Battle of Taginae

The Battle of Taginae or Battle of Busta Gallorum took place in July of 552 AD, where Byzantines under General Narses defeated the Ostrogoths (Goths) under King Totila. The Byzantine victory paved the way for the Byzantine reconquest of the Italian Peninsula and the dissolution of the Gothic kingdom.

Narses assembled his army at Salona, Dalmatia and from there marched along the coast of Adriatic sea to Italy. Despite obstacles laid by the Goths, the Byzantines were able to cross the river Po and reach Ravenna. After a nine-day break, Narses continued south along the Via Flaminia towards Rome. Totila, realizing that a defensive strategy was not viable, marched to intercept the Byzantines at Taginae.

On the battlefield and despite his numerical superiority, Narses placed his troops in a strong defensive position, with archers at the flanks protected by natural terrain. Totila used delaying tactics until reinforcements under Teia arrived. He then attempted a surprise attack by withdrawing his troops for lunch, hoping to tempt the Byzantines to pursue and abandon their position. Narses anticipated ruses and prevented this by keeping his army in the original defensive position. Totila then reformed his army for a concentrated cavalry charge into the Byzantine center, composed of foreign mercenaries.

The Gothic attack faltered after several volleys of arrows from Byzantine archers fired from both sides, inflicting heavy losses. The Byzantine center repelled the Gothic assault, and the cavalry retreat caused the Gothic infantry at the rear to panic and flee as well. Totila was mortally wounded during the battle. The Byzantine victory opened the way for Narses to advance on Rome, which fell with little resistance. The Gothic defeat shattered their military resistance and paved the way for the Byzantine control of Italy.