Siege of Ariminum (538)

Siege of Ariminum
Part of the Gothic War
First phase of Gothic War campaigns
Date March – 24 July 538 AD Location Ariminum (present-day Rimini), Italy Result Byzantine victory Territorial changes Ariminum successfully captured and defended
Belligerents
Eastern Roman Empire	Ostrogothic Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Belisarius John	Vitiges
Strength
Smaller force	Larger force
Casualties and losses
Light	Light

The siege of Ariminum (Italian : Assedio di Ariminum, present-day Rimini), also known as the siege of Rimini (Assedio di Rimini), was an encounter in 538 AD during the Gothic War, where the Byzantine forces broke the siege by the Ostrogoths (Goths).

In March 538, Byzantine commander John captured Ariminum, which was near the Gothic capital in Ravenna, to entice the Goths into lifting the siege of Rome. Byzantine General Belisarius sent reinforcements to Ariminum and ordered John to leave the city. However, John refused to obey and stayed in the city. In the meantime, fearing for their capital, the Goths retreated from Rome and moved to besiege Ariminum. They were unsuccessful in taking Ariminum by force, and instead, the leader of the Gothic forces, Vitiges, decided to starve the town.

Belisarius split his army into smaller groups and sent them to Ariminum by land and sea. The near-simultaneous arrival of Byzantine forces from multiple directions created the impression of a much larger army, unnerving the Goths. As a result, they abandoned the siege on 24 July 538 and withdrew to Ravenna. Despite the victory, disagreements over John's insubordination fractured the unity of the Byzantine leadership.

Prelude

Ostrogoth territories between 508 and 534 AD, before the Byzantines launched a campaign to reclaim the Italian peninsula

Capture of Ariminum

During the siege of Rome, Belisarius sent John, nephew of Vitalianus, to raid Picenum. John defeated the Gothic commander Ulitheus in battle, gaining a reputation among the Goths. He ignored the cities of Auximus and Urbinus due to their strong garrisons. When he approached Ariminum, its citizens invited John to take the town. John realized the importance of Ariminum, it being a day away from the Gothic capital of Ravenna. Ariminum's capture would force Vitiges to lift Rome's siege. ^[1] The Gothic garrison retreated from Ariminum to Ravenna "as soon as they learned that [John's] army was approaching", and John took the city without resistance. ^[2] Johns reputation was bolstered by the town's capture, and according to Procopius they frequently exchanged messages. In the aftermath Mataswintha, Vitiges' wife, even opened negotiations to betray her people and marry John. ^[2]

The Goths upon hearing the fall of Ariminum, they lifted the siege of Rome and travelled towards Ravenna. They travelled slowly because they moved as a large army and took detours to avoid the Roman fortresses at Narnia, Spoletium, and Perusia. ^[3]

John's insubordination

Mosaic depicting Belisarius (left) and Narses (right)

Belisarius, anticipating that the Goths would attempt to besiege Ariminum, sent infantry forces to replace John and his cavalry unit, ordering John along the Via Flaminia with a thousand horsemen to arrive in Ariminum before the retreating Goths did. Belisarius' order was motivated by two reasons: first, the Goths would not consider a small garrison with an unknown commander as a threat and focus their attention elsewhere. Second, John's cavalry would not be as effective in a siege as it was when it was harassing the Goths in the open. ^[4] However, John disobeyed the orders and stayed in Ariminum with the infantry reinforcements sent by Belisarius. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Belisarius and Narses met at Firmum, where they convened a council of officers to decide whether the army should march to John's aid in Ariminum. Most of the officers opposed helping John, resentful of his challenge to Belisarius's authority. Narses, however, appealed to Belisarius and his officers to carry out the rescue. ^[7]

Now if John treated your commands with insolence, most excellent Belisarius, the atonement you have already exacted from him is surely ample, since it is now in your power either to save him in his reverse or to abandon him to the enemy. But see that you do not exact from the emperor and from us the penalty for mistakes committed by John through ignorance. For if the Goths capture Ariminum at the present juncture, it will be their good fortune to have made captive a capable Roman general, as well as a whole army and a city subject to the emperor. ^{[7] [8]}

Narses's argument and John's message stating that he would be forced to surrender to the Goths in seven days if there was no support, convinced Belisarius to rescue John and Ariminum. ^[7]

Army movements and engagements

Siege

Quarter Siliqua of Vitiges, also known as Witigis

Vitiges besieged the town of Ariminum upon the arrival of the Gothic forces. They built a siege tower which, unlike during the siege of Rome, was not pulled by oxen, but moved by men stationed inside. The tower was placed relatively close to the wall with the expectation that they would be used on the following day. During the night, the Byzantines sortied out of the town to dig a trench in front of the siege tower. When the Goths found out, they attacked the Byzantines, who retreated as soon as the trench was deep enough. In response, Vitiges had the trench filled with faggots before moving the siege over it. The weight of the tower caused it to sink slightly into the trench as the faggots were crushed and the earthwork, made of the dirt out of the trench, which was built behind it, stopped the advance entirely. ^{[9] [10]} Vitiges ordered that the night guards responsible for this setback to be executed. ^[11]

Vitiges decided to withdraw, taking the tower with him. John wanted to prevent this and sallied out, but was unsuccessful at destroying the siege tower. Having suffered many casualties, Vitiges decided against storming Ariminum and began starving it out. ^[9] Needing fewer men for this, he also sent men to attack Ancon. ^[12]

Belisarius deception

Belisarius wanted to avoid actual fighting because, the Goths outnumbered the Byzantines. He split his army into smaller groups, three of which were sent to the vicinity of Ariminum. The central idea was to surround the Goths from three sides, leaving only one safe passage to escape. ^[13] One group, led by Ildiger, was to move by sea, accompanied by a group led by Martinus on land. Meanwhile, Belisarius and Narses came through the Apennines, passing Urbisaglia. Their forces encountered a group of Gothic soldiers, who were defeated. The survivors fled back to the Gothic camp and they claimed that the Byzantines approached with a large force from the north, leading the Goths to move their camps to the north of Ariminum. ^{[14] [13]}

In the meantime, Martinus' forces approaching from the south lit numerous campfires at night, which further cause fear to grow among the Goths. This was part of Belisarius' plan of intimidation by projecting a larger force than what the Byzantines had. ^[13] The Goths' fright strengthened when the Byzantine fleet appeared in the following morning. On 24 July 538, the Goths lifted their siege, and moved to Ravenna. Belisarius and his army entered Ariminum around noon. ^[15]

Aftermath

After the siege, John declined to express any gratitude to Belisarius and instead, he claimed that Narses deserved the credit because it was Narses who had compelled Belisarius to come to his rescue. ^[15] Narses and John along with their supporters withdrew from the main army and acted independently from Belisarius. Byzantine forces unable for the to act together due to division in their leadership, became ineffective. Poor coordination led to the loss of the major city of Mediolanum (modern day Milan) to the Goths in early 539. Procopius recorded that the Goths executed 300,000 ^[16] men, its women sold to Burgundians, and the city razed to the ground. ^{[17] [18]} In response to this setback, Emperor Justinian called Narses back to Constantinople, leaving Belisarius as the single general in command of the Byzantine forces in Italy. ^[19]

See also

• Byzantine Empireportal

References

1. Hughes 2009, pp. 156–157.
2. Procopius 1919, Book VI part x.
3. Hughes 2009, p. 160.
4. Hughes 2009, p. 161.
5. Hodgkin 1896, p. 268.
6. Procopius 1919, Book VI part xi.
7. Parnell 2015, pp. 119–120.
8. Procopius 1924, Book VI part xvi.
9. Procopius 1919, Book VI part xii.
10. Syvänne 2021, p. 163.
11. Hodgkin 1896, p. 270.
12. Procopius 1919, Book VI part xiii.
13. Syvänne 2021, p. 165.
14. Procopius 1924, Book VI part xvii.
15. Procopius 1924, Book VI part xviii.
16. Procopius 1924, Book VI part xxi.
17. Parnell 2015, pp. 120–122.
18. Bury 1958, p. 204.
19. Parnell 2015, p. 122.

Sources

Primary

• Procopius (1919) [545–553 AD]. Procopius: History of the Wars, Books V. and VI. Translated by Bronson Dewing, Henry. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press – via Project Gutenberg.
• Procopius (1924) [545–553 AD]. Procopius: History of the Wars, Books VI. and VII. Translated by Bronson Dewing, Henry. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Secondary

• Bury, John B. (1958). History of the later Roman Empire from the death of Theodosius II to the death of Justinian. New York: Dover Publications.
• Hodgkin, Thomas (1896). Italy and Her Invaders: The imperial restoration, 535–553. Clarendon Press.
• Hughes, Ian (2009). Belisarius: The Last Roman General . Yardley, PA: Westholme. ISBN   9781594160851. OCLC   294885267.
• Parnell, David A. (2015). "The social networks of Justinian's generals" (PDF). Journal of Late Antiquity. 8 (1): 114–135.
• Syvänne, Ilkka (2021). Military History of Late Rome 518–565. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN   978-1-4738-9530-0.

Further reading

• Heather, Peter J. (2018). Rome Resurgent: War and Empire in the Age of Justinian. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199362745. OCLC   1007044617.
• Scott, Ian C. J. Belisarius: The Sword of Byzantium (PDF) (Thesis). University of Missouri.

External Links

• "24 luglio 538 – Belisario libera Rimini dall'assedio dei Goti" [24 July 538 – Belisarius frees Rimini from the siege of the Goths]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 24 July 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.