Theodosius and the Empire at Bay

Theodosius had left the city garrison by a small contingent of allied Gothic soldiers, which did not sit well with the public. Next was general resentment over the presence of Gothic soldiers in the city. The third factor was that they were all pissed that the charioteer was going to be sitting in a cell on race day. A riot broke out and pretty soon 7,000 men, women, and children were dead. When Ambrose learned of what had happened he immediately pulled up stakes and left Milan for the countryside to consider his next move.