In 537–538 AD, the Ostrogothic King Vitiges led the first siege of Rome during the Gothic War to retake the city from the Byzantine Empire.
Rome had been seized by the Goths in 410 AD, but the Eastern Roman Empire had since recaptured it.
The Gothic army conducted repeated unsuccessful attacks on the city’s walls after initially succeeding in cutting off the city’s food and water supply.
Belisarius, a Byzantine general, was able to fortify the city’s walls and ward off the Gothic attacks.
Furthermore, Belisarius carried out a successful raid on the Gothic camp outside the city, which forced the Goths to break the siege briefly and withdraw to their stronghold in Ravenna, northern Italy.
Rome remained under Byzantine control for the rest of the Gothic War after the siege was lifted in March 538 AD.
