events
Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
Related Wikipedia articles
Siege of Rome (537–538)
First siege of Rome by the Ostrogoths
The first siege of Rome during the Gothic War lasted for a year and nine days, from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538. The city was besieged by the Ostrogothic army under their king Vitiges; the defending East Romans were commanded by Belisarius, one of the most famous and successful…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Ostrogoths
5th–6th-century Germanic ethnic group
The Ostrogoths were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populations who had settled in the Balkans in the 4th century. While…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Vitiges
6th-century king of the Italian Ostrogoths
Vitiges was king of Ostrogothic Italy from 536 to 540. He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the Gothic War of 535–554, as Belisarius had quickly captured Sicily the previous year and was in southern Italy at the head of the forces of Justinian I, the…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Siege
Military land blockade of a location
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static, defensive position. Consequently, an…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Belisarius
6th-century Byzantine general
Belisarius was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I. Belisarius was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior. He is…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Piazza del Popolo
Urban square in Rome
Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Bucellarii
Roman Empire escort troops
Bucellarii were formations of escort troops used in the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity. They were employed by high-ranking military figures or civil office-holders. Their name is derived from the type of bread rations eaten by these troops, so-called buccellatum. The term…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
March 2
Day of the year
March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 304 days remain until the end of the year.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)