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His life's work was the restoration of the Gothic kingdom in Italy and he entered upon the task at the very beginning of his reign, collecting together and inspiring the Goths and winning a victory over the troops of the emperor Justinian, near Faenza .

Having gained another victory in 542, this time in the valley of Mugello , he left Tuscany for Naples, captured that city and then received the submission of the provinces of Lucania, Apulia and Calabria. Totila's conquest of Italy was marked not only by celerity but also by mercy, and Gibbon says "none were deceived, either friends or enemies, who depended on his faith or his clemency."

Towards the end of 545 the Gothic king took up his station at Tivoli and prepared to starve RomeRome ( Italian and Latin Roma is the capital city of Italy, and of its Lazio region. It is located on the lower Tiber river, near the Mediterranean Sea, at 41°50'N, 12°15'E. The Vatican City State, a sovereign enclave within Rome, is the seat of the Roman into surrender, making at the same time elaborate preparations for checking the progress of Belisarius who was advancing to its relief. The Imperial fleet, moving up the TiberThe River Tiber ( Italian Tevere , the third longest river in Italy at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po, flows through the Campagna and Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in two branches that cross the suburbs of and led by the great general, only just failed to succour the city, which must then, perforce, open its gates to the Goths.

It was plundered, although Totila did not carry out his threat to make it a pasture for cattle, and when the Gothic army withdrew into Apulia it was from a scene of desolation. But its walls and other fortifications were soon restored, and Totila again marching against it. He was defeated by Belisarius, who, however, did not follow up his advantage. Several cities were taken by the Goths, while Belisarius remained inactive and then left Italy, and in 549Events Liang Jin Wen Di succeeds Liang Wu Di as ruler of the Liang Dynasty in China. The Ostrogoths under Totila recapture Rome. Agil succeeds Theudigisclus as king of the Visigoths. Births Deaths Theudigisclus, king of the Visigoths. Totila advanced a third time against Rome, which he captured through the treachery of some of its defenders.

His next exploit was the conquest and plunder of SicilySicily Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. 1 million inhabitants. Towns and Cities Sicily's principal cities include the regional capital Palermo, together with t, after which he subdued CorsicaRegion Corse Details Information Capital: Ajaccio Population Total Density 260 196 1999 30 /km² Area8 680 km² Arrondissements5 Cantons52 Communes360 President of the regional council Camille de Rocca-Serra Departements Corse-du-Sud (2A) Haute-Corse (2B) L and SardiniaSardinia Sardigna Sardinna or Sardinnia in the Sardinian language, Sardegna in Italian, Sardenya in Catalan), is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy, France and Tunisia, south of Corsica. Sardinia has an area of 24,090 km2 an and sent a Gothic fleet against the coasts of GreeceGreece formally called the Hellenic Republic (in Greek: ) Hellenike Demokratia , is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. It is bounded on land by Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. By this time the emperor Justinian was taking energetic measures to check the Goths. The conduct of a new campaign was entrusted to the eunuch Narses; Totila marched against him and was defeated and killed at the battle of Taginae in July 552.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica