Battle of Adrianople
| The Battle of Adrianople was a conflict between the Germanic tribes and the Roman army. The Roman army was led by Emperor Valens and the Germanic armies were commanded by Fritigern. The battle was decided at Adrianople and the Germanic Tribes won a landslide victory. The tribes that fought the Romans were the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. |  |
The date of the battle was August 9, 378. This battle was a part of a larger conflict that was known as the Gothic War. This battle is a pivotal point in Roman history because it set the stage for what would become the fall of Western Rome. Because of constant invasions from the Huns, the Goths asked if they could live and farm in Roman territory. The Roman emperor Valens allowed this to take place, but once the Goths were in Roman territory problems started occurring, this was primarily due to the untrustworthy commanders of these provinces. This eventually caused a revolt among the Goths and Emperor Valens asked the western Roman emperor Gratian for assistance. Gratian responded by sending troops and a series of small scale skirmishes occurred over the next two years. During this time, neither side had the clear advantage. By 378, Valens decided to crush the Goths with a surprise attack. However, he underestimated the size of the Goth army, and was defeated.
Original Authors: Stephen Palmer
Edit Update Authors: Ryan Norfolk
Updated On: 01/12/2006
