Vitigès assiégeant Rome (537)

This illustration depicts the Ostrogothic king Vitiges besieging Rome in 537 during the Gothic War between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantine Empire. The scene shows the Mausoleum of Hadrian, turned into a fortress, at the center of the fighting. This episode illustrates the struggle for control of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, as well as Emperor Justinian’s attempt to reconquer the region. It reflects the political and military instability of early medieval Europe.