Key Facts
- Duration
- Late 539 – May 540
- Parent conflict
- Gothic War (535–554)
- Byzantine commander
- General Belisarius
- Ostrogothic king
- Wittigis, captured upon surrender
- Key tactic
- Naval and land blockade to cut off supplies
Strategic Narrative Overview
Belisarius first secured surrounding strongholds including Auximus and Fiesole, then isolated Ravenna by severing both land and sea supply lines. Food shortages and falling morale degraded Gothic resistance under King Wittigis. A Frankish offer of aid was rebuffed by skeptical Goths. Justinian sought a negotiated peace, threatened by Sasanian pressure in the east, but Belisarius refused to ratify it. Gothic nobles secretly offered Belisarius the Western imperial crown in exchange for their safety, which he appeared to accept.
01 / The Origins
The siege of Ravenna was a direct consequence of the broader Gothic War launched in 535 by the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I, aimed at reconquering Italy from the Ostrogoths. After years of campaigning, Belisarius had subdued southern and central Italy and turned his attention to Ravenna, the Ostrogothic capital, as the decisive target of the war's first phase.
03 / The Outcome
In 540, Ravenna opened its gates to Byzantine forces. Belisarius, however, rejected the offered imperial crown once inside the city, deceiving the Gothic nobility. He immediately detained King Wittigis, seized Ravenna's treasury for the emperor, and ended Ostrogothic rule of the city. This concluded the first phase of the Gothic War, though Ostrogothic resistance would resume under new leadership in subsequent years.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Belisarius.
Side B
1 belligerent
Wittigis.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.