This article is about the disputed 390 AD event. For details about the massacre of Thessalonica's Jews in WWII, see The Holocaust in Greece.
390 Roman massacre under Theodosius I
Massacre in the Hippodrome of Thessaloniki in 390, 16th-century wood engraving
The Massacre of Thessalonica in Macedonia, Greece was a massacre of local civilians by Roman troops which is believed to have occurred around 390. According to Sozomen, in June of that year Butheric, a Roman general stationed in Thessalonica as a magister militum was lynched in an urban riot by an angry mob in the circus after having a famous circus charioteer arrested for pederasty, and refusing the people's demand for his release, although, this is found in only one source. In response, Theodosius authorized his Gothic soldiers to punish the people of the city resulting in the killing of a large number of citizens when they were assembled in the city's hippodrome.
Modern historians have had difficulty discerning the details of the massacre and its aftermath, as there are no contemporaneous accounts of the event. Instead, the works of fifth-century church historians provide the earliest record of what happened. Many parts of these accounts contradict one another, and some are of questionable reliability. The pagan historians of late antiquity do not discuss the massacre at all. Scholars contend that most extant records portray events by focusing on the moral perspective rather than the historical and political details. This makes it difficult for modern historians to distinguish fact from legend. Nonetheless, most classicists accept at least the basic account of the massacre, although they continue to dispute when it happened, who was responsible for it, what motivated it, and what impact it had on subsequent events.
Most scholars agree that Emperor Theodosius the Great played at least some role in either ordering or permitting the massacre, although others contend that the soldiers simply got out of control. Historically, Theodosius took responsibility upon himself, and that is when Ambrose (339–397 AD), bishop of Milan, became involved. Ambrose was absent from court when these events took place, and though he was one of Theodosius' many counselors, he was not one of the consistory (Theodosius' closest advisory council). Ambrose got much of his information on Theodosius through an informant, and, after he was informed of events concerning the events at Thessalonica, Ambrose wrote Theodosius a letter stating the emperor needed to demonstrate repentance for the massacre, further adding that emperor Theodosius would be forbidden from receiving the Eucharist until he had done so. History indicates Theodosius chose to cooperate with Ambrose' requirement.
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The MassacreofThessalonica in Macedonia, Greece was a massacreof local civilians by Roman troops which is believed to have occurred around 390. According...
years. April – MassacreofThessalonica: Resentment among the citizens ofThessalonica (Macedonia) breaks out into violence after the arrest of a popular charioteer...
authorized his Gothic soldiers to punish the people of city, in what is known as the MassacreofThessalonica. Curran, John (1988). The Cambridge Ancient History...
(378) Battle ofThessalonica (380) Battle of Argentovaria (378) MassacreofThessalonica (390) Battle of the Frigidus (394) Gothic Revolt of Tribigild (399-400)...
Liebeschuetz, Wolfe; Hill, Carole, eds. (2005). "Letter on the Massacre at Thessalonica". Ambrose of Milan Political Letters and Speeches. Liverpool University...
Bishop Ambrose of Milan made the powerful Emperor Theodosius I (reigned 379–395) do penance for several months after the massacreofThessalonica (390) before...
399 April – MassacreofThessalonica: Resentment among the citizens ofThessalonica (Macedonia) breaks out into violence after the arrest of a popular charioteer...
Cathedral by its archbishop Saint Ambrose, as punishment for the MassacreofThessalonica. List of paintings by Anthony van Dyck National Gallery, St Ambrose...
protection of the magister militum Arbogast, who then defeated the Franks in 389. In spring 390, possibly in April, the MassacreofThessalonica was perpetrated...
to the increased influence of Ambrose, bishop of Milan. Only after what is commonly known as the massacreofThessalonica in 390 was Ambrose able to gain...
entry to the church in Milan until he repented for his role in the MassacreofThessalonica. However, at other times there were interactions that were friendly...
(/ˌθɛsələˈniːki/; Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη [θesaloˈnici] ), also known as Thessalonica (English: /ˌθɛsələˈnaɪkə, ˌθɛsəˈlɒnɪkə/), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica...
in Thessalonica culminating in the MassacreofThessalonica. Civil war of 392–394 394, 5–6 September – Battle of the Frigidus, when the Eastern Emperor...
rest of Greece was divided into the Kingdom ofThessalonica, the Principality of Achaea, and the Duchy of Athens. The Venetians controlled the Duchy of the...
massacre at Doxato was a Turkish and not a Bulgarian atrocity." The Nation and Athenæum. Nation Publishing Company Limited. 1914. "<italic>Report of the...
Cathedral by its archbishop saint Ambrose, as punishment for the MassacreofThessalonica. Gian Pietro Bellori, Vite de' pittori, scultori e architecti moderni...
the defeat of Maximus in 388, that Theodosius and Ambrose first met. After the MassacreofThessalonica in 390, Theodosius made an act of public penance...
as a manifest act of protest. After the MassacreofThessalonica in Macedonia around 390 A.D., the Bishop of Milan Ambrose responded by writing Theodosius...
from Constantinople. He became notorious for his perpetration of the MassacreofThessalonica in 390, and had to deal with all the problems going on in the...
Square", the ancient site of Hippodrome where the MassacreofThessalonica took place during the reign of Theodosius I. Today Navarinou is a popular meeting...
between Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire and led to the sack ofThessalonica by Normans. Although regular trade agreements were soon resumed between...
arrest of a Christian, is written. The Goths invade Asia Minor. Dacia is lost for the Roman Empire, and the Goths appear at the walls ofThessalonica. The...
Empire's second city, Thessalonica. It was a decisive Byzantine victory, which led to the immediate re-occupation ofThessalonica and ended the Norman...
dozens of their fortresses. He died under mysterious circumstances during the siege ofThessalonica in 1207. Kaloyan was the younger brother of Theodor...
his claim to Thessalonica on his late brother's title. List of people who disappeared Kosi 2021, p. 275. Kosi 2021, p. 274. William of Tyre, Historia...
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