Battle of the Volturnus

554 CE.

Shown on the map at 41.092°, 14.057°.

The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 near the Volturno River between an army of the Byzantine Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni. The Byzantines, led by the general Narses, were victorious, marking the end of the Gothic War (535–554). After the death of the Ostrogothic king Teia, a 75,000-strong force of Franks and Alemanni under Leutharis and Butilinus invaded Italy and threatened Byzantine control of the peninsula in the spring of 553. Initially, Narses avoided direct engagement with the Frankish army, staying behind walls most of the year. This course of action effectively allowed the Franks to pillage as they moved south along the Italian Peninsula. The Frankish army split into two parts. One part of the army, led by Leutharis, moved north, but upon reaching the River Po, it was decimated by plague.

Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Volturnus, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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