Siege of Milan (538–539) 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 | 45.4669, 9.1900 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Milan, also known as siege of Mediolanum, took place in April 538 – March 539 AD
where the Ostrogoths (Goths) seized control of Milan from the Byzantine Empire, as part of the Gothic War (535–554).
After the Goths lifted their siege of Rome, Byzantine general Belisarius sent Mundilas to occupy Milan in April 538. The non-Goth citizens of Milan welcomed the Byzantine forces. Upon the news, the Gothic King Vitiges sent an army under the leadership of his nephew Uraias, along with Burgundian allies, to recover Milan. During the siege, the city endured severe famine as relief efforts by the Byzantines were delayed due to disputes among their leadership, Belisarius and Narses. Eventually, Milan capitulated in March 539, the Goths killed the male inhabitants as punishment for the city's earlier revolt, and the women were sold to the Burgundians for their assistance in the siege. After the city was razed, the Goths recovered much of the Liguria region. The fall of Milan was a major setback for the Byzantine campaign in Italy and exposed flaws in their command structure. In response to the fall of Milan, Emperor Justinian called Narses back to Constantinople, leaving Belisarius as the sole commander-in-chief of the Byzantine forces in Italy.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Milan (538–539) (revision 1370994125), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Milan (452) 452 · 0 km
- Battle of Mediolanum 259 · 2 km
- Battle of Insubria 203 BC · 2 km
- Battle of Bicocca 1522 · 6 km
- Battle of Marignano 1515 · 15 km
- Battle of Desio 1277 · 17 km
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 Ariminum (538) 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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