities of Verona and Brixia were subjugated. Nevertheless, according to Roman historian Procopius of Caesarea, the barbarian population was allowed to live peacefully in Italy under Roman sovereignty.
July 561: Verona was captured by the Byzantines on July 20, 561.
2.1.Battle of Taginae
Byzantine General defeated and killed Ostrogothic King Totila at the Battle of Taginae (552).
August 552: A new Italian campaign was organized under Justinian's nephew Germanus Justinus. With the death of Germanus in 551, Narses took on Totila, and at the Battle of Taginae (552) Narses defeated and killed Totila.
2.2.Battle of Mons Lactarius
Was a battle between the Ostrogothic Kingdom and the Byzanzine Empire in Campania.
November 553: After the Battle of Taginae, in which the Ostrogoth king Totila was killed, the Byzantine general Narses captured Rome and besieged Cumae. Teia, the new Ostrogothic king, gathered the remnants of the Ostrogothic army and marched to relieve the siege, but in October 552 (or early 553) Narses ambushed him at Mons Lactarius in Campania, near Mt. Vesuvius and Nuceria Alfaterna. The battle lasted two days, and Teia was killed in the fighting. Ostrogothic power in Italy was eliminated, and the remaining Ostrogoths went back north and (re)settled in south Austria. After the battle, Italy was again invaded, this time by the Franks, but they too were defeated and the peninsula was, for a time, reintegrated into the empire.
2.3.Frankish Invasion of Italy (555)
In 554, a massive army of about thirty thousand Franks and Alemanni invaded Byzantine Italy.
January 555: In 554, a massive army of about thirty thousand Franks and Alemanni invaded Italy and met the Byzantine army on the banks of the river Volturnus. The Roman legions under Narses formed up the central defenses, while several detachments of Herulian mercenaries controlled the flanks. In the Battle of the Volturnus, the Franks and Alemanni were driven back, suffering heavy losses.
February 555: In 554, a massive army of about thirty thousand Franks and Alemanni invaded Italy and met the Byzantine army on the banks of the river Volturnus. The Roman legions under Narses formed up the central defenses, while several detachments of Herulian mercenaries controlled the flanks. In the Battle of the Volturnus, the Franks and Alemanni were driven back, suffering heavy losses.
2.4.Capitulation of Campsa
After the invasion of Italy by the Eastern Roman Army and the collapse of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, seven thousand Goths held out at Campsa, near Naples until they capitulated in the spring of 555.
February 555: After being defeate din most of Italy, seven thousand Goths entrenched themselves at Campsa, near Naples.
June 555: Campsa, the last Gothic stronghold in Italy, capitulated to the Byzantines in the spring of 555.
