Battle of Constantinople (378)

Battle of Constantinople
Date 378 Location Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire Result Gothic attack repelled
Belligerents
Eastern Roman Empire	Goths
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Fritigern

The Battle of Constantinople was a Gothic attack on Constantinople in 378 following the Gothic victory at the Battle of Adrianople. The emperor Valens's widow prepared the defence, and also reinforced the city with Saracens, who performed excellently in combat.^[1][2][3] It is said that the Goths were impressed when one of the Saracen warriors stormed out of the city naked, slaughtered enemies and drank blood from the neck of a decapitated Goth.^[2][3] Other sources maintain that the Goths actually abandoned the attack because they were greatly outnumbered.^[4][5]

In the end, Goths did not enter the city and retreated to Thrace, Illyrium and Dacia.^[6]

References

1. Jan Retso (4 July 2013). The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads. Routledge. pp. 518–. ISBN 978-1-136-87282-2. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
2. Alexander Van Millingen. Constantinople Painted by Warwick Goble. Library of Alexandria. pp. 15–. ISBN 978-1-4655-2780-6. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
3. John Marincola (9 February 2009). A Companion to Greek and Roman Historiography. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 548–. ISBN 978-0-470-76628-6. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
4. Alexander Van Millingen (31 October 2010). Byzantine Constantinople: The Walls of the City and Adjoining Historical Sites. Cambridge University Press. pp. 40–. ISBN 978-1-108-01456-4. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
5. Stephen Turnbull (21 August 2012). The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453. Osprey Publishing. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-1-78200-224-6. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
6. Jane Penrose (2005). Rome and Her Enemies: An Empire Created and Destroyed by War. Osprey Publishing. pp. 269–. ISBN 978-1-84176-932-5. Retrieved 19 August 2013.