Siege of Rome

Overview

The siege of Rome took place on 2 March 537 – 12 March 538 AD and it was the city's first siege during the Gothic War (535–554) between the defending Byzantine Empire's forces under the leadership of Belisarius against a numerically superior Ostrogothic (Goths) force under Vitigis. 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.

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

Significance

The Siege of Rome, begun in March 537, was a central engagement of the Gothic War of 535–554, in which Byzantine forces under Belisarius held the city against a substantially larger Ostrogothic army commanded by Vitiges. With a garrison recorded at approximately 5,000, the Byzantine defense of Rome represented the principal test of Belisarius's capacity to hold the Italian peninsula's most symbolically consequential city against the Ostrogothic counteroffensive. The ability or failure of the Byzantines to retain Rome bore directly on the broader imperial campaign to restore Roman authority over Italy under Justinian I.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)