The Unknown Conflict That Changed Italy Forever: A Brief History of the Gothic War

Among the conflicts that took place on the Italian peninsulathere is one that is not very well known: the Greco-Gothic Warso called because it was fought from 535 to 553 (thus lasting 18 years) between the Byzantines (Greeks) and the Ostrogoths. This is one of the most long, violent And destructive never fought in Italy. The devastation and the resulting political and economic changes have had long-term effects on Italian historywhich were among the causes of the political division that characterized the peninsula for centuries, from the Middle Ages to its unification. Let’s see how the conflict unfolded and its consequences.

Why the War Began: Gothic Italy After the End of the Western Roman Empire

Conventionally, the beginning of the Middle Ages is made to coincide with the fall of theWestern Roman Empire In the 476 AD In that year Odoacerking of the Heruli, a Germanic population that served in the Roman army, deposed the last emperor Romulus Augustulusand began to administer Italy. The reign of the Heruli did not last long because in 494 The Ostrogoths Of Theodoricanother Germanic people integrated into the Roman world, defeated Odoacer.

During the period of Theodoric’s rule, Italy flourished economically. The king, who ruled from the capital Ravennawas far-sighted: he decided to leave part of theadministration to the Roman elitegiving rise to a society in which the Germanic component of its people was integrated with the Roman majority in Italy.

The kingdom “Roman-Barbarian” of Italy was characterized by rich citiesin which trade and production were still highly developed. Although not in a manner comparable to previous periods, Italian society was still refined And wealthyand public works were still largely efficient. Under Theodoric, the two main Christian denominations of the time, namely the Catholics they Aryans (movement that believed Jesus subordinate to God) they lived together in a climate of relative tolerance.

To Theodoric, who died in 526succeeded by his daughter Amalasunthawho continued her father’s policy. However, Amalasunta’s choices did not please a part of the Ostrogothic nobility, who in 535 he overthrew her and had her assassinated. Power in Italy thus remained in the hands of a new king: Theodatus.

The Byzantine Intervention and the Beginning of the Gothic War

Meanwhile, on the throne of theEastern Roman Empireto Constantinoplereigned Justiniandestined to become one of the most important emperors in Byzantine history. One of his goals was to bring Italy back under the check Roman, recreating the Roman Empire. Justinian chose to seize the opportunity: with the excuse of avenge Amalasuntha, ordered her army to to invade Italy, defeat the Goths and bring back the Imperial insignia to Rome.

Justinian could count on one of the best generals of all time: Belisarius. He had already fought against the Persiansand against the Vandalsanother Germanic people, in North Africa. At the head of his men, in the 535landed in Sicilyand took possession of the two main cities: Palermo And Syracuse. Most of the Roman population of southern Italy was enthusiastic of the return of the imperial forces and Theodatus it was not appreciated as Theodoric and Amalasuntha had been. The Byzantine general then took possession of Napleswhere his men massacred much of the population, and also of Rome. After 60 yearsfrom the deposition of Romulus Augustulus, the insignia of Rome they came back in the original capital of the empire.

The defeat of the Goths

The fall of Naples and Rome marked the end of Teodato: the noble gothsannoyed by the king’s lack of initiative, the they murdered. They then chose as the new king of Italy Vitigea military leader. Vitiges attempted to to reclaim of Rome, but after a year of siege The Byzantines emerged victorious again.

Justinian managed to send reinforcements from Constantinople, until in 540 Belisarius managed to conquer the capital of the Gothic kingdom, Ravennait’s at capture Vitiges himself. However, the emperor began to to doubt of the loyalty of his general, and convinced that Belisarius wanted claim Italy itself called him back to the capital.

Totila and the Goths’ comeback

Without Belisarius, the fate of the war would they reversed. The new king of the Goths, the energetic Totalhe understood that it was necessary to face the Byzantines in pitched battles. He then chose to integrate into his forces not only his Gothic subjects, but also those of Roman origin. italicwho enlisted thanks to the promise of a land redistribution. Furthermore, many Italics, even if at the beginning they had welcomed the Byzantines, had realized that those “Romans” who arrived from Constantinople and who spoke Greek rather than Latin they were more different from them than the Goths were, integrated for generations now in Italy.

Totila passed to the counterattack and in a few years reconquered much of the territory that his predecessors had lost, reaching as far as Sicily. Justinian was convinced to postpone in Italy Belisarius, returned to his graces. From 544 to the 549 The Byzantine general and Totila faced each other in a series of campaigns across the peninsula: Rome was lost and conquered several timesbut in the end Belisarius he failed to inflict any decisive defeat to the Goths, and returned to Constantinople.

How the war ended: the final victory of the Byzantines

Totila at this point controlled the most of Italywhile the Byzantines were confined in some fortresses. Despite the strong position of the Ostrogoths, Justinian decided to don’t give up and refused to treat with Totila. The emperor, with a great financial effort he managed to gather a new army to be sent to the peninsula, commanded by the eunuch Narses.

In the 552 Narses’ army reached Italy. Totila went to meet the enemy and the Byzantines and Goths faced each other in 553 in a decisive pitched battle near Gualdo Tadinotoday in the province of Perugia. The clash ended in a victory Byzantine, with the same king Totila who found the death. Totila’s death was a very bad blow for the morale of the Ostrogoths in Italy. A Pavia a new king was elected, Teawho tried to confront Narses again in the Lattari Mountainsnear Sorrento, but he too was defeated and killed. Teia would have been thelast Gothic king of Italy. Narses finally crushed the last pockets of resistance (Brescia and Verona) and also defeated the Frankscalled to Italy by the Goths for alast desperate battle. In the 562 The Byzantines were masters of theentire peninsula.

The division of Italy: the consequences of the war

The war lasted eighteen yearsfrom 535 to 553, with the last pockets of resistance eliminated in 562. Justinian had succeeded in bringing Italy back into the Roman Empire, but the Byzantine victory was ephemeral: In the 568 another Germanic people, the Lombardsinvaded the peninsula and overwhelmed the Byzantine garrisons. The Lombard invasion split territorially Italy in two, and changed profoundly culture and history, marking the beginning of the development of a new civilization, no longer Romanbut rather “Italian”. The peninsula would not be never unified again until 1861.

Italy was a battlefield for years and came out devastatedThe rich cities of the peninsula were destroyed or depopulated and almost every semblance of trade ceased to exist. Even great centers like Rome or Milan were destroyed.

The conflict was also made even more devastating by a famine and the arrival of the plaguecalled “Justinian”, who killed millions of people throughout the Mediterranean basin. War, famine and epidemics had lasting effects. Some demographic studies suggest that between the YOU and the VII century, the Italian population has dropped from 11 to 8 million people.

Italy would never be the same again, and it would take centuries for the cities to begin to flourish again and the population to grow. From the ashes of that war, however, arose a new peninsula, which, starting from 10th centurywas destined to become the crib from the refined Italian civilization of the Middle Ages.