Siege of Urbinus

538 CE.

Shown on the map at 43.717°, 12.633°.

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 from the Wikipedia article Siege of Urbinus, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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