Siege of Ariminum (538) 538
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 538 | Wikidata P580 (start 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 | 44.0594, 12.5683 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Siege of Ariminum, also known as the Siege of Rimini, was an encounter in 538 AD during the Gothic War, where the Byzantine forces broke the siege by the Ostrogoths (Goths).
In early 538 and during the Siege of Rome (537–538), the besieged Byzantine General Belisarius sent John the Sanguinary to raid the Picenum region. John took the initiative and captured Ariminum, near the Gothic capital, Ravenna, to entice the Goths into lifting the Siege of Rome. Belisarius sent reinforcements to Ariminum and ordered John to leave the city, as his cavalry forces would not be useful in the case of a siege. However, John refused to obey and stayed in the city. In the meantime, fearing for their capital, the Goths retreated from Rome in mid-March 538 and moved north. In April they besieged Ariminum, trapping John and his troops. They were unsuccessful in taking Ariminum by force, and instead, the leader of the Gothic forces, Vitiges, decided to starve the town.
Initially, the Byzantine leadership was divided over whether to rescue John despite his insubordination. Belisarius ultimately chose to save him after an appeal from Chamberlain Narses that John's loss would boost the morale of the Goths.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Ariminum (538) (revision 1374269180), 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
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Other battles of the Gothic War of 535–554
- Siege of Panormus 535
- Siege of Naples (536) 536
- Siege of Rome (537–538) 537
- Siege of Milan (538–539) 538
- Siege of Urbinus 538
- Siege of Auximus 539
- Siege of Ravenna (539–540) 539
- Battle of Treviso 541
- Siege of Verona 541
- Battle of Faventia 542
All 20 battles of the Gothic War of 535–554 →
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