For the battle of the Italian Risorgimento, see Battle of the Volturnus (1860)

The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 between an army of the Eastern Roman Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni. The Romans, led by Narses, were victorious. Combatants Byzantine Empire Ostrogoths Franks Visigoths Commanders Belisarius Narses Mundalias Germanus Justinus Liberius Theodoric the Great Witigis Totila The Gothic War, was a war fought in Italy in 535-552. ... Events The Byzantine general Narses reconquers all of Italy. ... The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from volvere, to roll) is a river in south-central Italy. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Byzantine Empire. ... The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. ... Foederatus early in the history of the Roman Republic identified one of the tribes bound by treaty (foedus), who were neither Roman colonies nor had they been granted Roman citizenship (civitas) but were expected to provide a contingent of fighting men when trouble arose. ... This article is about the Frankish people and society. ... The Alamanni, Allemanni or Alemanni, are a Germanic tribe, first mentioned by Dio Cassius, under the year 213. ... Narses (478-573) was, along with Belisarius, one of the two great generals in the service of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. during the so-called Reconquest that took place during the Justinians reign. ... This article is about the Roman emperor. ... Combatants Eastern Roman Empire Iberia Persian Empire Commanders Belisarius Sittas Gregory Maurice Kavadh I Firouz Azarethes The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persian Empire over the country of Iberia // Origin After the Anastasian War, a seven-year truce was agreed on... Combatants Byzantine Empire, Heruli, Huns Sassanid Persians Commanders Belisarius, Hermogenes, John Firouz, Baresmanes† Strength 25,000 50,000 Casualties Unknown Over 5,000 The Battle of Daraa was fought between the Sassanids and the Byzantine Empire in 530. ... The Battle of Callinicum took place between the armies of the Eastern Roman Empire under the command of General Belisarius and Persians under Azarethes on April 19, 531 AD. Belisarius had been skirmishing with the Persian forces after the Battle of Dara in an attempt to incite a rout, but... Combatants Eastern Roman Empire Vandals Commanders Belisarius Gelimer Strength 10,000 infantry 6,000 cavalry ca. ... Battle of Ad Decimum Conflict Wars of Justinian I Date September 13, 533 Place Near Carthage Result Roman victory The Battle of Ad Decimum took place on September 13, 533 between the armies of the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer and the eastern Roman Empire, under the command of general... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... See Gothic War (376-382) for the war on the Danube. ... Combatants Eastern Roman Empire Ostrogothic Kingdom Commanders Belisarius Witigis Strength <5,000 soldiers 5,600 reinforcements unknown number of conscripts ~45,000 men Wars of Justinian I Iberian War Dara - Nisibis - Callinicum Vandalic War Ad Decimum - Tricamarum Gothic War 1st Rome - Faventia - 2nd Rome - 3rd Rome - Taginae - Mons Lactarius - Volturnus... Combatants Ostrogoths Byzantine Empire Commanders Totila Strength 5,000 12,000 In the spring of 542, at the Battle of Faventia (modern Faenza), an Ostrogothic army scattered the larger Byzantine army in Italy and temporarily reversed the Byzantine conquest of Italy. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Ostrogoths Commanders Narses Totila† Strength 20,000 unknown infantry 2,000 horsemen Casualties unknown 6,000 At the battle of Taginae (also known as the battle of Busta Gallorum) in July of 552, the Byzantine Empire under General Narses broke the power of the Ostrogoths in Italy... Combatants Byzantine Empire Ostrogoths Commanders Narses Teia The Battle of Mons Lactarius (also known as Battle of the Vesuvius) took place in 553 during the Gothic War waged on behalf of East Roman Emperor Justinian I against the Ostrogoths in Italy. ... Capital Carthage Historical era Late Antiquity  - conquest of Vandal Kingdom 534  - Moorish revolt defeated 548  - reorganization into Exarchate 584 The Praetorian prefecture of Africa (Latin: Praefectura praetorio Africae) was a major administrative division of the Eastern Roman Empire, established after the reconquest of northwestern Africa from the Vandals in 533... The Lazic War, or Egrisi Great War as it is known in Georgian historiography, refers to the twenty-year war between Byzantium and Iran Sassanid Empire for controlling the western Georgian Kingdom of Egrisi/ Lazica in 542-562. ... Italian unification, also known as Risorgimento (resurrection), was a historical process by which the Kingdom of Sardinia (ruled by the Savoy dynasty with Turin as its capital) gradually conquered the Italian peninsula, including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Duchy of Modena, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy... Combatants Giuseppe Garibaldi Kingdom of Sardinia Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Commanders Giuseppe Garibaldi Giosuè Ritucci Strength 24,000 41,000 Casualties 306 casualties, 1,328 wounded, 389 prisoners 308 casualties, 820 wounded, 2,160 prisoners Template:Capmaignbox Expedition of the Thousand The Battle of Volturnus or Volturno refers to... Events The Byzantine general Narses reconquers all of Italy. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Byzantine Empire. ... This article is about the Frankish people and society. ... The Alamanni, Allemanni or Alemanni, are a Germanic tribe, first mentioned by Dio Cassius, under the year 213. ... Narses (478-573) was, along with Belisarius, one of the two great generals in the service of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. during the so-called Reconquest that took place during the Justinians reign. ...

Background

During the later stages of the Gothic War, the Gothic king Teia called upon the Franks for help against the Roman armies under the eunuch Narses. Although king Theodebald refused to send aid, he allowed two of his subjects, the Alamanni chieftains Leutharis and Butilinus, to cross into Italy. According to the historian Agathias, the two brothers gathered a host of 75,000 Franks and Alamanni, and in early 553 crossed the Alps and took the town of Parma. They defeated a force under the Herul commander Fulcaris, and soon many Goths from northern Italy joined their forces. In the meantime, Narses dispersed his troops to garrisons throughout central Italy, and himself wintered at Rome. Teia (d. ... This article is about the Frankish people and society. ... Narses (478-573) was, along with Belisarius, one of the two great generals in the service of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. during the so-called Reconquest that took place during the Justinians reign. ... Théodebald (French Thibaud or Théodebald), (d. ... Area settled by the Alamanni, and sites of Roman-Alamannic battles, 3rd to 6th century The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of west Germanic tribes located around the upper Main, a river that is one of the largest tributaries of the Rhine, on land that is today... Agathias (c. ... Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. ... The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. ...

In the spring of 554, the two brothers invaded central Italy, plundering as they descended southwards, until they came to Samnium. There they divided their forces, with Butilinus, with the larger part of the army, marching south towards Campania and the Straits of Messina, while Leutharis led the remainder towards Apulia and Otranto. Leutharis, however, soon turned back home, laden with spoils. His vanguard, however, was heavily defeated by Artabanes at Fanum, leaving most of the booty behind. The remainder managed to reach northern Italy, and cross the Alps into Frankish territory, but not before losing more men to a plague, including Leutharis himself. Samnium (Oscan Safinim) was a region of the southern Apennines in Italy that was home to the Samnites, a group of Sabellic tribes that controlled the area from about 600 BC to about 290 BC. Samnium was delimited by Latium in the north, by Lucania in the south, by Campania... Satellite photo of the Strait of Messina, taken June 2002. ... This article is about the Italian region. ... Otranto is a town and commune in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile region, and once famous for its breed of horses. ... Artabanes (flourished 6th century) was a Byzantine general of Armenian origin. ...

Butilinus, on the other hand, more ambitious and possibly persuaded by the Goths to restore their kingdom with himself as king, resolved to remain. His army was infected by dysentery, so that it was reduced from its original size of 30,000 to a size close to that of Narses' forces. In summer, Butilinus marched back to Campania and erected camp on the banks of the Volturnus, covering its exposed sides with an earthen rampart, reinforced by his numerous supply wagons. A bridge over the river was fortified by a wooden tower, heavily garrisoned by the Franks.

The battle

When Narses found out about the location of the the Frankish camp, he set forth at the head of an 18,000 strong force, including strong contingents of Heruli mercenaries. His army included infantry, heavy cavalry and horse archers, and was thus had an advantage over the mostly infantry-based enemy forces. As the Romans approached the Frankish camp, Narses sent an Armenian officer, Charananges, with a cavalry force, to cut the Franks' supply. Indeed, Charananges not only captured several wagons, but used one of them to set fire to the large watchtower guarding the bridge. After this first skirmish, both sides exited their camps and formed up for battle. At that point, an incident almost wrecked Narses' plans. A Herul captain killed a servant, and when judged by Narses, refused to acknowledge any fault. Narses had him executed, whereupon the rest of the Heruli announced that they refused to fight. The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. ...

Nevertheless, Narses drew up his forces for battle. Faced with the solid and deep-arrayed Frankish infantry, he chose a disposition similar to that of the battle of Taginae, with the infantry in the centre, backed by archers, and the cavalry on the wings. Narses himself took command of the right wing, while Artabanes and Valerian were placed in charge of the left wing. Part of the left wing was also concealed in a wood that grew there. At the pleas of the Herul general, Sindual, who promised to persuade his men to fight, he left a gap in the middle of the infantry, which the Heruls were to occupy. Combatants Byzantine Empire Ostrogoths Commanders Narses Totila† Strength 20,000 unknown infantry 2,000 horsemen Casualties unknown 6,000 At the battle of Taginae (also known as the battle of Busta Gallorum) in July of 552, the Byzantine Empire under General Narses broke the power of the Ostrogoths in Italy... Artabanes (flourished 6th century) was a Byzantine general of Armenian origin. ...

However, two Heruls had deserted to the Franks, and persuaded Butelinus to attack now, while the Heruli stayed out of the battle. The Franks, arrayed in a large wedge-shaped formation (cuneus or "swine's head") advanced, and smashed into the Roman centre. They quickly penetrated the gap left by the Heruli, but Narses commanded his cavalry, which included many horse archers, to wheel on their flanks and attack the Franks from their exposed rear. The Franks, already engaged with the Roman infantry, were unable to turn and face their more mobile enemies in the rear. As confusion started to spread amongst them, the Heruli finally entered the fray. In the words of J.B. Bury, "... then Sindual and his Heruls appeared upon the scene. The defeat of the Franks was already certain; it was now to be annihilation."

Butelinus and most of his men perished, while Roman casualties were small. Agathias gives the impossibly low number of 80 dead Romans, while claiming that only five barbarians survived. Whatever the true numbers, it was a crushing victory for Narses, and signaled the final triumph of the Empire in Italy.

Aftermath

Despite Narses' great victories, the war was not finished. Seven thousand Goths held out at Campsa, near Naples until they capitulated in the spring of 555. The lands and cities across the River Po were still held by Franks and Goths, and it was not until 562 that their last strongholds, the cities of Verona and Brixia were subjugated. For other uses see, Naples (disambiguation) and Napoli (disambiguation) Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... Po redirects here, for alternate uses see Po (disambiguation). ... Verona is a city and provincial capital in Veneto, Northern Italy. ... Brixia is the Latin name of the modern city of Brescia in Northern Italy. ...

Sources

• Bury, John Bagnell (1923). History of the Later Roman Empire Vol II, Ch.XIX. Macmillan & Co., Ltd..