Editing Valens (section)

=== First Gothic War: 367–369 ===
{{Main|Gothic wars#Gothic war: 367–369}}
[[File:Athanaric_and_Valens_on_the_Danbue.png|thumb|260x260px|''Athanaric and Valens on the Danube'', [[Eduard Bendemann]], 1860]]
During Procopius' insurrection, the [[Goths|Gothic]] king [[Ermanaric]], who ruled a powerful kingdom north of the [[Danube]] from the [[Euxine]] to the [[Baltic Sea]],{{sfn|Gibbon|1932|pp=890–891}} had engaged to supply him with troops for the struggle against Valens. The Gothic army, reportedly numbering 30,000 men, arrived too late to help Procopius, but nevertheless invaded [[Thrace]] and began plundering the farms and vineyards of the province. Valens, marching north after defeating Procopius, surrounded them with a superior force and forced them to surrender. Ermanaric protested, and when Valens, encouraged by Valentinian, refused to make atonement to the Goths for his conduct, war was declared.{{sfn|Gibbon|1932|pp=892–893}}

In spring 367, Valens crossed the Danube and attacked the [[Visigoths]] under [[Athanaric]], Ermanaric's tributary. The Goths fled into the [[Carpathian Mountains]], and the campaign ended with no decisive conclusion. The following spring, a Danube flood prevented Valens from crossing; instead the Emperor occupied his troops with the construction of fortifications. In 369, Valens crossed again, from [[Noviodunum (castra)|Noviodunum]], and by devastating the country forced Athanaric into  [[Battle of Noviodunum|giving battle]]. Valens was victorious, and took the title ''Gothicus Maximus'' in time for the celebration of his ''[[quinquennalia]]''.{{sfn|Kienast|2017|pp=316–318, "Valens"}} Athanaric and his forces were able to withdraw in good order and pleaded for peace.

Fortunately for the Goths, Valens expected a new war with the [[Sasanid Empire]] in the [[Middle East]] and was therefore willing to come to terms. In early 370 Valens and Athanaric met in the middle of the Danube and agreed to a treaty that ended the war.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Hughes, Ian, ''Imperial Brothers'',{{full citation needed|date=April 2022}} pp. 86–95.</ref> The treaty seems to have largely cut off relations between Goths and Romans, confining [[trade]] and the exchange of troops for tribute.{{sfn|Gibbon|1932|pp=93–94}}
[[File:Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence (32212815186).jpg|thumb|Portrait head of Valens, or his brother, on a modern bust historically mislabelled as Constantine ([[Uffizi]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://laststatues.classics.ox.ac.uk/database/discussion.php?id=954 |title=http://laststatues.classics.ox.ac.uk, LSA-582 (J. Lenaghan) |access-date=27 June 2024 |archive-date=26 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626204704/http://laststatues.classics.ox.ac.uk/database/discussion.php?id=954 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]