TAGINAE, BATTLE OF (A.D. 552). The battle of Taginae was fought in July 552. It terminated the Gothic Wars of the Emperor Justinian, and was won over the Gothic King Baduila by the eunuch Narses, a general who in ability rivalled the great Belisarius, his contemporary. Taginae is situated below the Apennines near modern Gubbio. Narses had crossed the head of the valley of the Chiascio when Baduila arrived and seized its main outlet. The Goth ranged the whole of his horsemen in front, his infantry, mostly archers, he drew up in second line. His aim was to ride down the imperial army in one terrific charge.
Belisarius had noted the weakness in the Gothic tactics, namely, that there was no co-operation between lance and bow. Narses now aimed at this co-operation, but in a novel form which closely resembles the combined tactics made use of by Edward III. at Crecy. He dismounted his cavalry (Foederati) and formed a phalanx 8,000 strong, on the wings of which he drew up 8,000 archers with their outer flanks thrown forward. In rear of these he posted his Roman cavalry to combine fire and shock. His left
flank he rested on a small hill, which he occupied by a force of in fantry and at the foot of which he deployed a few squadrons of cavalry.
At noon Baduila, ignoring the archers, suddenly charged his enemy's centre, expecting to overwhelm it, for infantry he held in contempt. He was met by a tremendous converging fire of arrows which slew and dismounted hundreds of his knights. After several assaults he clinched with the imperial centre—its pro tective base of action—which held him firm whilst his flanks were plied with arrows. At length, ?exhausted, the Gothic horse men broke back, when immediately Narses launched his mounted squadrons driving them in confusion on to their infantry which were ridden over. The victory was complete.
History of the Wars (Loeb edition) ; Oman, The Art of War in the Middle Ages (1924) ; Cambridge Medi aeval History, vol. ii.; Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Finlay, Greece under the Romans. (J. F. C. F.)