Germania

  • Germania was a Roman Province, also known as Germania Antiqua, which officially existed between 12 BCE and 16 CE and was located in Germany between the rivers Rhine and Elbe.
  • After 16 CE, the Romans officially withdrew the border to the Rhine and never tried to occupy Germania again. It was named Germania Libera (Free Germany), Germania Magna or Germania Barbaricum, which referred to the area beyond the Rhine and the Danube.

1. History

  • Pre-Roman history:
    • The name Germania originates from Julius Caesar and Tacitus.
    • Inhabited by the Germani to the east of the RRhine and the North of the Danube.
    • The Germanic tribes who had moved into Gaul west of the Rhine, were considered by the Romans to have become Gallic, but were called Germani Cisrhenani, living in Belgium, the Netherlands and the area west of the Rhine. Both Gallic and Germanic tribes were considered to be Celtic.
    • Germania Slavica was the eastern part of Germania inhabited by the Baltic and Slavic tribes.
  • Acquisition by Rome:
  • After Augustus’ reconstituted the Republic into an Empire (27 BCE):
    • 17 BCE The area to the west of the Rhine was militarised but not yet separated from Gallia Belgica. (It didn’t officially become the separate Provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior until between 80-90 CE).
    • The Legions were moved up to bases on the River Rhine frontier in preparation for an assault on Germania Magna, the area to the east of the Rhine.
    • With the Rhine as a Frontier, eight Legions were concentrated at Mainz, Cologne, Neuss and Xanten, next to or near the four permanent Roman bridges at Mainz, Koblenz, Cologne and Xanten.
    • They were poised to attack the Tribes of Germania, and prevent any attempt by the Germanic Tribes to mass and invade Gaul.
    • 12-9 BCE Augustus ordered Generals Tiberius and Drusus the Elder to invade Germania.
    • 6 CE By this date they had occupied the area between the Rhine and the Elbe.
    • 9 CE Battle of the Teutoburg Forest where Arminius defeated three Legions under Varus.
    • After this Augustus ordered a complete withdrawal from Germania east of the Rhine.
    • 14-17 CE Germanicus was made Proconsul of Germania. He quelled a rebellion of the Legions and recognising the cause to be a result of inactivity embarked on a series of punitive raids against the German Tribes.
    • The first Raid resulted in a massacre of the Marsi Tribe.
    • 15 CE He then took the 8 Legions and campaigned against Arminius, victor of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, taking his wife Thusnelda, prisoner. He visited the Site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, burying the remains of the Roman soldiers. He then attacked Arminius’ Tribe the Cherusci, forcing them to disperse into the Forest and returned the Legions safely back across the Rhine to their winter quarters.
    • 16 CE Germanicus ignored Tiberius advice and reinvaded Germania confronting Arminius’ army at the Battle of the Weser River at Idistaviso, forcing them to flee after taking severe losses. After another similarly successful battle the Legions were brought back across the Rhine to winter quarters. Unfortunately, part of the Fleet that was supplying them was lost due to storms in the North Sea.
    • After several more campaigns, during which 2 of the 3 Standards of the 3 Legions lost in 9 CE were recovered, Germanicus was recalled to Rome.
    • 16 CE The retreat back to the Rhine as a frontier was completed and the Frontier was officially moved back from the Elbe to the Rhine.
    • 166-180 CE the Marcomannic Wars were fought on the Danube against the Germanic tribes. The Marcomanni maintained a standing army of 7,000 men and 4,000 cavalry.
    • 167 CE or 170 CE The Great Germanic Invasion, the Germanic tribes reached and besieged Aquileia, the first Germanic invasion of Italy since 101 BCE by the Cimbri and Teutones.
  • After Diocletian’s Reforms (297 CE):
  • After the death of Theodosius (395 CE) and the final split into Eastern Empire and Western Empire:
  • Mass Germanic Invasions occurred across the Danube and the Rhine into the Western Roman Empire:
  • Famous Persons from this Province:
    • Arminius
      • Known as Hermann in Germany today, is considered to be the symbol of Germany’s successful resistance to the Roman Empire.
      • A monument to him called Hermannsdenkmal was erected in 1875 by Kaiser Wilhelm I, and stands near Detmold in the Teutoburg Forest.
  • Chief archeological Finds:
  • Historic Battle Sites:
  • Main Historical Sources for this Province:

2. Geography

  • Location Today:
    • Western Germany between the Rhine and the Elbe
  • Neighbouring Roman Provinces:
  • Capital City:
    • Marktbreit
      • This Roman Fortress on the left bank of the river Main is thought to have been the Capital of Germania.
  • Chief Cities:
  • Climate and Temperature Today:
    • Cool Temperate Climate over much of Germany.
    • In the West and North mild winters with cool summers: rain falls all year round.
    • In the East of Germany the Climate is Continental with hot summers and long cold winters with little rainfall.
    • In the South the climate varies between Oceanic or Continental, and the Rhine Valley, the hottest part of Germany, can regularly reach temperatures exceeding 30°C in Summer.
    • The south can be warmed by the Fohn Wind, from the Latin ‘Ventus Favonius’ – a mild west wind personified by Favonius (meaning favourable) one of the Roman Wind Gods. The Fohn descends off the Alps as a dry, hot wind.
  • Main Geographical features:
    • Northern Germany forms part of the Great Northern European Plain from the Pyrenees in the Atlantic to the Urals in the East. It is roughly 200 miles deep from the Atlantic coast inland, but widens when it reaches Russia.
  • Main Rivers:
    • R. Rhine, R. Ems, R. Weser, R. Elbe (all in parallel), and in the south, the R. Neckar and R. Main.
  • Mountain Ranges:
    • The Rhine River Valley, The Bavarian Alps in the south below Augsburg, The Black Forest – beside the Upper Rhine, The Vogelsburg Mountains, The Rhon Mountains, The Harz Mountains, The Ore Mountains, The Thuringian Forest, The Bohemian Forest, The Rothaargebirge, Teutoburg Forest (Formerly Osning Mountains)
  • Islands:

3. Political Organisation

  • Imperial Province
    • Under Military Rule.
  • Governor:
  • Tribes and Population:
    • The Germani: Aestii, Anglii, Buri, Burgundiones, Chatti, Chauci, Cherusci,
      Cimbri, Cotini, Frisii, Gepidae, Gothones, Hermunduri, Langobardi, Lugii (Vandilii), Marcommani, Naharvalii, Rugii, Saxones, Suebi, Tencteri, Tigurini, Teutones, Quadi, Venedi,
  • Language:
    • Germanic, Celtic, Balto-Slavic

4. Military Organisation:

5. Economy

  • Occupied for too short a time to develop an economy: 12 BCE to 9 CE.
  • However, Roman artefacts have been found all over Germany and Scandinavia and are due to four possibilities: Military incursion, Trade, Plunder and Gifts.
  • Chief Exports:
  • Agriculture and Fishing:
  • Manufacturing:
  • Mines:
  • Mints:

6. Transport

  • Roads:
  • Waterways:
    • Navigable Rivers: R. Rhine, R. Weser, R. Ems and R. Elbe. R. Main and R. Danube
  • Ports:
  • Ancient Trade Routes:
    • Germany was on The Amber Road Trade Route, predominantly the Baltic to Italy, but also between the Baltic and the North Sea via Germany.
  • Number of Days taken to travel from this Province to Rome:

7. Relationship with Rome

  • The Province was only briefly occupied between 12 BCE and 16 CE.
    • No further attempts were made to conquer Germania after the military disaster of 9 CE at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where three Roman Legions were lost.
    • Instead, the Romans penetrated south and southeastern Germany and connected the Rhine near Mainz with the Danube at Regensburg, creating the Roman Province of Raetia.
    • The Limes Germanicus was set up as a permanent militarised Frontier along the Rhine and across to the Danube.
    • Germania alternated between periods of commerce and periods of war.
    • The Marcommani maintained a standing army of 7,000 men and 4,000 cavalry.
    • The Vandals (The Silingi and the Hasdingi) came from Germania Magna.
  • Wolkerwanderung (400-800 CE)
    • Between 400-800 CE, there occurred the ‘Wolkerwanderung’ meaning ‘Migration of Peoples’.
    • The final collapse of the Western Roman Empire is due to invasions coming from federations of Germanic Tribes.

8. History of Christianity in this Province

9. Roman Authors describing this Province

 

 

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