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A timeline showing a world where Belisarius was defeated near Naples in 536 CE |
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The besieged, hidden from their enemies' gazes, sent a message to Rome for beg to Theodatus from him to deliver them as quickly as he could do. Theodatus, in spite of his nature, which made him not dauntless, called to himself soldiers and horsemen, and made preparations for war. It is said that a most peculiar event happened, for overcome his craven nature for go boldly to war. To be honest, I do not think it is credible thing but, for the sake of chronicling, I shall refer it. Theodatus already didn't neglect to inquire on the topic with the ones claiming to be able to divine events, and at the time worried about the happenings, something that usually brings men to divination, went to ask to a Jew famous for practicing it, what was going to be the outcome of the war. He said to contain three sets of ten pigs, each ten in a room, and, after calling one “Goths,” one “Imperial Soldiers” and one “Romans,” wait for the fateful day to come. And Theodatus did that. The day arrived, both of them faring in the pig's chambers, they examined the pigs and they unearthed that the pigs with the name of Imperial Soldiers had all died out save for two; the ones with the name of Romans were all alive but most of them had lost all their bristles; and the ones with the name of Goths were left in seven but still had their bristles. Theodatus had seen these things and deduced an omen for that war, they said that he was taken by a fit of raging bravery, because he understood well that the emperor had the loss of many of his men in battle in this looming war; that the Goths, his kind, with little loss, were going to triumph; and that the Romans were going to survive, but not without great toil and loss of belongings. The above happenings are said to be the reason for his decision to call the troops and fight Belisarius. And let this be the end of this digression. -Procopius, “The Gothic War”- Chapter IX I'd be lying, if I said that I wasn't surprised by the sudden surge of courage of Theodatus, after all these years of him hiding in the shadows for keep as little as possible the expenses, and shying away from personal danger at all times, deciding to move forward with most of the army under his and his generals' command towards the city of Naples. But I also cannot deny that, despite all of this, he has been a decent king, and, if he really does manages to accomplish the safety of the realm, then his life may last as long as his body sustains him, however, if he'll go back to his craven ways... Then I will consider the idea of taking over the position of king of the Romans and the Ostrogoths. -Atta, “Diaries”- Book III. July of 536 CE: King Theodatus of the Goths sends a 15.000-strong army in aid to the city of Naples, which is begin sieged by Belisarius and his army. In the following battle of Agnano's Lake, Belisarius' army is defeated once the besieged city's army, guided by the local noble Pastore, marches out and attacks while the Byzantines are still engaged against Theodatus' army, thusly trapping them. In the battle, Belisarius, Procopius and many others are captured and brought to Rome in display. Most of the cities in southern Italy that had pass to the Byzantines switched back in fear of retaliation, but some resisted to Theodatus' attempts to recover the areas lost to the Byzantines. August of 536 CE: A plot, hatched by nobles for assassinate Theodatus, due to his incompetence, is uncovered by Atta, Vitige's nephew, due to Atta's change of heart due to the latest actions of Theodatus against the Byzantines' invasion. Many plotters are arrested and Vitige, the candidate as next king, is executed for treason, while Atta receives a prize of twenty libbers of gold. Meanwhile, in Bale, Constantianus, after the morale-dropping news of Belisarius' defeat against the Goths in Naples, he decides to camp near the village of Bale in today's Istria and wait for his army to recover its morale there. September-January of 537 CE: Theodatus assembles the navy in Pisa, then, once the soldiers are gathered around major cities, he divides his army in four. Theodatus gives a part each to Atta and Leutari, Rome's Captain of the Garrison, keeps one for himself to guide in the conquests, and leaves the fourth one as garrison around the borders, especially the ones in Croatia, lead by Idelfonso, Leutari's newphew; Theodatus plans to go with his own army towards Sicily; send Leutari's towards Sardinia, and send Atta's towards Sicily and, eventually, Malta. March-May of 536 CE: Theodatus starts the expedition in Sicily, landing in Santo Stefano di Camastra, and swiftly defeating the few garrisons around Messina. However, when faced with the siege of Messina properly, Theodatus is forced to halt his advance, leading to a likewise fast reconquest of the Byzantines of the zones lost in the previous battles against the Osthrogoths. Surrounded and cut off, Theodatus tries to send a request of help to Atta, whom has been tasked to conquest the rest of Sicily starting from Marsala. Despite all his attempts, however, no messenger manages to reach Atta, who, in the meanwhile, has sieged Trapani and managed to capture it in as little as two weeks, due to the fact that the population had been decimated by a famine followed by a plague of dysentery that has very little spread in the besieged army; and has defeated the united garrisons of the towns of San Ciro, Salemi, Vita and Santa Ninfa near Lago Rubino. In Sardinia, Leutari encounters very little resistance, as the Byzantines haven't fully integrated the region, leading to a quick victory that Leutari himself will call in his own memories as “as hollow as a pot” Costantinianus' army leaves Bale advances further East, reaching Putini after winning against the forces of Idelfonso in Golas. |
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