Battle of Faventia
The Battle of Faventia took place in the spring of 542 AD, where the new king Totila of the Ostrogoths defeated a larger Byzantine force under the generals Constantian and Alexander. The victory reinforced the Gothic resistance in the second phase of the Gothic War (535–554).
Following the failed Siege of Verona by the Byzantines, Totila, with about 5,000 men, pursued the retreating Byzantine force of roughly 12,000 troops. Totila, having the initiative, sent 300 men on a different route and attacked the rear of the Byzantine army. While the Byzantine leadership debated a course of action, Totila's army crossed the river Po and advanced to engage the Byzantines. To delay the battle until the Gothic detachment was ready, a Gothic champion named Valaris challenged the Byzantines to single combat. Valaris was slain by the Byzantine commander Artabazes the Armenian, who was mortally wounded. The battle soon commenced, and in the heat of the engagement, the Goths attacked the Byzantine rear. The surprise attack caused panic to spread among the Byzantine troops, who broke formation and fled the field. The victory marked the beginning of a resurgence of Gothic resistance against the Byzantine reconquest of the Italian peninsula.
Background
Following the Siege of [Ravenna (539–540)|fall of Ravenna] in May 540 AD, the capital of the Gothic kingdom, Belisarius had succeeded in restoring former Western Roman territories to Byzantine rule. However, his stratagem of inducing the Goths to surrender by offering him the Western Roman imperial crown had spooked Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Although Belisarius returned to Constantinople in mid-summer 540 with the Ravenna's treasury and the defeated Gothic King Vitiges as prisoner, Justinian refused him a triumph. The general's departure was also needed on the eastern front against the Persians in the upcoming Lazic War.Justinian replaced Belisarius with three commanders of equal authority—Bessas, John the Sanguinary, and Constantinianus. The three commanders fell into rivalry and turned to plundering the Italian population instead of fighting the remaining Goths. The situation deteriorated further when Justinian imposed a severe tax audit, compelling Italians to pay alleged arrears dating from Gothic rule, while simultaneously reducing soldiers' rewards for wounds and acts of bravery. This climate of lawlessness undermined discipline, alienated the troops, and rapidly destroyed Italian loyalty to the empire.
Belisarius's withdrawal from Italy also encouraged the newly crowned Gothic king, Ildibad, whose cause was strengthened by Byzantine abuses. A Byzantine army was defeated at Treviso by Ildibad, enabling the Goths to regain control of much of the Po Valley. His success, however, was short-lived, as he was assassinated before he could consolidate power. Unable to agree on a suitable candidate from among themselves, the Goths accepted Eraric, who belonged to a tribe distinct from the Goths, as their ruler. Eraric convened a council and secured Gothic approval to send an embassy to Constantinople to negotiate peace on the same terms previously offered to Vitigis before the fall of Ravenna. Privately, however, he dispatched his own agents and instructed them to inform Justinian that, in exchange for the rank of patrician and a substantial payment, he would abdicate and surrender northern Italy to the empire. In late 541, Eraric was assassinated by the Gothic nobility for his willingness to surrender to the Byzantines, and Ildibad's nephew, Totila, succeeded him as king.
Prelude
Justinian realized that the Goths were paralyzed by internal dissensions, and his Byzantine commanders stationed in Italy had not done anything to exploit the situation. He sent a letter reprimanding them for their inactivity and demanded action. The Byzantine commanders John the Sanguinary, Bessas and Cyprian gathered in Ravenna to debate their course of action. They decided to send a 12,000-strong army to take Verona, one of the last outposts of Gothic power. The army had eleven commanders with two at the top of the command, Constantian and Alexander. While Constantian was the de facto commander-in-chief, he lacked the skill and authority to compel the other commanders to follow his commands.The failed Siege of Verona signaled to the new king of the Goths, Totila, to take initiative while the Byzantines remained under poor leadership. Totila with a 5,000-strong army pursued the Byzantines, who had retreated across the river Po on the stream Lamone, near Faventia.
Battle
Before crossing the river, Totila dispatched 300 men by a roundabout route along the river for 20 stades and cross the river to strike the Byzantines from behind their camp, while he and the main army crossed the river to engage the Byzantines head-on. The Byzantines convened a council upon hearing of Totila's advance. The contemporary, Procopius, reports that Artabazes the Armenian sensibly suggested to allow half of the Gothic army to cross the river before launching an attack. Disagreements among the commanders caused the Byzantines to miss this opportunity. The Goths crossed the river unopposed and marched to the Byzantine camp.The Goths sought to delay the fighting as the two armies drew near by issuing a challenge to single combat. The Gothic champion was Valaris and rode to the middle of the battlefield. Artabazes accepted the challenge on the other side. Artabazes slew Valaris with a thrust of his long spear, but in doing so, he was wounded when his horse carried him against the upright spear. Physicians attempted to treat his injuries, but he died three days later. The loss of a capable commander was a blow to the Byzantines.
The battle commenced soon after the duel. Once the fighting reached its height, the 300 Goths attacked the rear of the Byzantine lines. Panic spread among the Byzantines, who broke ranks and fled, leaving the Byzantine standards to fall into the hands of the Goths.
Aftermath
Following his success against the Byzantines, Totila sent part of his troops to attack Florence. Justin, the Byzantine commander of Florence, had neglected to adequately provision the city against a siege since he was not expecting an attack. He hurriedly sent for aid to the other Byzantine commanders in the area: John, Bessas and Cyprian. They gathered their forces and came to the relief of Florence, but they were defeated in the Battle of Mucellium. The Goths took captives, who were treated well and even induced to join the Gothic army. Totila went on to seize Caesena and Petra Pertusa in the region of Umbria but Tuscany remained under Byzantine control. Subsequently, Totila did not attempt to conquer central Italy, where the Byzantines controlled large, well-fortified cities. Instead, he advanced rapidly through southern Italy with great success, including the capture of the fortress of Cumae.The Byzantine generals and the remaining troops fled to isolated strongholds, where they made preparations against a potential siege as they did not want to meet the Goths in the open. They failed to coordinate their efforts against the Goths, leading to the prolongation of the war. Justinian sent the civilian Maximin to be Praetorian Prefect of Italy, but Maximin's indecision left him unable to formulate an effective strategy against the Goths. Totila captured Naples and razed its walls. Then he advanced to besiege Rome in spring 544. Upon receiving this news, Justinian recalled general Belisarius from the eastern front, where he commanded a Byzantine force against Persia, and dispatched him to Italy.