event
Massacre of Thessalonica
Also known as Penance of Theodosius (390)
high
40.6333, 22.9500 · Wikidata Q1155064 P625 (accessed 2026-11-12) · On the map
- point in time. 390high · Wikidata P585
Killing of thousands of citizens in 390, after which Ambrose required Theodosius to do public penance.
Wikipedia extract
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.
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Sources
- Massacre of Thessalonica · Wikipedia contributorsAccessed 2026-11-12 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q1155064 · Wikidata contributorsAccessed 2026-11-12 · CC0 1.0
Authority files
emperors · 4th-century