The Visigothic defeat of the Byzantine army at Adrianople in 378 demonstrated the superiority of : a. Germanic military strategy
. b. siege warfare over infantry. c. mounted warriors over infantry. d. infantry over cavalry. e. armies composed of the aristocracy over those of peasants.
The victory of the Visigoths led by Fritigern at Adrianapole (Edirne, Turkey, today) supposed a superior performance of "barbarian" horsemen over Roman infantry. At the battlefield on August 9, 378 AD, the Visigoths and their Ostrogothic reinforcements were camping on a hill with their wagons aligned as an improvised fence. The Roman army was commanded by Byzantine Emperor Valens. Complacent Roman field commanders ordered the attack without waiting for a central command; the enemy managed to repel them, making them retreat in disarray. At that moment, the Ostrogothic cavalry rode a brutal charge. Roman historian Ammianus described the charge like this, "They descended from the mountains like a thunderbolt." The Romans were totally crushed , casualties neared the 40,000 men killed, emperor Valens among them.