Transcript Romans
Adrianople August 9, 378 Strategic Context The Visigoths and Ostrigoths conspire to assassinate Roman Emperor Valens but fail; the Romans consequently negotiate a truce with the Persians, who they are fighting and march against Fritigern’s combined Gothic force. So far, the Goths are usually able to extricate themselves from dangerous situations after being gradually pushed out of Thrace. They retreat towards Adrianople and establish their traditional defensive position when the Romans arrive. 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 Eastern Roman Empire to pillaging and possible conquest. No Image Available By Jonathan Webb, 2009 © Adrianople, 378 Strength Romans Goths Emperor Flavius Valens Fritigern 40,000 infantry 20,000 cavalry 10,000 infantry 50,000 cavalry Well Well By Jonathan Webb, 2009 © Valens deploys army in a standard formation his infantry innegotiations the center flanked by his cavalry, which horseFritigern tries his to delay the Roman assault by with sending envoyslegions to open but Valens, believing theincludes Gothic cavalry archers. Fritigern deploys his force on a sizeable hill, infantry attacksset from offered by to theimpede ring of wagons to be away on a time-consuming raid, resolves tohis attack. Thelaunching Goths quickly firethe to protection the adjacent fields the where the soldiers’ families His cavalry away foraging so he seeks to delay Romans cloud until the forcethe arrives. attack which results in theare. discomfort ofisthe heavily-armoured Romans andthe a choking of decisive smoke over battlefield. Goths (Fritigern) 10,000 infantry 50,000 cavalry Romans (Valens) Goths (Fritigern) N Romans (Emperor Flavius Valens) 40,000 infantry 20,000 cavalry The Gothic heavy cavalry arrive at theinassault peak of by combat and drive a the andsends outnumbered Roman cavalry fromGothic the field. Thethe Valens Fritigern Seeing The Romans strongly a tries part are of tobelieves his so delay tightly army the the already surrounded Roman Gothic cavalry combat, that they are Valens sending not can returning orders hardly envoys draw full to sooutclassed open he assault their patiently negotiations weapons; and the only Roman but his when Valens, horse-archers infantry many believing soon have toalready become harass the fallen deeply the Goths. cavalry can Gothic cavalry, hidden by thealong looming smoke, swoop the Roman infantry while the Gothic infantry feel the shift of momentum The to engaged Roman beGothic away infantry in infantry on fierce a fight time-consuming fighting are back not with amused any the raid, effectiveness and hill. resolves counters, Despite toaround high attack. or driving trycasualties and The the escape. Goths Roman and quickly The cavalry notmassacre being set back. fire ablecontinues This totothe be provokes adjacent supported for hours a premature, fields by as cavalry, to theimpede Roman undisciplined the Romans the and launch counterattack todiscomfort push the Romans hill. The Roman tryato flee butcloud the majority surrounded. attack push infantry the byfight which Goths aaRoman for results back survival. infantry in beyond theSome force their Romans which wagons ofismanage the repulsed on off heavily-armoured thethe Gothic toand escape driven right. butback Romans areinfantry inevitably by superior and destroyed choking Gothic numbers along ofwith smoke andare their position. over commander. the battlefield. Goths (Fritigern) 10,000 infantry 50,000 cavalry Romans (Valens) Goths (Fritigern) N Romans (Emperor Flavius Valens) 40,000 infantry 20,000 cavalry Adrianople, 378 Casualties & Aftermath Romans: Goths: 40,000 2,000 or or 67% 3% The Goths rampaged across the Balkans for five years until Valens’ successor, Theodosius, defeated them with a reorganized Roman army centered around cavalry. He also returned to the custom of pardoning defeated Goths and absorbing them into the Roman army but the majority settled into Italy or Spain. By Jonathan Webb, 2009 © The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps http://www.theartofbattle.com By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©