diff --git a/backbone.js b/backbone.js
index a066a355..05dd74dc 100644
--- a/backbone.js
+++ b/backbone.js
@@ -967,6 +967,9 @@
   // Cached regex for detecting MSIE.
   var isExplorer = /msie [\w.]+/;
 
+  // Cached regex for removing a trailing slash.
+  var trailingSlash = /\/$/;
+
   // Has the history handling already been started?
   History.started = false;
 
@@ -990,11 +993,12 @@
       if (fragment == null) {
         if (this._hasPushState || !this._wantsHashChange || forcePushState) {
           fragment = this.location.pathname;
+          var root = this.options.root.replace(trailingSlash, '');
+          if (!fragment.indexOf(root)) fragment = fragment.substr(root.length);
         } else {
           fragment = this.getHash();
         }
       }
-      if (!fragment.indexOf(this.options.root)) fragment = fragment.substr(this.options.root.length);
       return fragment.replace(routeStripper, '');
     },
 
diff --git a/test/router.js b/test/router.js
index d366243a..71b5bbe7 100644
--- a/test/router.js
+++ b/test/router.js
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
         'fragment',
         'pathname'
       ));
+      // In IE, anchor.pathname does not contain a leading slash though
+      // window.location.pathname does.
+      if (!/^\//.test(this.pathname)) this.pathname = '/' + this.pathname;
     },
 
     toString: function() {
@@ -225,11 +228,17 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
   });
 
   test("#933, #908 - leading slash", 2, function() {
-    var history = new Backbone.History();
-    history.options = {root: '/root'};
-    equal(history.getFragment('/root/foo'), 'foo');
-    history.options.root = '/root/';
-    equal(history.getFragment('/root/foo'), 'foo');
+    location.replace('http://example.com/root/foo');
+
+    Backbone.history.stop();
+    Backbone.history = new Backbone.History({location: location});
+    Backbone.history.start({root: '/root', hashChange: false, silent: true});
+    strictEqual(Backbone.history.getFragment(), 'foo');
+
+    Backbone.history.stop();
+    Backbone.history = new Backbone.History({location: location});
+    Backbone.history.start({root: '/root/', hashChange: false, silent: true});
+    strictEqual(Backbone.history.getFragment(), 'foo');
   });
 
   test("#1003 - History is started before navigate is called", 1, function() {
@@ -281,4 +290,12 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
     Backbone.history.navigate('/fragment');
   });
 
+  test("#1387 - Root fragment without trailing slash.", 1, function() {
+    Backbone.history.stop();
+    location.replace('http://example.com/root');
+    Backbone.history = new Backbone.History({location: location});
+    Backbone.history.start({hashChange: false, root: '/root/', silent: true});
+    strictEqual(Backbone.history.getFragment(), '');
+  });
+
 });