The Battle of Nicopolis ad Istrum was fought between the Roman army of Emperor

Decius Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius ( 201 ADJune 251 AD), sometimes translated as Trajan Decius or Decius, was the emperor of the Roman Empire from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was procl ...

and his son

Herennius Etruscus Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius (died June 251) was briefly Roman emperor in 251, ruling jointly under his father Decius. His father was proclaimed emperor by his troops in September 249 while in Pannonia and Moesia, in opposition to ...

, and the Gothic army of King

Cniva Cniva ( mid-3rd century AD) was a Gothic king who invaded the Roman Empire. He successfully captured the city of Philippopolis (Plovdiv in Bulgaria) in 250 and killed Emperor Decius and his son Herennius Etruscus at the Battle of Abritus as he ...

, in 250 AD. The Romans were victorious.

Prelude

In 250, the Goths, led by their king

, attacked the Roman

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Moesia. Roman emperor

and his son

led their army to Moesia. The Goths were, at the same time, marching to attack the Roman city of Philippopolis. The Romans intercepted them near

Nicopolis ad Istrum Nicopolis ad Istrum ( el, Νικόπολις ἡ πρὸς Ἴστρον) or Nicopolis ad Iatrum was a Roman and Early Byzantine town. Its ruins are located at the village of Nikyup, 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. The ...

Battle

The Romans intercepted the Goths just before they could reach Nicopolis. Decius and Herennius launched a surprise attack on the Goths while they were marching. The Romans took the disorganized Goths by surprise, fighting hard and gaining the upper hand quickly. Caught off guard, the Goths could not respond to the attack, and so were defeated. 6th century

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

scholar

Jordanes Jordanes (), also written as Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th-century Eastern Roman bureaucrat widely believed to be of Gothic descent who became a historian later in life. Late in life he wrote two works, one on Roman history ('' Romana'') a ...

described Cniva's defeat:

When the Emperor Decius drew near, Cniva, with his army still in good shape, at last withdrew to the Balkan Mountains, which were not far distant.

Aftermath

The Romans defeated the Goths, but not decisively. Cniva's army marched in good order to

besiege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

Philippopolis. Decius moved through the

Shipka Pass Shipka Pass ( bg, Шипченски проход, ) (el. 1150 m./3820 ft.) is a scenic mountain pass through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It marks the border between Stara Zagora province and Gabrovo province. The pass connects the t ...

to intercept him but was ambushed and heavily defeated by Cniva near Beroe at the

Battle of Beroe The Battle of Beroe was a conflict near Stara Zagora, ancient ''Ulpia Augusta Traiana'', between the Romans and Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) we ...

.Goths in the 3rd Century
/ref> Decius fled to

Novae A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

to link up with governor

Trebonianus Gallus Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus (206 – August 253) was Roman emperor from June 251 to August 253, in a joint rule with his son Volusianus. Early life Gallus was born in Italy, in a family with respected Etruscan senatorial background. He h ...

. Cniva mounted failed attacks on Philippopolis' walls and then negotiated a truce with the city's ambitious governor, Titus Julius Priscus. The Goths broke the truce, however, and sacked the city. In 251 AD, Cniva defeated three Roman legions at the

Battle of Abritus The Battle of Abritus, also known as the Battle of Forum Terebronii, 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 t ...

Prelude

Battle

Aftermath

References

Bibliography

Footnotes

Further reading