Siege of Urbinus 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 | 43.7167, 12.6333 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Urbinus, also called the siege of Urbino or siege of Urbinum, took place in 538 during the Gothic War when the Ostrogoths (Goths) surrendered the town to Byzantine forces.
The Byzantine general Belisarius aimed to secure key strongholds in central Italy before advancing against the Gothic capital Ravenna, but tensions within the Byzantine command had grown after the capture of Ariminum. During the siege of Urbinus, Chamberlain Narses and military commander John the Sanguinary began acting without regard for Belisarius's authority and withdrew their troops when negotiations with the Gothic garrison failed. Despite the setback, Belisarius employed conventional siege tactics, including the construction of siege engines, but just before the Byzantine forces stormed the walls, the defenders surrendered because the only stream supplying the town with fresh water had dried up. Despite the success, the Byzantine leadership remained divided, resulting in the destruction of Milan the following year.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Urbinus (revision 1374465557), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Canturino 1363 · 28 km
- Battle of Pesaro 1815 · 31 km
- Battle of the Metaurus 207 BC · 31 km
- Battle of Fano 271 · 33 km
- Battle of Faesulae (225 BC) 225 BC · 35 km
- Battle of Sentinum 295 BC · 38 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 Milan (538–539) 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 →
Browse more: battles in Italy · Europe · Medieval battles