Germania facts for kids
Germania was a name the Romans gave to a group of people who lived near the Rhine River. These people were called Teutonic, and we first hear about them around 300 BC. The Gauls later started using "Germania" to describe the land where these people lived.
This land was a huge, wild forest to the north that the Romans didn't know much about. It stretched from the Rhine River in the west to the Carpathian Mountains and the Vistula River in the east. To the north was the North Sea, and to the south was the Danube River.
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Tribes of Ancient Germania
Germania was home to many Germanic tribes and a few Celtic ones. The Romans divided Germania into northern and southern parts.
Northern Tribes: Germania Inferior
The northern areas of Germania were called "Germania Inferior." Some tribes known to live here were the Menapii, Batavi, Condrusi, Atuataci, and Eburones.
Closer to the Roman fortifications on the east side of the Rhine lived the Frisii, Chauci, Istavones, Sicambri, Marsii, Cattii, and Ubii tribes. The Ubii were friendly with the Romans. They helped by providing cavalry and guarding the border for the Romans.
Southern Tribes: Germania Superior
"Germania Superior," or southern Germania, was home to the Triboci, Rauraci (a Celtic tribe), Nemetes, Caeroesi, Sequani (a Gallic tribe), and Helvetii (another Gallic tribe).
East of the Rhine and along the Danube River lived the Marvingii, Varisci (also called Nariscii), Burgundians, Hermunduri, Suebi, and the Cherusci tribes.
Roman Attempts to Conquer Germania
During the Gallic War, Julius Caesar defeated the Germanic leader Ariovistus in Alsace. In 55 BC, Caesar built a bridge across the Rhine River and entered Germania. He convinced the Suebi and other tribes not to interfere with Gaul, which was Roman territory.
Caesar went into Germania a second time in 53 BC and fought against several tribes. After that, he mostly left Germania alone. This made the Rhine River the boundary between Germania and Roman Gaul. From 49–45 BC, Caesar was busy with the Civil War. He was then killed in 44 BC.
Rome began to occupy parts of Germania in 15 BC. During the rule of Augustus, the Foothills of the Alps were conquered. This, along with the lands west of the Rhine that Caesar had conquered, gave Rome a strong base. The Romans tried to bring the lands as far north as the Elbe River under their rule.
In 7 AD, Rome thought Germania was under its control when Publius Quinctilius Varus became governor of Roman-occupied Germania. Because they were so powerful, the Romans did not expect much resistance from the German tribes.
The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
In 9 AD, Varus was moving with three legions of top Roman troops to a permanent base on the Rhine. There had been reports of a Rebellion by local tribes, which Varus planned to handle. Varus was confident that it would be easy to occupy Germany. He was a good administrator but not a skilled soldier.
While marching through the Teutoburg Forest, three of Rome’s best legions were caught in an ambush. For three days, up to 30,000 Roman soldiers, their families, and slaves were killed by the people they called barbarians. This battle was Rome's greatest defeat.
Arminius, the German leader, understood both the strengths and weaknesses of the Roman army. He knew not to attack Roman legions in an open battle. In the Teutoburg Forest, he tricked the 17th, 18th, and 19th legions into an ambush. The battle was fought in several places. Those who were not killed were taken captive.
When Emperor Augustus heard the news, he supposedly cried out, "Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!" The numbers XVII (17), XVIII (18), and XIX (19) were never again used for Roman legions.
Germanicus was ordered to get revenge for the loss of the legions. In 14 AD, he started trying to conquer Germania again. However, after two years, he decided he had done enough to avenge Rome's great loss and returned to Rome. He left Germania to its own internal conflicts. Arminius was murdered in 21 AD by relatives because of internal fighting.
Images for kids
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Map of Magna Germania in the early 2nd century AD, by Alexander George Findlay
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15th-century map of Germania as described by Ptolemy in Geography (Ptolemy) (around 150 AD)
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Map of the Roman province of Germania Antiqua (marked in yellow), from 7 BC to 9 AD.
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Map of the Roman Empire and Magna Germania in the early 2nd century AD
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Painting of Germania, the personification of Germany and the Germans, by Philipp Veit, 1849
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See also
In Spanish: Germania Magna para niños
