Battle of Abritus

Battle of Abritus
Part of the Gothic War (248-253), the Roman-Gothic Wars of the 3rd century AD, the Roman-Germanic wars and the Crisis of the Third Century
Relief depicting a battle between Romans and Goths. Decoration on the Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus, dated to 250–260.
Date Summer 251 AD Location Abritus, Moesia Inferior (modern-day Razgrad, Bulgaria) Result Gothic victory
Belligerents
Goths	Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Cniva	Trajan Decius † Herennius Etruscus †
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy

The Battle of Abritus,^[1] also known as the Battle of Forum Terebronii,^[2] occurred near Abritus (modern Razgrad) in the Roman province of Moesia Inferior in the summer of 251. It was fought between the Romans and a federation of Gothic and Scythian tribesmen under the Gothic king Cniva. The Roman army was soundly defeated, and Roman emperors Decius and Herennius Etruscus, his son, were both killed in battle. It was one of the worst defeats suffered by the Roman Empire against the Germanic tribes, rated by the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus as on par with the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, the Marcomannic invasion of Roman Italy in 170, and the Battle of Adrianople in 378.

The defeat was a disaster for Rome. The emperors' deaths led to more political instability at home; and the loss of the army allowed repeated barbarian incursions in the region for the next two decades.

The new Roman emperor Trebonianus Gallus was forced to allow the Goths to return home with their loot and prisoners. The barbarians would not be expelled from Roman territory until 271.^[3]