In the spring of 542, at the Battle of Faventia (modern Faenza), an

Ostrogothic The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...

army under king

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the t ...

scattered the larger Roman forces of generals Constantian and

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, beginning the resurgence of Gothic resistance to the Roman reconquest of Italy. Before the battle,

Valaris Valaris ( el, Οὐάλαρις, died 542) was a Gothic soldier who fought for the Ostrogoths against the Eastern Roman Empire in the Gothic War. Valaris was part of Totila's army engaged at the Battle of Faventia. Before the battle, Valaris app ...

, a gigantic Goth, challenged any Roman to do

single combat Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repre ...

with him. Valaris was slain by the Byzantine soldier

Artabazes Artavasdes is the Hellenized form of the Iranian name . Variant renderings in Greek include (), (), and (); in Armenian (); and in Latin or . People with this name include: Persian satraps * Artabazos I of Phrygia (flourished 5th century BC ...

, who was also mortally wounded.

Battle

The key moment during the battle, was, according to

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gener ...

, when the Roman rear was violently attacked by some 300 men of the Ostrogothic cavalry.

References

Sources

* 542 Faventia Faventia Faventia Gothic War (535–554) 540s in the Byzantine Empire Faventia {{Battle-stub