Why didn't Rome Conquer Germania

 Why didn't Rome Conquer Germania

Ancient history has become almost synonymous with the immense significance and influence

of the marvelous Roman Empire.

Extending far across the European continent and lasting for centuries, the Romans seemed

capable of doing just about anything that they put their minds to - regardless of the

challenge.

So, why did they stop where they did?

Was there a reason why Rome never conquered Germania?...

The fact that Germania never fell under the Roman crown was not entirely due to a lack

of trying from Rome.

While there was a point when the Romans decided to avoid the region, this wasn’t the case

at first.

Initially, Germania was actually a target of the Roman Empire after securing Gaul.

Under the reign of Caesar Augustus around 20 BC, the Romans had consolidated their power

in Gaul and began to increase military presence throughout the Rhine-land.

This led Augustus to start considering the prospect of expanding further and seizing

Germania, although he was quickly forced to rethink this plan…

In 17 BC, three Germanic tribes : the Sicambri, Usipetes, and Tencteri - unexpectedly launched

an incursion across the river into Roman territory.

The tribes ended up running into the Roman 5th Legion under Marcus Lollius and emerged

victorious, which seemed to startle Augustus enough that he felt the need to pause any

advances into Germania.

The goal now was to increase military presence and power in Gaul even more, first and foremost,

although another scuffle soon after between the Germanic tribes and Lollius and his men

finally pushed the invaders back across the river and forced a ceasefire.

Over the next few years, the Romans now put increased effort into creating a more stable

and controlled environment and military control in Gaul.

In 13 BC, Nero Claudius Drusus became the governor of Gaul but was quickly met with

a rebellion.

Previously, Augustus had established a new census for tax collection, which had greatly

angered the locals.

It was now Drusus’s responsibility to deal with the backlash, while also working to build

a new string of forts along the Rhine in preparation for future expansion.

The first major test of Rome’s newly strengthened military in the region came when a couple

of the Germanic tribes - the Sicambri and the Usipetes - returned to Roman territory

with another offensive.

Drusus managed to push the attackers back and decided to follow them across the river

to propel his own invasion.

The Romans then plundered the lands of the tribes before continuing on into the modern-day

Netherlands and then routed the Frisians and attacked the Chauci in Saxony before heading

back to Rome.

A year later Drusus would return to his conquering ways, this time reaching from the Weser to

the Ems to the Elbe rivers and pushing on until the approaching winter and dwindling

supplies brought the campaign to an end, sending the Romans back to their own territory.

As they tried to return home, they were attacked once again by a Germanic army and were nearly

defeated without ever reaching Gaul…

In 10 BC, Drusus set out on another campaign and managed to capture the lands of the Chatti

and surrounding Germanic tribes, then returned to Rome for a short period before blazing

the expansion trail once more the following year.

On this fourth offensive, Drusus conquered new territory and pillaged many cities of

the local tribes.

He spread the Roman border as he went and when it was finally time to travel back to

Rome, he had earned himself an impressive reputation.

But, on his return ride, Drusus fell off his horse and died a month later from an infection

caused by the severe injury he’d sustained from the fall.

After Drusus, Rome still had its sights set on Germania.

His successor, Tiberius, quickly launched his own campaigns into Germania and found

immense fortune as he continued the work of Drusus.

According to Roman scholar Cassiodorus who wrote about the time period in the 6th century

AD, all Germans who lived between the Elbe and Rhine had surrendered to the Roman intruders…

This means that, for a while, not only did Rome try to conquer Germania, but the empire

had actually been pretty successful in doing it so far and continued to consolidate this

newly expanded authority into the first few centuries AD.

Tiberius continued to push through the Rhineland and actually began to form friendships with

some of the German tribes.

It appeared that Rome would easily continue to stretch its border over more and more of

Germania with little resistance.

Tiberius had more military bases built and began to show special favor to the Cherusci

tribe, of which one member, Arminius would later play a major role in what would happen

to the Romans in Germania…

For now, Rome saw the German tribes as mostly conquered or allied with,

aside from the Marcomanni.

Though a large-scale offensive had been prepared to take down the Marcomanni and their king,

Maroboduus, the Romans had to abandon this plan to instead address a revolt in Illyricum.

As Tiberius was now busy in the Balkans, the leadership of the Romans in Germania was given

to Publius Quinc-Tilius Varus, who was left with only three legions to command.

Varus was also given Arminius as an advisor, and the two quickly built-up trust.

Completely unbeknownst to Varus though, Arminius was actually working to unite the Germanic

tribes back home and create a shared hatred of Varus and the Romans.

This wasn’t all either.

As summer was ending, Arminius created a false rumor of a supposed uprising happening at

a large enough scale that Varus’s immediate action was required…

The night before Varus left to go subdue the rebellion, Arminius’s father-in-law came

to warn the Roman commander.

He insisted that Arminius was not to be trusted and that he was actually responsible for the

uprising that was about to happen.

Varus quickly blew him off and accused him of acting on a personal vendetta against Arminius.

With that belief, Varus left the next day with Arminius at his side, commanding him

on a detour route that he claimed would give the best positioning for an ambush.

At some point along the way, the men separated as Arminius alleged to be going out to gain

support from local Germanic tribes - but was instead gathering his own army that he had

created prior behind Varus’s back…

As the Romans marched along through a narrow gap of forest between a hill and bog, completely

out of any type of battle formations and barely fitting through the 60-foot-wide space, German

troops suddenly began to arrive on the scene.

The Romans were at a major disadvantage as the Germans launched their own attack.

The terrain was to no aid of the Roman troops but furthermore, Arminius knew their every

strategy after being raised in Rome as a hostage tribute from his father.

He knew exactly what they could and would do, and was one step ahead at all times with

his own commands.

The Romans were quickly hit with significant casualties as they spent the next 24 hours

desperately trying to gain traction to fight back or simply escape.

Varus would soon fall on his own sword after recognizing that there was no other way out

without becoming another victim of the Germans, and his other commanders did the same or were

struck down as they tried to flee.

The Roman troops were left leaderless and swiftly fell to the Germanic tribes in a vicious

one-sided battle…

The conflict ended with roughly 15,000 Roman casualties and the complete removal of all

things Roman from east of the Rhine.

Though the surviving Roman legions in Germania managed to keep Arminius and his troops from

invading into Gaul, there was nothing more for them to do in Germania.

When word reached Emperor Augustus, it is said that he was so disturbed by the defeat

that he stood shouting, “Varus, give me back my legions!” while hitting his head

against a wall…

Although there are many theories as to why this event ended Rome’s conquering ambitions

in Germania, one thing is clear - Augustus would not risk it again.

His heir, on the other hand, would.

He sent his nephew, Germanicus, to avenge the lost legions, and there was surely some

success at first.

But, after defeating Arminius and feeling they’d sought enough revenge, the Romans

pulled back and decided to remain on their side of the Rhine.

With the previous, devastating defeat still haunting the minds of the Roman leadership,

they decided that the potential gains of seizing all of Germania did not outweigh the risks

it undeniably posed.

While there is a multitude of reasons that may have contributed to the new Roman belief

that Germania didn’t offer enough to make the risks, they’d have to take to conquer

it worth it, there is no question as to when or what caused such a sudden shift in thought.

The routing at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest completely stunned Augustus and Rome as a

whole.

The betrayal of Arminius, the gullibility of Varus, and the catastrophic results of

the events leading up to the conflict were enough to severely shake the confidence of

an entire Empire.

The proud belief that Rome just may be unstoppable or even invincible was utterly shattered.

Germanicus did his part to pick up the pieces as well as could be done, but that was all

that the Romans could stomach.

Germania was no longer worth conquering, and would instead remain a terrifying reminder

of the nightmare its tribes had so effortlessly yet unexpectedly caused…