| Battle of Treviso | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gothic War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Byzantine EmpireHeruli | Ostrogoths | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Vitalius Theudimundus | Ildibad | ||||||
The Battle of Treviso was an engagement in 541 near Treviso, Italy, between Ostrogoths and Byzantines during the Gothic War.[1]
In the prelude to the battle, the new Ostrogothic king Ildibad had exploited the withdrawal by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I of general Belisarius from Italy, easily extending his authority in Venetia and Liguria with a small but growing Gothic force.[2] In 541, Ildibad was engaged outside Treviso by general Vitalius, the military commander of the city, whose force included a sizable number of Heruli. The battle ended with a decisive victory for Ildibad, with Vitalius barely escaping while the Heruli leader was killed.[2] Ildibad was subsequently able to extend his authority across the entire Po Valley,[1] but his murder by a Gepid at a palace banquet prevented him from profiting further from the victory.[2] Theudimundus, the son of magister militum Mundus, participated in this battle, fighting for the Byzantines under Vitalius.[3][4]