Siege of Rome (537–538)
| Siege of Rome | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gothic War | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Eastern Roman Empire | Ostrogothic Kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Belisarius | Vitiges | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 5,000 men 5,600 reinforcements unknown number of conscripts |
~45,000 men | ||||||||
The First Siege of Rome during the Gothic War lasted for a year and nine days, from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538. The city was besieged by the Ostrogothic army under their king Vitiges; the defending East Romans were commanded by Belisarius, one of the most famous and successful Byzantine generals. The siege was the first major encounter between the forces of the two opponents, and played a decisive role in the subsequent development of the war.
With northern Africa back in Roman hands after the successful Vandalic War, Emperor Justinian I turned his sights on Italy, with the old capital, the city of Rome.
In the late 5th century, the peninsula had come under the control of the Ostrogoths, who, although they continued to acknowledge the Empire's suzerainty, had established a practically independent kingdom. However, after the death of its founder, the able Theodoric the Great, in 526, Italy descended into turmoil. Justinian took advantage of this to intervene in the affairs of the Ostrogoth state.
In 535, the Byzantine general Mundus invaded Dalmatia, and Belisarius, with an army of 7,500 men, captured Sicily with ease. From there, in June next year, he crossed over to Italy at Rhegium. After a twenty-day siege, the Romans sacked Naples in early November. After the fall of Naples, the Goths, who were enraged with the inactivity of their king, Theodahad, gathered in council and elected Vitiges as their new king. Theodahad, who fled from Rome to Ravenna, was murdered by an agent of Vitiges on the way. In the meantime, Vitiges held a council at Rome, where it was decided not to seek immediate confrontation with Belisarius, but to wait until the main army, stationed in the north, was assembled. Vitiges then departed Rome for Ravenna, leaving a 4,000 strong garrison to secure the city.
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