04-25-2014, 04:48 PM
Robert wrote:
"I think there can be some doubt as to the stories of Goths with clubs vs. fully-armed Romans. I don’t believe it, frankly. The eagerness of the Romans to engage in battle at Adrianople does not speak of a feeling of equality. Perhaps Ad Salices was an ‘artificial’ stalemate? Like Aetius spared his potential Hun allies at Chalons instead of defeating them?"
Good point. We see the same situation-- twice-- with Stilicho and Alaric.
Ad Salices could have gone either way. Interestingly, that stalemate may have designed by Fritigern, not the other way around. By all accounts, he was not keen on initiating battle, continually attempting to keep the Greutungi and Huns in check, and always trying to find terms for peace. By creating a stalemate, he would once again open a door for negotiation. We would naturally assume the Roman side would initiate that particular stalemate, but Fritigern was a foxy character and knew exactly how to play the game.
We always think of Adrianople as a "pure" military battle, but we forget it was the result of repeated and failed negotiation. Fritigern gained nothing at Adrianople except a pile of casualties. :dizzy:
"I think there can be some doubt as to the stories of Goths with clubs vs. fully-armed Romans. I don’t believe it, frankly. The eagerness of the Romans to engage in battle at Adrianople does not speak of a feeling of equality. Perhaps Ad Salices was an ‘artificial’ stalemate? Like Aetius spared his potential Hun allies at Chalons instead of defeating them?"
Good point. We see the same situation-- twice-- with Stilicho and Alaric.
Ad Salices could have gone either way. Interestingly, that stalemate may have designed by Fritigern, not the other way around. By all accounts, he was not keen on initiating battle, continually attempting to keep the Greutungi and Huns in check, and always trying to find terms for peace. By creating a stalemate, he would once again open a door for negotiation. We would naturally assume the Roman side would initiate that particular stalemate, but Fritigern was a foxy character and knew exactly how to play the game.
We always think of Adrianople as a "pure" military battle, but we forget it was the result of repeated and failed negotiation. Fritigern gained nothing at Adrianople except a pile of casualties. :dizzy:
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
