Battle of Mons Lactarius 552
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 552 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Gothic War of 535–554 | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Byzantine Empire, Ostrogothic Kingdom | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 40.6500, 14.5000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Mons Lactarius took place in October 552 during the Gothic War (535–554) between Byzantine forces and the Ostrogoths (Goths) at Mount Lactarius near Mount Vesuvius in Italy.
After the defeat and death of the Gothic King Totila at the Battle of Taginae, Teia was chosen as the new Gothic king, who attempted to gather allies and the remaining Gothic forces. The Byzantines, led by Chamberlain Narses, moved to besiege Cumae, where much of Totila's war chest resided. Following this news, Teia moved to break the siege, but Narses intercepted him in the rugged terrain near Mount Vesuvius. After two months of stalemate, the two sides engaged in open battle. Teia was killed in the fighting, effectively ending organized Gothic royal leadership. The remaining Gothic troops resisted for two days but then surrendered under negotiated terms. This victory ended the Gothic state, allowing the Byzantines to reestablish their authority in the Italian Peninsula.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Mons Lactarius (revision 1370252747), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of the Gulf of Naples 1284 · 6 km
- Battle of Capo d'Orso 1528 · 10 km
- Battle of Nocera 1132 · 17 km
- Battle of Vesuvius 340 BC · 20 km
- Allied invasion of Italy 1943 · 22 km
- Battle of the Counts 1287 · 29 km
Other battles of the Gothic War of 535–554
- Battle of Mucellium 542
- Siege of Naples (542–543) 542
- Sack of Rome (546) 546
- Siege of Rome (549–550) 549
- Battle of Sena Gallica (551) 551
- Battle of Taginae 552
- Battle of the Volturnus 554
- Siege of Salona (537)
All 20 battles of the Gothic War of 535–554 →
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