Kniva was a King of the Goths during the 3rd
century AD who led his people in an invasion of the Roman Empire and had
considerable success while so doing.
In 249 he led a massive force of warriors that appeared at
the River Danube frontier of the Empire. One column of men ravaged the province
of Dacia while Kniva led another into Moesia. He split this force into two, one
of which laid siege to Philippopolis and the other, 70,000 strong, assaulted
the legionary fortress and town of Novae in what is now northern Bulgaria.
The Roman general Trebonianus Gallus (who later became
Emperor) was able to deflect this assault, which persuaded Kniva to try his
luck elsewhere. He therefore turned his attention to Nicopolis, which was
further south. This move attracted the attention of Emperor Decius who,
accompanied by his son Herennius, promptly led an army towards the Danube.
Kniva’s force suffered a resounding defeat at Nicopolis and he had no choice
but to retreat over the Haemus Mountains and seek to rejoin his troops at
Philippopolis.
Kniva was then able to turn the tables on Decius by
launching a surprise attack at the small town of Beroca on the edge of the
Haemus Mountains. The Roman legions fled in disarray and Kniva was able to
press on towards Philippopolis.
Kniva was now helped by the Roman governor of Thrace, T
Julius Priscus, who had imperial ambitions of his own and thought he saw a way
of getting the better of Decius. However, his assistance to Kniva in the
capture of Philippopolis was not rewarded – he was among the thousands of
victims of the bloodbath that ensued as Kniva pillaged the cities of Thrace.
By the spring of 251 Decius was ready to launch a further
campaign against Kniva. Things went well at first for the Romans, but Kniva set
a trap for Decius at Abrittus, midway between the Danube and the Black Sea, in
June 251. The ensuing battle was a total victory for the Goths and both Decius
and his son were killed.
Kniva was now able to negotiate terms with the new emperor,
Trebonianus Gallus, that were highly favourable to the Goths. They were now
firmly established in the Black Sea provinces and were able, in 253, to demand
more payments of tribute to prevent them from making further intrusions into
the empire.
The eventual fate of Kniva has never been made clear,
although one can probably assume that he ended his days comfortably enough
after leading his people into a corner of the Roman Empire from which they
would be hard to shift.
© John Welford
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