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Adrianople August 9, 378
Strategic Context
Under pressure from the westward migration of the Huns and other Asiatic peoples in 372, the Visigoths and Ostrogoths begin migrating further south and across the Danube River to settle within the Roman Empire in greater numbers. In 376, Roman Emperor Valens formally allows these Gothic peoples to settle within the Empire on the condition they disarm. Starving and facing the exploitation of Roman officials, the Goths begin to hide their weapons. A general Gothic revolt against their hosts begins after a failed assassination attempt on Gothic leaders by the Roman military commander in Thrace, prompting Fritigern to unite the Visigoths and Ostrogoths. Valens hastily makes peace with the Persians to secure the eastern border and marches against Fritigern’s combined Gothic force. Fritigern raids into Thrace before retreating towards Adrianople where the Goths establish their traditional defensive position of wagons on a hill to await the Roman attack.
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Stakes
+ A Roman victory would force the Goths backwards into the path of the ferocious Huns, putting their survival in doubt.
+ A Gothic victory would destroy the only major Roman army in the region, opening up the Roman Empire to raids and further migration.
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By Jonathan Webb, 2009

2. Adrianople, 378 Strength Romans Well Goths Well Flavius Valens
Fritigern
11,000 infantry
10,000 infantry
4,000 cavalry
6,500 cavalry
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

3. Roman Empire c. 378

4. The battlefield consists of a featureless open plain except for a significant hill in the middle. The summer weather is extremely hot and dry.
Goths
(Fritigern)
Romans
(Valens)

5. Goths (Fritigern) 10,000 infantry 6,500 cavalry Romans
Valens deploys his army in a standard formation with his infantry legions in the center flanked by his cavalry, which includes horse-archers. Valens, rejecting the advice of his subordinates, plans to assault the hill and destroy the Gothic peoples before their cavalry can return. Fritigern deploys his force on a sizeable hill, his infantry able to launch attacks from the protection offered by the ring of wagons where the soldiers’ families are. The Gothic cavalry is away foraging so Fritigern seeks to delay the Romans until the decisive force arrives.
Fritigern tries to delay the Roman assault by sending envoys to open negotiations but Valens, believing the Gothic cavalry to be away on a time-consuming raid, resolves to attack. The Goths quickly set fire to the adjacent fields to impede the attack which results in the discomfort of the heavily-armoured Romans and a choking cloud of smoke over the battlefield.
Goths
(Fritigern)
10,000 infantry
6,500 cavalry
Romans
(Flavius Valens)
11,000 infantry
4,000 cavalry
Goths
(Fritigern)
Romans Goths
Infantry Infantry
Cavalry Cavalry
Wagon
Symbol guide
Romans
(Valens)

6. Romans (Flavius Valens) 11,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry Romans Goths
Valens strongly believes the Gothic cavalry are not returning so he patiently sends his horse-archers to harass the Goths. The Gothic infantry are not amused and counter-attack, driving the Roman cavalry back. This provokes a premature, undisciplined attack by a Roman infantry force that is repulsed and driven back by superior Gothic numbers and position.
The Gothic heavy cavalry arrive at the peak of combat and drive the outclassed and outnumbered Roman cavalry from the field. The Gothic cavalry, hidden by the looming smoke, swoop around the Roman infantry while the Gothic infantry feel the shift of momentum and launch a counterattack to push the Romans off the hill. The Roman infantry try to flee but the majority are surrounded.
The Romans are so tightly surrounded that they can hardly draw their weapons; only when many have already fallen can the Roman infantry fight back with any effectiveness or try and escape. The massacre continues for hours as the Roman infantry fight for survival. Some Romans manage to escape but are inevitably destroyed along with their commander.
Seeing a part of his army already in combat, Valens orders a full assault and the Roman infantry soon become deeply engaged in fierce fighting along the hill. Despite high casualties and not being able to be supported by cavalry, the Romans push the Goths back beyond their wagons on the Gothic right.
Fritigern tries to delay the Roman assault by sending envoys to open negotiations but Valens, believing the Gothic cavalry to be away on a time-consuming raid, resolves to attack. The Goths quickly set fire to the adjacent fields to impede the attack which results in the discomfort of the heavily-armoured Romans and a choking cloud of smoke over the battlefield.
Romans
(Flavius Valens)
11,000 infantry
4,000 cavalry
Goths
(Fritigern)
Romans Goths
Infantry Infantry
Cavalry Cavalry
Wagon
Symbol guide
Romans
(Valens)

7. Adrianople, 378 Casualties & Aftermath
Romans:
Goths:
10,000 or
67%
2,000 or
12%
Fritigern besieged Adrianople and then Constantinople but quickly realized he did not have the resources to assault the fortress walls or starve the garrisons out. The Goths subsequently retreated to Thrace as the war dragged on. Valens’ successor, Theodosius, eventually defeated them with a reorganized Roman army centered around cavalry, forcing peace in 382. Theodosius also returned to the custom of pardoning defeated Goths and absorbing them into the Roman army with the majority settling in Italy or Spain. While there was still some conflict with their hosts – the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410 – the Gothic peoples eventually helped preserve the Roman Empire for centuries to come.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

8. The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps
By Jonathan Webb, 2009