The correct answer is ...
The sixth century.
For some time Rome had been in the hands of the Ostrogoths. Belisarius, the leading general during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, was chosen by the emperor to head up his forces in an attempt to recapture the western empire from the Germanic peoples. Belisarius saw extraordinary success, capturing not only Rome but Sicily and Naples, as well, all about the year 535.
