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Battle of Taginae
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A History of War
Quick Facts
Also called:
Battle Of Busta Gallorum
Date:
June 552 - July 552
Location:
Italy
Participants:
Byzantine Empire
Italy
Key People:
Narses
Totila
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Battle of Taginae

Italian history
Also known as: Battle of Busta Gallorum
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Battle of Taginae, (June or July 552), decisive engagement fought near what is now the town of Gualdo Tadino, Italy. In the battle the Byzantine general Narses defeated the main body of the Goths, who were led by their Christian king, Totila.

The Byzantine emperor Justinian I sent his commander in chief, the eunuch Narses, with an army of 20,000 men into Italy, where, at the Apennine village of Taginae near the Flaminian Way, he defeated the Goths; Totila, who had ordered his army to use only spears, was fatally wounded.

The victory, credited to imperial archers and described by the historian Procopius, allowed Narses to march through Italy and eventually liberate Rome.

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