Arminius

Biography

Arminius is a Latinized alternative of the Germanic name Irmin which means “large” (cf Herminones). The name of " Hermann" (which means “man of army” or “warrior”) was used as German equivalent of Arminius only many centuries later, perhaps at the instigation of Luther which wanted to use an ancient and heroic character to symbolize its combat against Rome.

The battle of Teutoburg

About the year 4 a. J. - C., Arminius ordered a chérusque auxiliary detachment with the service of Rome, probably at the time of the wars of Pannonia in the Balkan Peninsula. In 7/8 a. J. - C. it returned into Germanic from north, where the Roman Empire had established its authority on the territories in the west of the Rhine and now sought to extend it to Elba, under the command of the military governor Publius Quinctilius Varus. Arminius began its intrigues to link the various Germanic tribes and to thwart the Roman efforts to incorporate their territories in the Empire.

With the autumn of the year 9 a. J. - C., with the Battle of Teutoburg, Arminius, then old of twenty-five years, and the Germanic tribes which had constituted an alliance (Chérusques, Marses, Chattes and Bructères), on the whole tightened a ambush with the Roman army which included/understood 17th, 18th and 19th legions like three detachments of cavalry and six troops of auxiliaries, approximately 25.000 to 30.000 men ordered by Varus. It was for the Romans a disaster without precedent. Recent archaeological discoveries give rise to think that the precise site, which made the subject of debate a long time, must be close to the hill of Kalkriese to approximately 20 km at the North-East of Osnabrück. The battle lasted three days; when the defeat was certain, Varus committed suicide while being thrown on its sword and never thereafter the Romans did not try once again to conquer territories on Right Bank of the Rhine, river which constituted the border of the Empire for centuries.

This disaster affects deeply the Roman Emperor Auguste, so much so that this last met a term with any attempt at Roman expansion beyond the the Rhine. In his sleepless nights, one can hear Auguste (who does not shave any more the head and the face) shout “Varus, Varus suddenly, return to me my Legions! ”.

Continuation of the wars against Rome

After this great victory, Arminius tried during several years to obtain that the tribes of the North of Germanic are linked against Rome in a permanent way in order to better resist its future efforts of conquest but the tribal competitions were too strong. It met the Romans in other battles, whereas they sought to avenge their defeat for Teutoburg.

In year 13 of our era, Germanicus penetrated again in this area with the head of 80.000 men it found deaths of the legions of Varus, buried them and made raids in many neighbouring areas. Arminius resisted successfully in a series of skirmishes and battles and once again failed to completely destroy the Roman army which Caecina ordered; it was saved by the indiscipline of her uncle Inguiomer, who attacked the Roman camp too early, which saved the destiny of Varus with Caecina which had all the same to give up its camp with its provisions, and flees with the troops which remained to him, while the warriors of Inguiomer delivered themselves to plundering.

In year 15, Germanicus made new raids against the German ones, it plundered their villages and succeeds in capturing Thusnelda, the woman of Arminius, which was delivered to him by his/her own father, Ségestes, which wanted to be avenged for Arminius. Indeed, whereas he had promised his daughter with someone else, she had fled with Arminius and had married it after the victory of Teutoburg. Ségestes and its clan were allies of Rome and were opposed to the policy of Arminius, as Flavus did it also besides, the brother of Arminius. Thusnelda was taken along to Rome to be there exhibée at the time of the triumph of Germanicus in year 18; she never revives her fatherland and disappeared from the history. Thumelicus, the son of Arminius which it put at the world during its captivity, was raised by the Romans with Ravenne to become gladiator and died in the arena before being thirty years old.

The large last battles between Germanicus and Arminius, the Battle of Weser, took place into 16 in Idistaviso (Angrivarierwall), the Romans avoided a new defeat and only because Inguiomer, once again, did not respect the battle plan which had been drawn up. The two sides underwent heavy losses and that marked the end of the Roman attempts to subject Germany of North.

The Roman historian Tacite writes formerly in connection with Arminius: " He was without any doubt, the liberator of Germanic, a man who does not have, like other kings or generals, faced Rome with his first stages but rather when it was with the zenith of its power. In the battles, it fought with a variable success but in the war there remained unconquered. Its exploits survive still today in the songs of its people… " ( translation of Tacitus, Annals, 1,57,58)

In 1875, in full time of the European Nationalism S , one makes set up an imposing statue with its effigy, in the famous forest of Teutoburg, high statue of more than one about fifty Mètre S and carved by E. von Bandel.

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