Augustus, Arminius and the Three Lost Legions

Arminius after the battle of Teutoberg Forest

Under the reign of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor, the people of Rome had witnessed an unprecedented number of conquests and victories. From the Balkans to Egypt, vast new territories had been added to the empire at breakneck speed - and nowhere was this more apparent than in Germany. Between the Rhine and the Elbe, the legions of Augustus were able to seize new territories within Germany, with their native populations pacified and at times even Romanized. By 9 AD, it appeared as though Augustus would prove to be the grand conqueror of the Germanic people. However, that year, as winter set in and the air began to cool, Roman control over Germany would find itself shattered into pieces.

Augustus in Germany

The northern Germanic peoples of Europe had long remained a foe of Rome. The thought of giant, long haired and uncivilised barbarians was enough to inspire both fear and disgust in the Roman mind, with the region being a key target for conquest. Under the reign of Augustus, progress had been made towards pacifying the region. Territory beyond Rhine was now part of the empire, encompassing places like Cologne (the home of the Ubii tribe). Whilst Augustus was able to conquer these local, poorly disciplined tribes, keeping a hold on this territory would prove to be another matter. The region was sparsely populated and lacked major settlements, which in turn made it difficult to Romanize (which involved the spreading of Roman cultural influences to local populations). As a result of this, Germany lacked permanent military outposts - such as forts - and required regular patrols. 

In 9 AD, the job of maintaining Roman military control over Germany was given to Publius Qunctilius Varus. Having previously served as the governor of Syria and Proconsul of Africa, Varus was appointed as the Legate of the Rhine army. Varus was well and truly a man from the upper echelons of Roman society – he was from a patrician family, and maintained a personal relationship with Augustus through marriage to his grandniece. Whilst his time in Syria had been a great success, Germany would prove to be his biggest challenge to date – and it did not take long before his nerves were tested.

Arminius Rises

Despite his positive reputation, Varus found conditions in Germany difficult to manage. His attempts to reform the regions tax system had proved controversial within local communities, and the threat of rebellion rose quickly. If faced with an open rebellion, Varus would have felt confident – after all, he held three highly disciplined legions under his command. However, it would be an altogether different (and rather more unexpected) threat that would lead the Roman forces into calamity. Arminius, chief of the Cherusci tribe, had long been an ally of Rome. He had previously served in the Roman auxiliary, gained Roman citizenship, and even reached the rank of Equestrian (a mark of particular distinction within Roman society).  It was precisely because of his great distinction that Arminius was able to plot undetected against Roman presence in Germany. 

Having harnessed the local populations discontent at their Roman overlords, Arminius was able to raise an army and strike when least expected. As Varus led his troops westwards, towards their winter quarters, they were ambushed in the Teutoberg forest. Surrounded and caught by surprise, the three Roman legions under Varus were completely wiped out – leaving Varus to commit suicide in the face of his humiliating defeat. Tiberius, the future emperor and successor of Augustus, was dispatched to rescue the situation with eight legions of his own, and Germanicus (his nephew) would then take over the position of Legate to the Rhine armies (12 AD). Between them, Tiberius and Germanicus were able to prevent the spread of insurrections from Germany to Gaul – aided by the difficulty Arminius himself had with mobilising his own troops – but the damage was already done. Germany had been well and truly lost.

Augustus - the first Roman Emperor

Strategic Implications for the Empire

News of the catastrophe clearly hit Augustus hard. By 9 AD, he was getting older, and his foreign policy had become more conservative. It was said that Augustus, when first informed of the loss, cursed Varus – crying out “Varus, Varus, give me back my legions!” The death of Varus, and the loss of his legions, had clearly rocked Augustus on a personal level. However, the emperor would not just see the ambush as a personal tragedy - it also reinforced his view that a strategic change of course was needed for the empire as a whole. In the wake of the defeat, all attempts to place a Roman held frontier zone across the Rhine were now abandoned - with only a slim border existing along the river, between Upper and Lower Germany. Rome’s strategic approach to Germany was now one of defence, and the four legions stationed in the region now saw themselves tasked with protecting the empire, as opposed to gaining fresh conquests.  For Augustus, it was apparent that it was not just Varus and his troops that had lost their lives during the battle – but that Roman control of Germany had also been dealt a potentially fatal blow.