Kings and Generals

Justinian's Restoration: Battles of Taginae (552) and Volturnus (554) (2018x30)

Air date: Jun 17, 2018

The Restoration of Justinian led by Justinian and his general Belisarius began in the early 530s and was very successful early on: Eternal Peace with the Sassanid shah Khosrow was signed after the battle of Dara and the conclusion of the Iberian War, the Vandals were defeated at Ad Decimum and Tricamarum in 533, and then Belisarius landed in Italy and took Rome. The Ostrogoths besieged the city in 537, but Belisarius survived a year-long siege. With new forces in the area, the things were looking bright for the Roman Empire, but soon Belisarius lost the confidence of Justinian and entered into a conflict with another commander - Narses. All that, the Sassanid attack in the East, the start of the Justinian's Plague and invasion of Italy by the Franks prolonged the Gothic War. The conflict would culminate at the battles of Taginae and Volturnus.