In November of 536, a Roman army of 6,000 soldiers was on the move along the Via Latina in Italy. Led by the Constantinopolitan Emperor Justinian's (r. 527-565) renowned general, Belisarius, the heterogenous force of battlehardened veterans—many of whom had helped defeat the Vandals in North Africa in 534 and the Goths in Sicily in 535—were fresh off another triumph, the bloody storming of Naples and the capitulation of its Gothic garrison. Belisarius and his men were now in search of larger quarry—Rome, the birthplace of empire. Though Belisarius had received assurances from a papal delegation that Rome would open its gates to him, the general likely knew the Goths would not relinquish their control of Italy so easily. In fact, once Naples fell to Belisarius, the Gothic army reacted by electing a new king, the dux [general] Vitigis, who had served previously as the deposed Gothic King Theodahad's spatharios [head bodyguard] and had been playing a leading role in organising Gothic resistance to Belisarius’ advance. With the East Roman army fast approaching, in the early days of December Vitigis retreated to Rome. Shortly thereafter, Vitigis abandoned Rome for the better protected Ravenna, where he began rallying a segment of the Gothic nobility that was viscerally opposed to the rule of Italy from Constantinople.

For Vitigis, the challenge was twofold. We learn from a contemporary source that his decision to abandon Rome stemmed from the Gothic king's overestimation of the size of Belisarius’ force, and the need for Vitigis to consolidate his hold on the throne. A defeat in the early days of his rule would have surely proven disastrous for a man whose propaganda espoused the notion that he had received the ‘kingly office’ largely because of his martial prowess. Moreover, though Vitigis had the necessary military qualifications for Gothic kingship, he lacked the noble background that also served as a vital prerequisite. This gap in his resume could only be resolved by heading to the stronghold of Gothic power, Ravenna, which at that time was one of Europe's most important cities. Vitigis’ politically advantageous marriage to the former Gothic King Theoderic's (r. 471-526) granddaughter, Matasuentha, shortly after he arrived in Ravenna proved enough to secure Amal support. This respite in Ravenna also provided Vitigis crucial time to raise a larger army.