Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, ancient

Battle of Adrianople

Battle of Adrianople was a battle fought on 9 August AD 378 at Edirne, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Gothic War of 376–382, which ran from AD 376 to AD 382. The recorded result: Gothic–Alan victory. Recorded strength: 12,000–15,000 (Delbrück) against 15,000 (Heather).

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Esquema da batalla de Adrianópole (378)
Esquema da batalla de Adrianópole (378). User:Rowanwindwhistler, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought9 August AD 378
WhereEdirne, Turkey41.800N, 26.600E
OutcomeGothic–Alan victory
BelligerentsGoths; Thervingi; GreuthungiAlansagainstEastern Roman Empire
Part ofGothic War of 376–382AD 376 to AD 382

Where it sits in the Gothic War of 376–382

Battle of Marcianople, AD 376Battle of the Willows, AD 377Battle of Dibaltum, AD 377Battle of Constantinople, AD 378Battle of Adrianople, AD 378Siege of Adrianople, AD 378Battle of Thessalonica, AD 380AD 376AD 380Battle of Adrianople, AD 378
7 placed engagements of the Gothic War of 376–382 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 August AD 378
PlaceEdirne, Turkey
41.800N, 26.600E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength12,000–15,000 (Delbrück)15,000 (Heather)
Casualties and lossesUnknown10,000–15,000 (Heather) or 20,000 (Williams & Friel) (roughly two-thirds of the Roman force)
Commanders
  • Valens
  • Sebastianus (magister peditum)
  • Traianus (magister peditum)
  • Victor (magister equitum)
  • Ricomer
Battle of AdrianopleBattle of AdrianopleSiege of Adrianople (813)Second Battle of AdrianopleBattle of AdrianopleBattle of AdrianopleBattle of AdrianopleSiege of Adrianople (813)Second Battle of AdrianopleBurgasStara ZagoraTekirdağKhaskovoXanthiPlovdivSlivenLüleburgaz100 km41.800N, 26.600E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Adrianople
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Adrianople today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-06-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 68 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 35 to 202 m, 167 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 75% cropland, 21% grassland, 4% tree cover.

cropland: 75%grassland: 21%tree cover: 4%cropland 75%grassland 21%tree cover 4%
west to east, 10.0 km38 to 167 mnorth to south, 10.0 km64 to 145 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 378

Battle of Adrianople is one of 70 engagements of the 4th century in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q192473, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Adrianople, revision 1373460741, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.