Siege of Naples (542–543)
| Siege of Naples | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gothic War | |||||||||
Main army movements during the second phase of the Gothic War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Byzantine Empire | Ostrogothic Kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Conon | Totila | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 1,000 men | Unknown | ||||||||
The siege of Naples or siege of Neapolis took place in the year 542–543 AD AD during the Gothic War (535–554) when the Ostrogoths (Goths) successfully captured it, which was under Byzantine control.
After the fall of Ravenna in 540 AD, Belisarius restored much of Italy to Byzantine rule but was recalled by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, who distrusted his actions and needed him on the eastern front. Justinian replaced him with three commanders on equal authority whose rivalry, corruption, and the emperor's harsh fiscal policies alienated the Italian population and weakened Byzantine control. These failures enabled the Gothic king Ildibad to regain territory in northern Italy before his assassination, after which Eraric briefly ruled and was himself murdered in 541. Eraric's death brought Totila, the nephew of Ildibad, to the Gothic throne, and Byzantine inaction and poor leadership allowed him to seize the initiative.
Totila defeated Byzantine forces at Faventia and Mucellium, then advanced rapidly into southern Italy while bypassing the heavily fortified cities of the central regions. He encircled Naples, which was defended by a 1000-strong garrison under Conon. Two Byzantine relief efforts failed to reach the city. With supplies cut off and famine gripping the defenders, Totila offered generous terms of safe passage in exchange for surrender. Conon accepted these terms, and the defenders departed safely while parts of the city's walls were dismantled. The capture of Naples, as well as surrounding cities, marked a significant step for the Goths in their recovery of the Italian peninsula from the Byzantines.