The Battle of Adrianople, 378 A.D. The End of the Western Roman Empire. The End of Infantry Dominance for 1,000 Years. Ascendance of Cavalry.

History's Greatest Battles

The Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD was the combat event that shattered the illusion of Rome’s invincibility and declared the Goths as more than a wandering horde. Adrianople was their grim debut as architects of a new power dynamic in western European history, where the balance of civilization itself seemed to tremble. On that blood-soaked field, the disciplined ranks of Roman infantry, long the cornerstone of imperial might, were swept aside by the devastating ferocity and mobility of Gothic cavalry. The echoes of that day did more than announce the Gothic ascendance; they signaled a profound shift in the art of war. The dominance of the well-armored foot soldier, which had defined centuries of Roman military supremacy, crumbled beneath the relentless momentum of mounted warriors. From this moment onward, cavalry would carve its legend into the fabric of European warfare, reshaping strategies and redefining power for the next thousand years.
Adrianople. August 9, 378 A.D.
Gothic Forces: 50,000 infantry and 50,000 cavalry.
Byzantine Forces: 40,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:

• Rolfe Translation: Ammianus Marcellinus.
• Oman, Charles. The Art of War in the Middle Ages.
• Thompson, E.A. Romans and Barbarians.
• Heather, Peter. Goths and Romans.

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