Belisarius, to his credit, did not allow matters to reach a full breach, and instead marched with Narses and John against Urbinum.

According to a controversial tradition reported by several medieval sources, Narses, out of spite for having been removed by Justinian's successor Justin II, called the Lombards to Italy.

In 554, a large-scale Frankish invasion was defeated at Casilinum, and Italy secured for the Empire, even though it would take Narses several years to reduce the remaining Gothic strongholds.

He returned it to the Persian king Narses in exchange for Armenia and western Mesopotamia.

Lucca was an important city and fortress even in the 6th century, when Narses besieged it for several months in 553.

However, popular hatred of Narses was then extended to John for inviting him back.

* Narses ( 478 – 573 ): general of Byzantine emperor Justinian I, responsible for destroying the Ostrogoths in 552 at the Battle of Taginae in Italy and saving Rome for the empire.

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 ( also known as the Battle of Busta Gallorum ) in July 552, which brought an end to the long struggle between Byzantium and the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy, and left the Eastern Emperor for the time being in control of Italy.

On his arrival at Antioch, Galerius was rebuked by Diocletian who disgraced him for his shameful defeat at the hands of Narses.

It is not known for how long Narses survived his abdication.

However, it is well known that Narses was already dead by the time of Hormizd's death in 309 for the throne passed onto Hormizd's still-unborn son Shapur.

At the Battle of Taginae ( also known as the Battle of Busta Gallorum ) in June / July 552, the forces of the Byzantine Empire under Narses broke the power of the Ostrogoths in Italy, and paved the way for the temporary Byzantine reconquest of the Italian Peninsula.

Narses was prepared for such a move, however, and ordered the archers massed on his flanks to incline their front towards the centre so that his battle-line became crescent-shaped.

Narses recovered it for the Eastern Empire, but after a long siege, the garrison had to surrender to the Lombards in 572.

Artistic license was taken in the representations, for instance, the Caesar Galerius is shown in personal combat with the Sassanid Shah Narses in one of the panels ; although they never met in battle.

The temple completed by Domitian is thought to have lasted more or less intact for over four hundred years, until the fifth century depredations of Gaiseric and Narses.

Besieged by Phocas ' troops in the city of Edessa, Narses called for the Persian emperor Khosrau II to aid him and was rescued by the Persian forces.

Most ancient Syriac hymns, e. g., those of St. Ephraem, Narses and Balai, although composed for one or two choirs, were not originally intended for liturgical use properly so called but addressed as much to the laity as to clerics, and date from a period when the codification of harmony, if we may so speak, was not yet regularly established.

The two armies encamped separately, and shortly afterwards, Narses, convinced that the town was unassailable and well supplied, broke camp and departed for Ariminum.

In the aftermath of this disaster, Narses was recalled, and Belisarius confirmed as supreme commander with absolute authority for Italy.

During the second phase ( 540 / 541 – 553 ), Goths ' resistance was reinvigorated under Totila and put down only after a long struggle by Narses, who also repelled the 554 invasion by the Franks and Alamanni.

In particular the so-called Plague of Justinian had ravaged the region and conflict remained endemic, with the Three-Chapter Controversy sparking religious opposition and administration at a standstill after the able governor of the peninsula, Narses, was recalled.

Often dismissed as an unreliable tradition, it has been studied with attention by modern scholars, in particular Neil Christie, who see in it a possible record of a formal invitation by the Byzantine state to settle in northern Italy as foederati, to help protect the region against the Franks, an arrangement that may have been disowned by Justin II after Narses ' removal.

Constantius promptly attacked Narses, and after suffering minor setbacks defeated and killed Narses at the Battle of Narasara.

Subsequently Belisarius, Narses, and other generals conquered the Ostrogothic Kingdom, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italy, and Rome to the Empire after more than half a century of barbarian control.

Gundulf and Ragnaris escaped from the field ; the latter was mortally wounded after a failed assassination by an agent of Narses.

The eastern half of the Empire, now centred on Constantinople, invaded Italy in the early 6th century, and the generals of emperor Justinian, Belisarius and Narses, conquered the Ostrogothic kingdom after years of warfare, ending in 552.

While on his way to fight the Gothic army, the Byzantine general Narses crossed the Marecchia on a pontoon after the leader of the Goths contesting his passage of the river was killed in a skirmish.

Accordingly terms of peace were agreed upon, and were ratified by a treaty concluded by Narses with the Romans.

A further cause of the Lombard migration into Italy may have been an invitation from Narses.

Before Constantius arrived, the Persian general Narses, who was possibly the king's brother, overran Mesopotamia and captured Amida.

However, the Romans won a decisive victory at the Battle of Narasara, killing Shapur's brother, Narses.

Other talented individuals included Tribonian, his legal adviser ; Peter the Patrician, the diplomat and longtime head of the palace bureaucracy ; his finance ministers John the Cappadocian and Peter Barsymes, who managed to collect taxes more efficiently than any before, thereby funding Justinian's wars ; and finally, his prodigiously talented generals Belisarius and Narses.

Justinian sent another general, Narses, to Italy, but tensions between Narses and Belisarius hampered the progress of the campaign.

Justinian recalled Narses in 539.

Finally, Justinian dispatched a force of approximately 35, 000 men ( 2, 000 men were detached and sent to invade southern Visigothic Spain ) under the command of Narses.

The practices ended when Justinian sent Narses to destroy sanctuaries, arrest priests, and seize divine images, which were taken to Constantinople.

* General Narses reconquers all of Italy.

* Narses, Byzantine general ( d. 573 )

Byzantine forces under the Armenian general Narses arrive at Picenum.

* April – Belisarius secures Liguria, Mediolanum ( modern Milan ) and Ariminum, but disagreements, especially with Narses, leads to disunity in the Byzantine army.

Justinian sent Narses to destroy the sanctuaries, with the priests being arrested and the divine images taken to Constantinople.

He also took advantage of the difficulties in the Byzantine military, coming to the aid of Narses, a Byzantine general who refused to acknowledge the new Emperor's authority and who was besieged by troops loyal to Phocas in Edessa.

The city was seized again by the Goths under Totila, but was restored to the Eastern Empire by Narses in 568. Then it fell under the control of the Lombards.