Massacre of Thessalonica

The Massacre of Thessalonica was an atrocity carried out by Gothic troops under the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 390 against the inhabitants
of Thessalonica, who had risen in revolt against the
Germanic soldiers.

Massacre

In April 390, Butheric, a Gothic magister militum in

command of Illyricum (which included Thessalonica),
had a popular charioteer arrested for a homosexual offence (he tried to rape a male cupbearer).[1] The populace demanded the charioteers release and, as Butheric
The Palace of Galerius in Thessaloniki (Navarinou Square), near
refused, a general revolt ensued which cost Butheric and
the Hippodromus, where the massacre took place.
several other Roman authorities their lives. As soon as
Theodosius heard of the uprising, he was enraged and
I could not clog my ears with wax, as old faordered an immediate retaliation. The army units sent
bles tell. Should I then speak about what I
to Thessalonica acted as if they had captured a hostile
heard? But I was obliged to avoid precisely
city and massacred several thousands of its inhabitants.
what I feared could be brought about by your
Church historian Theodoretus puts the gure at about
orders, that is, a bloodshed. Should I remain
7,000, saying:
silent? But then the worst thing would happen as my conscience would be bound and my
The anger of the Emperor rose to the highwords taken away. And where would they be
est pitch, and he gratied his vindictive desire
then? When a priest does not talk to a sinfor vengeance by unsheathing the sword most
ner, then the sinner will die in his sin, and the
unjustly and tyrannically against all, slaying the
priest will be guilty because he failed to correct
innocent and guilty alike. It is said seven thouhim.[3]
sand perished without any forms of law, and
without even having judicial sentence passed
According to Theodoret, when the emperor tried to enter
upon them; but that, like ears of wheat in the
[2]
a Milanese church, where Ambrose was about to celetime of harvest, they were alike cut down.
brate a mass, the bishop stopped him and rebuked him
Although the Emperor changed his mind rather quickly for what he had done. And because the emperor had
and sent another messenger to cancel his previous order been brought up according to divine words and underand to prevent the troops from massacring the inhabitants stood well that some aairs are handled by priests, others
by emperors, he could do nothing but return weeping
of the city, this revocation came too late.
and sighing to the palace.[4] Eight months had passed and
Theodosius still sat in the palace, moaning and sobbing.
His magister ociorum Runus, who used great free2 Aftermath
dom of speech due to the familiarity with the emperor,
noticed this behaviour, approached and asked him why he
Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, after hearing about the was weeping. Having been told, he volunteered to see the
massacre, left Milan (which was the residence of Theo- bishop and ask him to reconsider. Theodosius hesitantly
dosius at that time) and refused to celebrate a mass in the agreed and even chose to follow Runus from a distance.
Emperors presence, until Theodosius repented. In a let- Ambrose was not restrained at all when negotiating with
ter to the emperor, Ambrose explained his position and Runus, scolding him and even accusing him of complicgave reasons for his resolution:
ity in the massacre: Runus, you are as impudent as a
dog, because it was you who advised the emperor such
What could I do? Should I not hear? But
a bloodshed. When the emperor showed up, Ambrose
1

5 BIBLIOGRAPHY

at rst remained stubborn and changed his mind only after Theodosius promised to promulgate a law, which in
cases of death sentences would introduce a thirty-day lag
before the execution.[5]

Ambrose, epistola 51
Ambrose, De obitu Theodosii 34
Later historical works:

See also
List of massacres in Greece

References

[1] Sozomenus, Ecclesiastical History 7.25

[2] Theodoretus, Ecclesiastical History 5.17
[3] Ambrose, ep. 51.3
[4] Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 5.17
[5] This law is extant, but the problem is that it was issued
in 382 already (see CTh 9.40.13) jointly by Theodosius,
Valentinian II and Gratian.

Bibliography

The massacre is treated in all accounts of Theodosius

reign, including:
A. Lippold: Theodosius der Groe und seine Zeit.
2nd ed., Mnchen 1980, p. 40.
J. Norwich, Byzantium: The Early Centuries, p.
112.
E. Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ch.27 2:56
A. Demandt: Magister Militum. In: PaulyWissowa. Paulys Realencyclopdie der classischen
Altertumswissenschaft (neue Bearbeitung). Supplementband XII, Sp. 717 - Butherichh and Theodosius
See also:
P. Heather, Goths and Romans, 332-489. Oxford
1991, p. 184.
A. Schwarz, Reichsangehrige Personen gotischer
Herkunft. Wien 1984, s.v. Butherichus.
Primary sources for this event:
Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 5.17
Sozomenus, Historia ecclesiastica 7.25.1-7
Cassiodorus, Historia ecclesiastica 9.30

Joannes Malalas, Chronographia 13.43

Theophanes the Confessor, Chronographia 1.72-3
Cedrenus, Compendium historiarum 1.556-9
Joannes Zonaras, Epitome historiarum 13.18.

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