Byzantine Italy

Byzantine Italy comprised the Italian territories governed by the Eastern Roman Empire after imperial reconquest in the sixth century. Its borders and political organization shifted as Lombard, Frankish, and other powers gained territory.

Exarchate of Ravenna: A Byzantine administrative and military district in northern and central Italy, governed by an exarch from Ravenna. It coordinated imperial authority across much of Byzantine Italy from its northern capital.
Gothic War (535–554): A prolonged war in Italy between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom. The war’s outcome restored imperial control over much of Italy.
Lombard invasion of Italy: The migration and conquest that began in 568, bringing much of Italy under Lombard rule. It rapidly separated Byzantine enclaves and weakened imperial control of the peninsula.
Basilica of San Vitale: A sixth-century church in Ravenna known for its centralized plan and Byzantine mosaics. Its construction under Byzantine rule displays the artistic language of imperial Ravenna.
Ravenna: A city in northeastern Italy that served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire and later Byzantine Italy. Its court and defenses made it the principal center of Byzantine government in Italy.
Justinian I: Eastern Roman emperor from 527 to 565 who pursued territorial reconquest and legal reform. His government ordered the campaigns that dismantled Ostrogothic rule in Italy.
Papal States: Territories in central Italy governed by the papacy from the eighth century until Italian unification. The transfer of Byzantine lands to papal authority helped create a new central Italian power.
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo: A sixth-century basilica in Ravenna whose mosaics reflect successive Ostrogothic and Byzantine rule. Its altered mosaics preserve visible traces of political change in the city.
Duchy of Rome: A Byzantine district centered on Rome, administered by a duke under the exarchate of Ravenna. Its growing autonomy shows how imperial control relied on regional commanders.
Belisarius: A Byzantine general who led major campaigns against the Vandals and Ostrogoths. His early Italian victories brought key cities back under imperial control.

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