Battle of the Volturnus ( 554 ) The Battle of the Volturnus , also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua , was fought in 554 between an army of the Eastern Roman Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni . The Romans , led by the Romanized Armenian general Narses , were victorious . Background . During the later stages of the Gothic War , the Gothic king Teia called upon the Franks for help against the Roman armies under the eunuch Narses . Although king Theodebald refused to send aid , he allowed two of his subjects , the Alamanni chieftains Leutharis and Butilinus , to cross into Italy . According to the historian Agathias , the two brothers gathered a host of 75 , 000 Franks and Alamanni , and in early 553 crossed the Alps and took the town of Parma . They defeated a force under the Heruli commander Fulcaris , and soon many Goths from northern Italy joined their forces . In the meantime , Narses dispersed his troops to garrisons throughout central Italy , and himself wintered at Rome . In the spring of 554 , the two brothers invaded central Italy , plundering as they descended southwards , until they came to Samnium . There they divided their forces , with Butilinus , with the larger part of the army , marching south towards Campania and the Straits of Messina , while Leutharis led the remainder towards Apulia and Otranto . Leutharis , however , soon turned back home , laden with spoils . His vanguard , however , was heavily defeated by the Armenian Byzantine Artabanes at Fanum , leaving most of the booty behind . The remainder managed to reach northern Italy , and cross the Alps into Frankish territory , but not before losing more men to a plague , including Leutharis himself . Butilinus , on the other hand , more ambitious and possibly persuaded by the Goths to restore their kingdom with himself as king , resolved to remain . His army was infected by dysentery , so that it was reduced from its original size of 30 , 000 to a size close to that of Narses ' forces . In summer , Butilinus marched back to Campania and erected camp on the banks of the Volturnus , covering its exposed sides with an earthen rampart , reinforced by his numerous supply wagons . A bridge over the river was fortified by a wooden tower , heavily garrisoned by the Franks . The battle . When Narses found out about the location of the Frankish camp , he set forth at the head of an 18 , 000 strong force , including strong contingents of Heruli mercenaries . His army included infantry , heavy cavalry and horse archers , and was thus at an advantage over the mostly infantry - based enemy forces . As the Romans approached the Frankish camp , Narses sent an Armenian officer , Charananges , with a cavalry force , to cut the Franks ' supply . Indeed , Charananges not only captured several wagons , but used one of them to set fire to the large watchtower guarding the bridge . After this first skirmish , both sides exited their camps and formed up for battle . At that point , an incident almost wrecked Narses ' plans . A Herul captain killed a servant , and when confronted by Narses , refused to acknowledge any fault . Narses had him executed , whereupon the rest of the Heruli announced that they refused to fight . Nevertheless , Narses drew up his forces for battle . Faced with the solid and deep - arrayed Frankish infantry , he chose a disposition similar to that of the battle of Taginae , with the infantry in the centre , backed by archers , and the cavalry on the wings . Narses himself took command of the right wing , while Artabanes and Valerian were placed in charge of the left wing . Part of the left wing was also concealed in a wood that grew there . At the pleas of the Herul general , Sindual , who promised to persuade his men to fight , he left a gap in the middle of the infantry , which the Heruli were to occupy . However , two Heruli had deserted to the Franks , and persuaded Butelinus to attack now , while the Heruli stayed out of the battle . The Franks , arrayed in a large wedge - shaped formation ( " cuneus " or " swine ' s head " ) advanced , and smashed into the Roman centre . They quickly penetrated the gap left by the Heruli , but Narses commanded his cavalry , which included many horse archers , to wheel on their flanks and attack the Franks from their exposed rear . The Franks , already engaged with the Roman infantry , were unable to turn and face their more mobile enemies in the rear . As confusion started to spread amongst them , the Heruli finally returned to the fray . In the words of J . B . Bury , " . . . then Sindual and his Heruli appeared upon the scene . The defeat of the Franks was already certain ; it was now to be annihilation . " Butelinus and most of his men perished , while Roman casualties were small . Agathias gives the impossibly low number of 80 dead Romans , while claiming that only five barbarians survived . Whatever the true numbers , it was a magnificent victory for Narses , and signaled the final triumph of the Empire in Italy . Aftermath . Despite Narses ' great victories , the war was not finished . Seven thousand Goths held out at Campsa , near Naples until they capitulated in the spring of 555 . The lands and cities across the River Po were still held by Franks and Goths , and it was not until 562 that their last strongholds , the cities of Verona and Brixia were subjugated .