5.7 KiB
Battle of Adrianople
Battle of Adrianople
Overview
The Battle of Adrianople (378 CE) was a catastrophic Roman defeat in which the Visigoths destroyed a Roman army and killed Emperor Valens. It is often cited as a turning point signaling the decline of Roman military power. @t[=0378]
Key Facts
- Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=0378]
- Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)
- Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths
- Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)
- Result: Decisive Visigothic victory 1
The Battle
- Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian
- Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge
- Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated
- ~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself
Significance
- Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry
- Led to the Treaty of 382 CE: Visigoths settled within the empire as foederati @t[=0382]
- Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2
Review Queue
@q[temporal]Line 11: "Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. Battle occurred 9 August 378 CE. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 14: "Result: Decisive Visigothic victory 1 " - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 18: "Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 23: "Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry" - when was this true?
Static historical fact / scholarly interpretation. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 25: "Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2 " - when was this true?
Static historical interpretation. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 7: Malformed temporal tag @t[=378] — see docs for valid syntax
Fix to @t[=0378]. The temporal tag system requires 4-digit years.
@q[temporal]Line 10: Malformed temporal tag @t[=378] — see docs for valid syntax
Fix to @t[=0378]. The temporal tag system requires 4-digit years.
@q[temporal]Line 24: Malformed temporal tag @t[=382] — see docs for valid syntax
Fix to @t[=0382]. The temporal tag system requires 4-digit years.
@q[missing]Line 10: "Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=378]" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12-13 1 . The primary eyewitness account.
@q[missing]Line 11: "Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 1 . Well-established location.
@q[missing]Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 1 .
@q[missing]Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12-13 1 .
@q[missing]Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12.4-6 1 .
@q[missing]Line 18: "Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.2 1 .
@q[missing]Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.6-8 1 .
@q[missing]Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.18 1 . Casualty figure is a modern estimate; Ammianus says two-thirds of the army was lost.
@q[missing]Line 23: "Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry" - what is the source?
Source: Burns (1994) 2 ; also Delbrück, History of the Art of War. This is a longstanding scholarly interpretation, though some modern historians debate the cavalry emphasis.
@q[missing]Line 24: "Led to the Treaty of 382 CE: Visigoths settled within the empire as *foederat..." - what is the source?
Source: Burns (1994) 2 ; Heather, P. The Fall of the Roman Empire (2006). The treaty of 382 CE is well-attested in Themistius, Orations.
@q[stale]Line 25: "Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2 " - Burns source from 1994 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
Burns (1994) remains a standard reference. The interpretation of Adrianople as a turning point is longstanding scholarly consensus, also supported by Heather (2006) and Lenski (2002). Still accurate.