Totila (died
Jul 1, 552) was king of the
Ostrogoths from 541 until his death. He waged the
Gothic War against the
Byzantine Empire for the mastery of Italy. Most of the historical evidence for Totila consists of chronicles by the Byzantine historian
Procopius, who accompanied the Byzantine
general Belisarius during the Gothic War.
"Totila" was the nom de guerre of a man whose real name was Baduila, as can be seen from the coinage he issued. "Totila" is how he was referred to by the historian Procopius. Born in Treviso, Totila was elected king after the death of his uncle Ildibad, having engineered the assassination of Ildibad's short-lived successor, his cousin Eraric in 541. The official Byzantine position, adopted by Procopius and even by the Romanized Goth Jordanes, writing just before the conclusion of the Gothic Wars, was that Totila was an usurper Jordanes' Getica (551) overlooks the recent successes of Totila.[1]
His life's work was the restoration of the Gothic kingdom in Italy and he entered upon the task from the very beginning of his reign, collecting together and inspiring the Goths, defeating a poorly-led Byzantine attack on the Gothic stronghold of Verona in the winter of 541 and scattering the stronger Byzantine army at Faenza (Battle of Faventia) in the spring of 542.[2]
Having gained another victory in 542, this time, avoiding stoutly defended Florence, in the valley of Mugello, where Totila showed his nature by treating his prisoners so well that they were induced to serve under his banner, he left a well-defended Tuscany with his enlarged forces, while three of the Byzantine generals withdrew from Florence, dividing their forces, to Perugia, to Spoleto and Rome, cities which Totila would have to take by siege.
