Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, medieval

Sack of Rome

Sack of Rome was a siege conducted in AD 546 at Rome, in what is now Italy. It was part of the Gothic War of 535–554, which ran from AD 535 to AD 554. The recorded result: Ostrogothic victory. Recorded strength: 3,000; Unknown number of citizens; Unknown support from Portus against Larger force.

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The Walls and Gates of Rome in the 6th century, incl. the Gothic camps from the Siege of Rome 537-538
The Walls and Gates of Rome in the 6th century, incl. the Gothic camps from the Siege of Rome 537-538. Edward Stanford, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 546
WhereRome, Italy41.886N, 12.509E
OutcomeOstrogothic victory
BelligerentsByzantine EmpireagainstOstrogothic Kingdom
Part ofGothic War of 535–554AD 535 to AD 554

Where it sits in the Gothic War of 535–554

Battle of Scardon, AD 535Siege of Panormus, AD 535Siege of Naples, AD 536Siege of Rome, AD 537Siege of Urbinus, AD 538Battle of Pavia, AD 538Siege of Ariminum, AD 538Siege of Milan, AD 538Siege of Ravenna, AD 539Siege of Auximus, AD 539Siege of Verona, AD 541Battle of Treviso, AD 541Battle of Faventia, AD 542Battle of Mucellium, AD 542Siege of Naples, AD 542Sack of Rome, AD 546Siege of Rossano, AD 548Siege of Rome, AD 549Battle of Sena Gallica, AD 551Battle of Taginae, AD 552Siege of Cumae, AD 552Battle of Mons Lactarius, AD 552Siege of Urviventus, AD 553Battle of the Volturnus, AD 554AD 535AD 554Sack of Rome, AD 546
25 placed engagements of the Gothic War of 535–554 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 546 (year precision)
PlaceRome, Italy
41.886N, 12.509E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeOstrogoths captured Rome
Strength3,000; Unknown number of citizens; Unknown support from PortusLarger force
Commanders
Sack of RomeSack of RomeSiege of RomeSiege of the Capitoline HillSack of RomeSiege of RomeSiege of RomeNaplesPescaraL'AquilaCivitavecchiaCasertaCampobasso100 km41.886N, 12.509E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 16 times between 476 BC and 1943.

In the same war

Sack of Rome is one of 120 engagements of the 6th century in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2628454, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Sack of Rome (546), revision 1370252576, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.