Sack of Rome

Overview

In 546, Rome was besieged for a year by the Gothic king Totila during the Gothic War between the Ostrogoths (Goths) and the Byzantine Empire.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Ostrogothic capture of Rome in 546 under Totila represented a major reversal in the Byzantine campaign to recover Italy from the Ostrogoths. The city had been a principal objective and symbolic prize of the Gothic War, and its fall demonstrated the limits of Byzantine garrison forces, with only some 3,000 troops under Bessas and Conon holding the city at the time. The loss of Rome marked a significant low point for Justinian's reconquest effort, which had begun in 535.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)