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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[=378]

Key Facts

  • Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=378]
  • 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[=382]
  • 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?

  • @q[temporal] Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 14: "Result: Decisive Visigothic victory 1 " - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 18: "Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 23: "Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 25: "Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2 " - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 7: Malformed temporal tag @t[=378] — see docs for valid syntax

  • @q[temporal] Line 10: Malformed temporal tag @t[=378] — see docs for valid syntax

  • @q[temporal] Line 24: Malformed temporal tag @t[=382] — see docs for valid syntax

  • @q[missing] Line 10: "Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=378]" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 11: "Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 18: "Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 23: "Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 24: "Led to the Treaty of 382 CE: Visigoths settled within the empire as *foederat..." - what is the source?

  • @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?


  1. Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.1213 ↩︎

  2. Burns, T.S. Barbarians Within the Gates of Rome (1994) ↩︎