Siege of Milan (538–539)
| Siege of Milan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gothic War (535–554) | |||||||||
First five years of Belisarius's campaigns in Italy | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Byzantine Empire | Ostrogothic kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Mundilas | Uraias | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | ||||||||
The siege of Milan (also called the siege of Mediolanum) took place in April 538 – March 539 AD where the Ostrogoths (Goths) seized control of Milan from the Byzantine Empire, as part of the Gothic War (535–554).
After the Goths lifted their siege of Rome, Byzantine general Belisarius sent Mundilas to occupy Milan in April 538. The non-Goth citizens of Milan welcomed the Byzantine forces. Upon the news, the Gothic King Vitiges sent an army under the leadership of his nephew Uraias, along with Burgundian allies, to recover Milan. During the siege, the city endured severe famine as relief efforts by Byzantines were delayed due to disputes among their leadership, Belisarius and Narses. Eventually, Milan capitulated in March 539, and the Goths killed the male inhabitants as punishment for the city's earlier revolt and the women were sold to the Burgundians for their assistance in the siege. After the city was razed, the Goths recovered much of the Liguria region. The fall of Milan was a major setback for the Byzantine campaign in Italy and exposed flaws in their command structure. In response to the fall of Milan, Emperor Justinian called Narses back to Constantinople, leaving Belisarius as the sole commander-in-chief of the Byzantine forces in Italy.