The Battle of Teutoburg Forest: Rome's Greatest Defeat

In the years leading up to 9 AD, the Roman Empire was on a path of conquest throughout Western Europe. All of Gaul (now known as France) had been conquered, and Rome set its sights east towards Magna Germania (a region consisting of parts of modern day Germany and other nations). A ruthless general and politician named Publius Quinctillius Varus was appointed command of three legions in Magna Germania by Emperor Augustus and ordered to keep the peace. While marching to his winter headquarters, Varus heard reports of a tribal rebellion. Not one for idly sitting by, he decided to immediately put an end to it. Varus was unaware however that this rebellion did not exist and was a lie by his adviser Arminius.

Teutoburg Forest in Germany

Arminius was a Roman citizen with a Germanic past. He had been sent to Rome at a young age in a peace deal between Rome and his tribe. There, he was brought up as a Roman but he still harbored a deep resentment against Rome for their subjugation of his people. He formed a secret network of alliances between tribes and kept them friendly towards each other until the time was right.

Varus marched into a trap. While marching towards the fake rebellion, he was ambushed in the Teutoburg Forest by thousands of Germans. His legions were crushed: twenty thousand men died and all three legions were completely wiped out, a substantial portion of Rome’s army at the time. The legions’ three Eagle emblems were lost as well which was a huge dishonor to all of Rome as the Eagle was considered the symbol of Roman dominion over the world. Varus committed suicide rather than be captured as did many of his officers.

Roman territory in the years before and after the battle

The decisive defeat reached Augustus’s ears and he went into a rage, banging his head against the walls and exclaiming “Quinctillus Varus, give me back my legions!” No other defeat in Roman history had been so terrible since Hannibal’s victory at Cannae, and due to this one battle all of Rome’s dreams of conquering Magna Germania were destroyed. Rome retreated to the Rhine River and never again crossed it.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest

http://www.livius.org/te-tg/teutoburg/teutoburg01.htm

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ambush-that-changed-history-72636736/?no-ist=&page=1