Battle of the Volturnus 554
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 554 | 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 | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.0917, 14.0567 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 near the Volturno River between an army of the Byzantine Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni. The Byzantines, led by the general Narses, were victorious, marking the end of the Gothic War (535–554).
After the death of the Ostrogothic king Teia, a 75,000-strong force of Franks and Alemanni under Leutharis and Butilinus invaded Italy and threatened Byzantine control of the peninsula in the spring of 553. Initially, Narses avoided direct engagement with the Frankish army, staying behind walls most of the year. This course of action effectively allowed the Franks to pillage as they moved south along the Italian Peninsula. The Frankish army split into two parts. One part of the army, led by Leutharis, moved north, but upon reaching the River Po, it was decimated by plague. The second army, led by Butilinus, continued to pillage, but once it moved north, it was intercepted by Narses with an army of approximately 18,000 men near the Volturno River.
Before the battle, Byzantine cavalry disrupted the Franks' supply lines and destroyed a watchtower guarding a bridge over the river. This prompted both sides to assemble for battle.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Volturnus (revision 1371819341), 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 the Volturno 1860 · 3 km
- Battle of Mount Tifata 83 BC · 10 km
- Siege of Capua (1734) 1734 · 12 km
- Battle of Capua (1348) 1348 · 13 km
- Siege of Capua (1098) 1098 · 13 km
- Battle of Capua (212 BC) 212 BC · 16 km
Other battles of the Gothic War of 535–554
- Siege of Rome (549–550) 549
- Battle of Sena Gallica (551) 551
- Battle of Mons Lactarius 552
- Battle of Taginae 552
- Siege of Salona (537)
All 20 battles of the Gothic War of 535–554 →
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