Siege of Urbinus

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{{short description|Siege during Justinian's Gothic War}}

{{Campaignbox Wars of Justinian I}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = Siege of Urbino (538)

| partof = Gothic War (535–554)

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| place = Urbinus

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| result = Byzantine victory

| combatant1 = Byzantine Empire

| combatant2 = Ostrogothic kingdom

| commander1 = Belisarius

| commander2 = Vitiges

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The siege of Urbinus also called siege of Urbino or siege of Urbinum took place in the year 538{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/belisariuslastro00ianh|title=Belisarius : the last Roman general|last=Hughes, Ian (Historian)|date=2009|publisher=Westholme|isbn=9781594160851|location=Yardley, Pa.|oclc=294885267|url-access=registration}}{{Cite book|title=Rome resurgent : war and empire in the age of Justinian|last=Heather, P. J. (Peter J.)|isbn=9780199362745|location=New York, NY|oclc=1007044617|year = 2018}} during Justinian's Gothic War.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/procopiuswitheng04procuoft|title=Procopius, with an English translation by H.B. Dewing|last=Procopius|last2=Dewing|first2=H. B. (Henry Bronson)|date=1914|publisher=London S. Heinemann|others=Robarts - University of Toronto}} Earlier, when John took Ariminum, he had bypassed Auximus and Urbinus which would have to be taken now to secure the road to Ravenna. The Gothic king, Witigis, had sent a man called Moras with 2.000 troops to defend the city. In the year 538, the Byzantine commander, Belisarius went to besiege the town while another strong Byzantine contingents besieged Urviventus. The forces of Narses and John, other Byzantine commanders, who were undermining Belisarius' authority,{{Cite thesis|last=Brogna|first=Anthony|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a299019.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117030448/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a299019.pdf|archive-date=17 January 2021|title=The Generalship of Belisarius.|location=United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth|date=1995|publisher=Defense Technical Information Center|language=English|oclc=227839393|degree=Master of Military Art and Science|page=[https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a299019.pdf#page=86 79]{{ndash}}82}}{{Cite book|title=The generalship of Belisarius|last=Brogna|first=Anthony|publisher=Hauraki Publishing|year=2015|orig-year=1995}} joined him in this venture.{{Cite book|title=History of the later Roman Empire from the death of Theodosius I. to the death of Justinian|last=Bury, J. B. (John Bagnell), 1861-1927|isbn=0486203980|location=New York|oclc=41478187|date = January 1958}} Thinking the defenders would be terrified on seeing the Byzantine army, Belisarius sent envoys offering the garrison a chance to surrender. Narses and John set up camp separately form Belisarius, on the other side of the town, and, after negotiations with the garrison failed, totally abandoned the siege. They declared taking the town impossible and moved to capture Aemilia but while Belisarius was preparing to assault the town surrendered due to the failure of its spring. Astonished by such success, Narses sent John to capture Caesena but this assault failed. John then moved to and managed to capture Forocornelius. After this siege Belisarius moved to support in the siege of Urviventus, also capturing that city shortly after.