Siege of Rome (537–538) 537
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 537 | 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 | 41.9000, 12.5000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Rome took place from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538 AD and was the city's first siege during the Gothic War (535–554) between the defending Byzantine Empire's forces under the leadership of General Belisarius and a numerically superior Ostrogothic force under King Vitiges. The siege was the first major encounter between the forces of the two opponents and played a decisive role in the subsequent development of the war.
Belisarius prepared the fortification of Rome for the upcoming siege and organized the city's defense with about 5,000 troops, installed artillery on the walls, and recruited citizens to assist in manning the walls. The Goths established fortified camps around Rome and attempted to cut its water supply. They soon launched an assault against Rome on multiple fronts using siege towers, battering rams, and ladders, but the defenders repulsed the Gothic attacks.
The failure of the Gothic assault turned the siege into a prolonged struggle of attrition. Gothic forces captured the port of Portus and attempted to further isolate Rome. The food shortages and disease increasingly affected the population, who placed pressure on Belisarius to act.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Rome (537–538) (revision 1381232527), 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 Colline Gate 82 BC · 1 km
- Siege of Rome (472) 472 · 2 km
- Sack of Rome (390 BC) 390 BC · 2 km
- Sack of Rome (546) 546 · 2 km
- Siege of Rome (549–550) 549 · 3 km
- German occupation of Rome 1943 · 4 km
Other battles of the Gothic War of 535–554
- Siege of Panormus 535
- Siege of Naples (536) 536
- Siege of Ariminum (538) 538
- 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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