Siege of Urbinus
| Siege of Urbinus (538) | |||||||||
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| Part of the Gothic War (535–554) | |||||||||
First phase of the Gothic War campaigns | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Byzantine Empire | Ostrogothic kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Moras | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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The siege of Urbinus, also called the siege of Urbino or siege of Urbinum, took place in the year 538 during the Gothic War when the Ostrogoths (Goths) surrendered the town to Byzantine forces.
The Byzantine general Belisarius aimed to secure key strongholds in central Italy before advancing against the Gothic capital Ravenna, but tensions within the Byzantine command had grown after the capture of Ariminum. During the siege of Urbinus, Narses and John the Sanguinary 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. Despite the success, the Byzantine leadership remain divided, leading to the destruction of Milan in the following year.