Battle of Sena Gallica (551) 551
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 551 | 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 |
| Coordinates | 43.7131, 13.2528 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Sena Gallica was a naval engagement fought in the autumn of 551 off the Italian Adriatic coast near Sena Gallica, (modern Senigallia). It marked a turning point in the Gothic War (535–554) between the Byzantines and the Ostrogoths (Goths).
In 550, the Byzantine Empire was struggling to maintain control of Italy after earlier victories under Belisarius. Following his recall by Emperor Justinian I, disagreements among the remaining Byzantine commanders allowed the Goths to recover under their charismatic king, Totila. By 550, Totila had regained much of Italy, invaded Sicily, and built a fleet capable of challenging Byzantine control of the seas. He also sought to capture the remaining Byzantine strongholds on the Italian Peninsula and in particular the coastal city of Ancon. In autumn 551, the Goths besieged Ancon by land and sea while at the same time Totila sent part of his navy to raid nearby regions on the west side of the Balkan Peninsula. In response, the Byzantine generals Valerian and John the Sanguinary assembled a fleet and sailed toward Sena Gallica to provide relief to Ancon. As the fleets were similar in size, the Goths were emboldened to engage the Byzantines at sea.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Sena Gallica (551) (revision 1370993725), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Sena Gallica (82 BC) 82 BC · 3 km
- Battle of Scapezzano 1815 · 7 km
- Battle of the Asio River (82 BC) 82 BC · 12 km
- Battle of the Metaurus 207 BC · 21 km
- Battle of Fano 271 · 23 km
- Siege of Ancona (1860) 1860 · 24 km
Other battles of the Gothic War of 535–554
- Battle of Faventia 542
- Battle of Mucellium 542
- Siege of Naples (542–543) 542
- Sack of Rome (546) 546
- Siege of Rome (549–550) 549
- Battle of Mons Lactarius 552
- 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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