Battle of Faventia

The Battle of Faventia (modern day Faenza) took place in the spring of 542 AD, where the new king Totila of the Ostrogoths (Goths) defeated a larger Byzantine force under the generals Constantinianus and Alexander. The victory reinforced the Gothic resistance in the second phase of the Gothic War (535–554).

Following the failed Siege of Verona by the Byzantines, Totila, with about 5,000 men, pursued the retreating Byzantine force of roughly 12,000 troops. Totila, having the initiative, sent 300 men on a different route and attacked the rear of the Byzantine army. While the Byzantine leadership debated a course of action, Totila's army crossed the river Po and advanced to engage the Byzantines. To delay the battle until the Gothic detachment was ready, a Gothic champion named Valaris challenged the Byzantines to single combat. Valaris was slain by the Byzantine commander Artabazes the Armenian, who was mortally wounded. The battle soon commenced, and in the heat of the engagement, the Goths attacked the Byzantine rear. The surprise attack caused panic to spread among the Byzantine troops, who broke formation and fled the field. The victory marked the beginning of a resurgence of Gothic resistance against the Byzantine reconquest of the Italian peninsula.