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Battle of Adrianople (324)
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The Battle of Adrianople was fought on July 3, 324 during a Roman civil war, the second to be waged between the two emperors
Constantine I
and Licinius
; Licinius suffered a heavy defeat.
and conquered from him all the Balkan Peninsula, excepting Thrace
. A peace had been arranged but the relationship between the two emperors remained uneasy. By 324 Constantine was ready to renew the conflict and when his army, in pursuit of a raiding Visigothic, or possibly Sarmatian, force, crossed into Licinius' territory an opportune casus belli
was created. The reaction of Licinius to this incursion was overtly hostile and this induced Constantine to go on to the offensive. Constantine invaded Thrace in force; his army was smaller than that of Licinius, but it contained many battle-hardened veterans and, as he had control of the Illyria
n region, the finest quality of new recruits.
Licinius encamped his army at Adrianople (Hadrianopolis), the major city of inland Thrace. Constantine advanced eastward from Thessalonica until he came to the Hebrus River
, on which Adrianople stands, and set up his own camp. Licinius arranged his battle line, of 200 stade
s in length, in a strong position between a height overlooking the town and the confluence of the Hebrus with a tributary. The two armies remained in position for a number of days before battle was joined, as both sides were reluctant to chance the crossing of the river against a well-prepared and battle-arrayed enemy. Eventually, Constantine used a ruse to get his troops across the Hebrus. Having noticed a suitable crossing point where the river narrowed and was overlooked by a wooded hillside, he ordered material and ropes to be conspicuously assembled at another place on the river, well away from his chosen crossing, to give the impression that he intended to build a bridge to cross there. On the wooded hillside he secretly assembled 5,000 foot archers and a force of cavalry. He then led his cavalry over the river crossing at the narrows and fell on the enemy unexpectedly. The surprise attack was a complete success and the remainder of his army then crossed at the same point.. What followed, in the words of the historian Zosimus
, was "a great massacre": Licinius' army lost about 34,000 dead. During the onslaught Constantine directed the guard of his overtly Christian standard, the labarum
, to move it to any part of the field where his troops seemed to be faltering. The appearance of this talisman emboldened his own troops and dismayed those of Licinius. Constantine, who had been slightly wounded in the thigh, halted his attack at sunset and darkness allowed Licinius and the remains of his force to withdraw to Byzantium
, the coast, and the safety of his fleet. The battle was one of the largest of the 4th century.
Constantine's effort to start a civil conflict proved successful, as did his campaign against Licinius. Following the battle at Adrianople Constantine besieged Byzantium
, whilst his son Crispus
commanded his navy in a struggle to wrest command of the narrow waters separating Thrace and Asia Minor
from Licinius' fleet. Following Crispus' naval victory, in the waters of the Hellespont
, Constantine crossed with his army into Bithynia
. He met Licinius' army in the final battle of the war at Chrysopolis
on the Asiatic shore of the Bosporus
. Constantine won an overwhelming victory. Initially, yielding to the pleas of his sister Constantia, Constantine spared the life of his brother-in-law, but some months later he ordered his execution, thereby breaking his solemn oath. A year later, Constantine's nephew the younger Licinius also fell victim to the emperor's anger or suspicions. Constantine was then the sole and undisputed master of the Roman world.
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
and Licinius
Licinius
Licinius I , was Roman Emperor from 308 to 324. Co-author of the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire, for the majority of his reign he was the rival of Constantine I...
; Licinius suffered a heavy defeat.
Background
Constantine had, in a previous war (in 316), defeated Licinius at the Battle of CibalaeBattle of Cibalae
The Battle of Cibalae was fought on October 8, 314 , between the two Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius. The site of the battle was approximately 350 kilometers within the territory of Licinius...
and conquered from him all the Balkan Peninsula, excepting Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. A peace had been arranged but the relationship between the two emperors remained uneasy. By 324 Constantine was ready to renew the conflict and when his army, in pursuit of a raiding Visigothic, or possibly Sarmatian, force, crossed into Licinius' territory an opportune casus belli
Casus belli
is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...
was created. The reaction of Licinius to this incursion was overtly hostile and this induced Constantine to go on to the offensive. Constantine invaded Thrace in force; his army was smaller than that of Licinius, but it contained many battle-hardened veterans and, as he had control of the Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
n region, the finest quality of new recruits.
Battle
Maritsa
The Maritsa or Evros , ) is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkans. It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, flowing southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Parvomay to Edirne, Turkey...
, on which Adrianople stands, and set up his own camp. Licinius arranged his battle line, of 200 stade
Stadion (unit of length)
The stadion, Latinized as stadium and anglicized as stade, is an ancient Greek unit of length. According to Herodotus, one stade is equal to 600 feet. However, there were several different lengths of “feet”, depending on the country of origin....
s in length, in a strong position between a height overlooking the town and the confluence of the Hebrus with a tributary. The two armies remained in position for a number of days before battle was joined, as both sides were reluctant to chance the crossing of the river against a well-prepared and battle-arrayed enemy. Eventually, Constantine used a ruse to get his troops across the Hebrus. Having noticed a suitable crossing point where the river narrowed and was overlooked by a wooded hillside, he ordered material and ropes to be conspicuously assembled at another place on the river, well away from his chosen crossing, to give the impression that he intended to build a bridge to cross there. On the wooded hillside he secretly assembled 5,000 foot archers and a force of cavalry. He then led his cavalry over the river crossing at the narrows and fell on the enemy unexpectedly. The surprise attack was a complete success and the remainder of his army then crossed at the same point.. What followed, in the words of the historian Zosimus
Zosimus
Zosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
, was "a great massacre": Licinius' army lost about 34,000 dead. During the onslaught Constantine directed the guard of his overtly Christian standard, the labarum
Labarum
The labarum was a vexillum that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" — Chi and Rho . It was used by the Roman emperor Constantine I...
, to move it to any part of the field where his troops seemed to be faltering. The appearance of this talisman emboldened his own troops and dismayed those of Licinius. Constantine, who had been slightly wounded in the thigh, halted his attack at sunset and darkness allowed Licinius and the remains of his force to withdraw to Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, the coast, and the safety of his fleet. The battle was one of the largest of the 4th century.
Aftermath
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, whilst his son Crispus
Crispus
Flavius Julius Crispus , also known as Flavius Claudius Crispus and Flavius Valerius Crispus, was a Caesar of the Roman Empire. He was the first-born son of Constantine I and Minervina.-Birth:...
commanded his navy in a struggle to wrest command of the narrow waters separating Thrace and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
from Licinius' fleet. Following Crispus' naval victory, in the waters of the Hellespont
Battle of the Hellespont
The Battle of the Hellespont, consisting of two separate naval clashes, was fought in 324 between a Constantinian fleet, led by the eldest son of Constantine I, Crispus; and a larger fleet under Licinius' admiral, Abantus...
, Constantine crossed with his army into Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
. He met Licinius' army in the final battle of the war at Chrysopolis
Battle of Chrysopolis
The Battle of Chrysopolis was fought on 18 September 324 at Chrysopolis , near Chalcedon , between the two Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius. The battle was the final encounter between the two emperors. After his navy's defeat in the Battle of the Hellespont, Licinius withdrew his forces...
on the Asiatic shore of the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
. Constantine won an overwhelming victory. Initially, yielding to the pleas of his sister Constantia, Constantine spared the life of his brother-in-law, but some months later he ordered his execution, thereby breaking his solemn oath. A year later, Constantine's nephew the younger Licinius also fell victim to the emperor's anger or suspicions. Constantine was then the sole and undisputed master of the Roman world.