factbase-ancient-history/battles/battle-of-adrianople.md

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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[=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]

---
[^1]: Ammianus Marcellinus, *Res Gestae* 31.12–13
[^2]: Burns, T.S. *Barbarians Within the Gates of Rome* (1994)---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=0378]" - what is the source?
> Well-established historical date from Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae (Book 31), the primary contemporary source for the battle. Also corroborated by later sources including Orosius and Zosimus.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Result: Decisive Visigothic victory [^1]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)" - what is the source?
> Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 [^1]. Well-established location.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - what is the source?
> Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 [^1].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - what is the source?
> Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12-13 [^1].
- [x] `@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].
- [x] `@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].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - what is the source?
> Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.6-8 [^1].
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.
- [x] `@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.