The Battle of the Willows (377) took place at a place called ''ad Salices'' ("town by the willows"), or according to Ammianus, a road way-station called ''Ad Salices'' ("by the Willows"); probably located within 15 kilometres of
Marcianople
Marcianopolis or Marcianople (Greek: Μαρκιανούπολις), also known as Parthenopolis was an ancient Greek, then Roman capital city and archbishopric in Moesia Inferior. It is located at the site of modern-day Devnya, Bulgaria. The a ...
(modern day
Dobrudja
Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
), although its exact location is unknown. Forces from the
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...
under the command of
Richomeres
Flavius Richomeres or Ricomer (died 393) was a Frank who lived in the late 4th century. He took service in the Roman army and made a career as ''comes'', ''magister militum'', and ''consul''. He was an uncle of the general Arbogastes. He is pos ...
advanced westward, while forces of the eastern Roman Empire under
Traianus
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presid ...
and
Profuturus advanced northward where they joined forces to attack the Goths who had recently rebelled under command of
Fritigern
Fritigern (floruit, fl. 370s) was a Thervingian Goths, Gothic chieftain whose decisive victory at Battle of Adrianople, Adrianople during the Gothic War (376–382) led to favourable terms for the Goths when peace was made with Gratian and Theodos ...
. and were laying waste to the northern Balkans.
The only extant description comes from
Ammianus
Ammianus Marcellinus (occasionally anglicised as Ammian) (born , died 400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). His work, known as the ''Res Gestae ...
who left few details; he gives a lengthy description of the dead and dying, but no information on the number of combatants. At one point the Roman left wing gave way, but it was re-enforced and held. The battle ended with nightfall. The result was a bloody draw with both sides taking many losses; the Goths remained encamped behind their war-wagon circle for over a week after the battle.
See also
*
Gothic War (376–382)
Between 376 and 382 the Gothic War against the Eastern Roman Empire, and in particular the Battle of Adrianople, is commonly seen as a major turning point in the history of the Roman Empire, the first of a series of events over the next century ...
Citations
References
*
{{coord, 43.2167, N, 27.5833, E, source:wikidata, display=title
377
Willows
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...
Willows 377
Willows 377
370s in the Byzantine Empire
the Willows The Willows may refer to:
Places
* The Willows, El Paso, Texas, USA
* The Willows, Queensland, a town in Australia
* The Willows, Salford, home of Salford Rugby League club in Salford, England, UK
* The Willows, Saskatoon, a residential community ...