The fighting began with a naval battle. Near the city of Ancona (Italy), two fleets met at sea. The Romans were defeated, completely unprepared for military operations at sea, ready. Sicily, the breadbasket, was completely cleared of them. Another attempt by Totila to settle the matter peacefully was not crowned with success: Italy was devastated by the war. Meanwhile, the Franks did not allow Narses to enter Italy through the Alps, and he moved along the coast, reaching Ravenna. From here he went south to Rome, Totila was walking towards him.
Basilica of San Vitale. VI century Ravenna, Italy. Photo by the author
Battle of Tagin. In the summer of 552, the troops met at the settlement of Tagin (Gualdo Tadino), in the place of "Busta Gallorum" modern Umbria. 15 thousand Romans against 20 thousand ready. Do not forget that among the Goths there were both proper Goths and Roman deserters from different parts: allies, federates, and proper stratiots.
Unfortunately, this battle is difficult to map out. How did the events develop? Narses offered Totila to surrender, but Totila decided to fight. The battle began with a fight around the hill on the battlefield. Narses dispatched 500 infantry to capture it during the night. Totila decided to seize the hill in the same way, but the Gothic cavalry did not succeed. The troops were lined up for battle.
The left flank of the Romans rested on the hill captured the day before, here were Narses and John, as well as their best parts: the shield-bearers and spear-bearers Heruli, bodyguards from the Hunnic horsemen of Narses. Here he placed 1000 horsemen, hiding another 500 in the rear.
On the right flank were Valerian and John Faga.
8 thousand infantry riflemen were distributed along the flanks. In the center he hurried all the Heruls and Lombards.
The battle began with a duel in which the Roman warrior won. Totila decided to play for time, waiting for reserves. Dressed in expensive clothes and armor, he galloped between the troops, carrying out horse riding and throwing a spear into the air. During this time, 2 thousand warriors approached the Goths under the command of the Tei's committee.
The Roman army lined up in the shape of a crescent. The Goths lined up as follows: cavalry in front, infantry in the back.
The king ordered to fight with spears, forbidding the use of bows and arrows. I must say that the Goth infantry was famous for the attack with spears at the ready. The meaning of the proposed maneuver was quite clear: the cavalry of the kontats (horsemen in "armor" and with spears at the ready) strike, they are supported by the infantry. In the event of a failure of the attack, the cavalry goes under the protection of the infantry. This combat system became predominant during this period and was most often successful. So the Byzantines fought, the same system, by the end of the 6th century, even the Sassanids adopted from them!
The Goth riders began the battle with spears at the ready. But Narses and the Romans thwarted their plan, instead of hand-to-hand combat, 8 thousand riflemen, standing on the flanks of the crescent, rained down on them a hail of arrows. Having lost a huge number of people and horses, the Goths began to retreat, the infantry could not help the kontat horsemen.
The Romans went on the offensive, the Goths wavered and fled. Killed 6 thousand soldiers, a huge number of deserters and Goths were captured. The battle ended late at night.
Already Vegetius, pointing out the advantage of defensive combat for the Romans, drew attention to the importance of using small arms. We find the same indication in the Strategicons of the 6th century (not only in Mauritius!). This tactic more than once helped the Romans out in clashes with the warriors of the Germanic tribes: Vandals, Goths, Franks, who preferred to use spears and swords. The situation was more difficult in the fight against equestrian riders - experienced archers.
King Totila died after the battle. After that, Narses sent the Lombards, who showed their indomitable disposition, to their homeland, to Pannonia. But the death of the king did not stop the war. The remnants of the Goths retreated to the city of Ticino (Pavia) and elected a new king - Teia. Valerian acted against them, while Narses himself captured Etruria and marched on Rome. Narses organized an assault on Rome, and the Goths surrendered it, in revenge, Teia's warriors sought and killed senators throughout Italy. Soon, Tarentum (Taranto) and the Port of Rome were taken, Narses sent a detachment to capture Qom, where the treasures of the Goths were located.
Battle of Nuceria, or Vesuvius. In 552, at the foot of Vesuvius on the Dragon River, near the city of Nuceria, two troops met. There was a river between them. For two months the troops stood, leading a skirmish, soon the Romans captured the enemy fleet, the Goths fled in panic to the Molochnaya Gora. It should be said that this was not a classic battle with the coverage of the flanks, etc.
Here the last battle of the Goths took place: the attack of the Romans was concentrated against the Gothic leader - Teia, all throwing weapons and arrows were directed at one person, and he was soon killed. By the way, this tactic is often encountered at this time: this is how the Goths acted against Belisarius, who personally led the attack of his spearmen.
The Germans fought for another day, after which they offered Narses to release them from Italy. The remnants of the Goths and their allies left Italy.
So Narses freed Italy from the Goths. He achieved the concentration of power in the main direction, without being distracted by the side ones. By concentrating military forces and resources, Narses, in several battles, achieved unconditional success.
But that did not end there. Even before the fatal battle at Nuceria, Theia negotiated with the Franks, inviting them to Italy for a joint struggle, but the warlike West Germans felt that they could seize the Apennine Peninsula themselves, where the war had been going on for twenty years. A huge army of Franks and the Alemanns (Allamans) subordinate to them, led by the Frankish dukes Butilin (or Bukelin) and Leutar (Levtaris) (75 thousand people), marched with plunder from the north of Italy to Campania. Dysentery and hunger accompanied the army.
Battle of Tannet or Kasulin. In 553, on the Casulin River (present-day Volturno) at the town of Tannet (not far from Capua), 17,000 Narses met with 33,000 Alemans and Francs.
Narses built the army as follows: on the flanks there were horsemen, on the right wing he himself stood. On the flanks, in the forest, detachments of horse toxots (riflemen) Valerian and Artaban hid.
In the center stood the infantry, built according to the classical scheme for the oplites (the name of the infantry for this period, in contrast to the lightly armed (psillas)): heavily armed warriors in front, without protective equipment behind them. The Heruls, offended by the fact that Narses had executed the warrior-Herul who had violated the discipline (put on a stake), did not come up in time to their place in the ranks.
Duke Butilin, built his army with a traditional wedge or "pig" for the Germans, the tip of which was tightly covered by the shields of the soldiers, and the rear was completely open. This wedge moved to the center of the army of the Romans. "Pig" ensured the concentration of forces to break through the enemy system, after which success was assured.
The Franks broke through the first ranks of the scutats. Scootats are "heavily armed" infantrymen, whose weapons were a shield (scutum) and spears, in addition to a sword and protective equipment (under the general name - lorica). These warriors are a direct illustration of the theoretical Stratigicons of this period, it was them, in their speeches that have come down to us from this period, the generals called the glorious Roman infantry.
Battle of the Kasulin River (at Tannet). 553 g. 1 stage
But Narses ordered the mounted riflemen to strike from the flanks, thus repeating Hannibal's maneuver at Cannes. The arrows easily hit the foot soldiers, remaining inaccessible to the enemy. The Heruly cutters who approached dealt a blow to the Franks, who were surrounded: a massive beating of the disorganized enemy began: all the Franks and Allamans participating in the battle were killed, the Romans lost 80 scutates - heavily armed infantry who took the blow of the wedge.
Battle of the Kasulin River (at Tannet). 553 g. 2 stage
At the same time, Narses and Dagistey had to fight the Frankish duke Aming, an ally of the Goth Vidin, and defeat their troops. The third Frankish duke Leutar (Levtaris) died in Venice, returning with looted treasures, on the way from Italy. After the defeat of the Italian self-proclaimed king of the Gerul Sinwald, the war ended. The fact is that part of the Heruls came to Italy with Odoacer in the 5th century: Sinduald served with Narses, after which he rebelled, was defeated and hanged.
Narses ended the fighting. So Italy was again occupied by the Romans.
In 567, the Prefect of Longinus was appointed to replace Narses.
Meanwhile, the Lombard warriors who returned from Italy told their fellow tribesmen about Italy, at the same time, the Avars, who became neighbors of the Lombards, did not give them a quiet life and on April 2, 568, the leader of the Lombards Alboin, having gathered the Saxons, Bulgarians (Proto-Bulgarians), Gepids and Slavs, moved to Italy, away from their allies - the Avars. They effortlessly captured the fortification in northern Italy - Forum Julia (Cividale del Friuli) Venice and Verona. The king moved into the interior of Italy, not wasting time on the siege of the coastal fortified cities. This campaign, as often happens in history, was underestimated by the Romans and was viewed as a barbarian raid.
In September 569, the aliens captured Liguria and Milan, penetrated south, taking Spoletius (Spoleto) and Benevent (Benevento). At the request of the Roman bishop, Narses returned to Rome from Constantinople to organize the defense of the city, but he soon died. In his place came Longinus, who received a new title of head of the province, exarch. He had no troops, so for five years he was an indifferent witness to the capture of Italy by the Lombards.
The story that Narses, in retaliation for his humiliation by Justinian, summoned the Lombards to Italy, is devoid of historical basis.
Narses, who spent his whole life as a civilian official, was placed on the same pedestal with the professional military man Belisarius and this was due solely to the duration of the hostilities in Italy, which he stopped in the shortest possible time through a series of general battles.
It is significant that the Battle of Kasulin in 553 repeated, in general terms, the Battle of Cannes in 216. BC e., which was a harbinger of all subsequent battles with "cauldrons" or "sacks".
Narses' actions confirm once again that the concentration of military and financial power in the hands of a skilled leader leads to amazing success, and vice versa.
And not entirely scientific. The exploits of Narses were embodied in the excellent film of the 60s of the twentieth century "Battle for Rome". Of course, one can condemn him for historical inaccuracies, Narses is represented in him as a dwarf, and Belisarius as an unlucky warrior; can be criticized for errors in weapons and details, but this film conveys the spirit of the era very, very well. The Goths are especially well shown, where they are represented not by “savages” in fur coats, but by worthy opponents of the empire.
