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{{Campaignbox Wars of Justinian I}}
{{Campaignbox Wars of Justinian I}}
[[File:(Ostrogothic) Kingdom of italy – 508 to 534 AD.png|thumb|right|Kingdom of Italy between 508 and 534 AD]]
[[File:Narses.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.5|Mosaic presumably depicting Narses]]
The ”’Battle of Mons Lactarius”’ (also known as ”’Battle of the Vesuvius”’) took place in 552 or 553 AD during the [[Gothic War (535–552)|Gothic War]] between [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] forces and the [[Ostrogoths]] near Mount [[Vesuvius]] in Italy.
The ”’Battle of Mons Lactarius”’ (also known as ”’Battle of the Vesuvius”’) took place in 552 or 553 AD during the [[Gothic War (535–552)|Gothic War]] between [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] forces and the [[Ostrogoths]] near Mount [[Vesuvius]] in Italy.
Battle between Byzantine Empire and Ostrogothic Kingdom during Gothic War
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The Battle of Mons Lactarius (also known as Battle of the Vesuvius) took place in 552 or 553 AD during the Gothic War between Byzantine forces and the Ostrogoths near Mount Vesuvius in Italy.
Byzantine forces led by General Narses confronted the army of the Gothic King Teias in the rugged terrain near Mount Vesuvius. After two months of stalemate, the two sides finally engaged in open battle. Teias was killed in the fighting, marking the collapse of Gothic leadership. The remaining Ostrogothic troops resisted for a short time but ultimately surrendered under negotiated terms. This victory ended Ostrogothic power on the Italian peninsula, allowing the Byzantines to reestablish their authority there.
Prelude
After the Battle of Taginae, in which the Ostrogoth King Totila was killed, Narses proceeded towards Rome, seizing in the process
Narni and Spoleto. The city of Rome was recaptured without difficulty and continued to besiege Cumae.
Teias, the new Ostrogothic king and former second-in-command, gathered the remnants of the Ostrogothic army and sent envoys to the Franks in hopes of forming an alliance against the Byzantines. The Franks refused, preferring to let the Goths and Romans wear each other down, which would ease their own eventual conquest of Italy. Upon learning that Narses had laid siege to Cumae, where Totila’s war chest was stored, Teias marched to break the siege.
Battle
Upon arrival, Teias positions himself at the foot of the Mount Vesuvius, near the site of Pompeii, on the left bank of the Sarno. The Byzantines and Ostrogoths stood face to face for two months, with only minor skirmishes between them. However, the Byzantines were able to cut off the supplies of the Ostrogoths, forcing Teias to take action as his army would face starvation.
Ostrogoths withdrew from their initial position, but lure the Byzantine army in a rough terrain. At this location, they able to launch a surprise attack that took place on 1 or 30 October, with the Byzantines holding their ground. Both armies dismounted, due to the terrain, and adopted a deep phalanx formation. Teias led his forces to attack the Byzantine lines but Ostrogoths could not break through them. The Byzantine troops attempted several times to kill Teias by (some thrown) spears, only for Teias’s comrades to resupply him with new shields. After several attempts, Teias died in the fight. His head was peaked by the enemy and it was fixed on a stake to discourage the Ostrogoths from fighting. The Ostrogothic troops continued to fight for another two days. In the end, they send an envoy to negotiate their surrender. The Byzantines wanted to avoid a prolonged engagement given the ferocity by which the Ostrogoths were fighting and they agreed under strict conditions.
Aftermath
The Ostrogothic prisoners were released under the oath to leave Italy carrying only the money that had with them. The battle marked the end of Ostrogoths in the Italian penisula. Only a thousand Ostrogoths managed to escape under the leadership of Indulf and to resist until 555, without a new king being appointed, demonstrating the weakness of what remained of the Ostrogothic people. If Cumae resisted until the beginning of 554, Narses was able to complete the conquest of the rest of Italy in 553, seizing the cities of Florence, Volterra. The Gothic Wars ended in October 554, when Narses defeated an invasion of the Franks and Alemanni in the Battle of Volturno.
