The siege of Urbinus, also called the siege of Urbino or siege of Urbinum, took place in the year 538 during the Gothic War (535-554) when the Ostrogoths (Goths) surrendered the town to Byzantine forces.
The Byzantine general Belisarius aimed to secure northern Italy against potential raids by the Goths. Tensions within the Byzantine command grew after the capture of Ariminum. During the siege of Urbinus, Narses and John 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 with the construction of siege engines, but just before Byzantine forces stormed the walls, the defenders surrendered because the only stream supplying the town with fresh water dried up.
Prelude
Mosaic depicting Belisarius (left) and Narses (right)
Modern day Urbino as seen from a kite, capturing the topography of the area
In 538, Belisarius sent John along with a cavalry detachment to raid Picenum. John ignored the fortified towns of Auximus and Urbinus, and instead captured the city of Ariminum. The capture of Ariminum caused the Gothic army besieging Rome to withdraw toward their capital Ravenna, located a day's march from Ariminum. Belisarius sought to replace John's cavalry with infantry, but John refused to obey. Soon after this, the Goths besieged Ariminum and trapped John inside the town. John's insubordination divided the Byzantine leadership into two factions, Belisarius and his supporters on one side and Narses, who supported John, on the other. Belisarius was convinced by Narses to rescue John despite his insubordination.[3]
Belisarius devised a plan to break the siege by making his available forces appear larger than they were, successfully intimidating the larger Gothic army. In response to the appearance of the Byzantine army from different directions, the Gothic King Vitiges lifted the siege of Ariminum and moved his main army to Ravenna. Vitiges also reinforced nearby towns under his rule, sending Moras with 2,000 troops to defend the fortified town of Urbinus.[4] Although John was rescued by Belisarius, John refused to show gratitude, claiming Narses deserved the credit for persuading Belisarius to save him.[5]
To prevent divisions within the Byzantine forces, Belisarius showed Narses, the letter of appointment by the Emperor Justinian, stating Narses was his subordinate and as such he should follow his command "in the best interests of the state."[5] Narses disregarded the letter because, in his view, Belisarius was not acting in the best interests of the state.[6][7]
Siege
In the year 538, Byzantine commander Belisarius split his forces to besiege Urbinus and Urviventus. The town of Urbinus is located upon a round and steep hill, which made any attempt to take it by force more challenging.[8] Upon arrival at Urbinus, Belisarius's army set up camp at the east side of the town. The forces under Narses and John joined him in the siege of Urbinus. However, they set up camp on the west side of the town, undermining Belisarius' authority.[6][8]
Belisarius sent envoys offering the garrison a chance to surrender. The envoys stood in front of the city gates, as they were not allowed to enter, and negotiated with the Goth forces. However, the Goths were confident of their position and the abundance of their provisions. After negotiations with the garrison failed, John declared the city could not be taken, and Narses agreed with him. During the night, they abandoned the siege and moved to Ariminum despite pleas from Belisarius.[8]
The following morning, the Goth soldiers taunted Belisarius for losing half of the army. Belisarius started preparing to assault the town with the construction of siege engines and a colonnade (vinea in Roman parlance).[2] As the Byzantines were preparing for the assault, the spring that supplied the town with fresh water suddenly failed, which disturbed the Gothic garrison. When the Byzantine troops advanced to assault the city, the Goths appeared on the walls and surrendered to Belisarius.[6]
Aftermath
Belisarius accepted the surrender of the Goths as subjects of the emperor and equal to the Roman soldiers, which according to historian Ilkka Syvänne meant Belisarius recruited 2,500 Goths into his army.[2] Astonished by such success, Narses sent John to capture Caesena, but this assault failed. John then moved to and captured Forocornelius. After this siege Belisarius moved to support the siege of Urviventus, also capturing that city shortly after.[9]
Despite sporadic success, the divided Byzantine forces became ineffective, which 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[10] men, its women sold to Burgundians, and the city razed to the ground.[11][12] In response to this setback, Emperor Justinian recalled Narses to Constantinople, leaving Belisarius as the single general in command of the Byzantine forces in Italy.[13]
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Ostrogothic kingdom 
