I. Introduction
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest was a critical battle in the history of the Roman Empire and in the formation of the German state. This battle took place during the reign of Augustus in 9 AD during the time of the Roman Empire expansion. The fall of the Romans in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest was the consequence of several mistakes and strategic blunders by the Roman general Varus and his superiors in Rome. This paper will outline these mistakes as well as the strategic advantages that Arminius exploited on behalf of the Germanic tribes that successfully pushed back the Romans from the forest. The defeat at Teutoburg devastated the Roman emperor Augustus, who, as a result, lost his willpower to pursue the continued expansion of the Roman empire. The strategic mistakes and Roman miscues at Teutoburg had far-reaching ramifications beyond the battle itself.
II. Body Section One
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest was between two very distinct and separate cultures. The Romans, led by Varus under the reign of Augustus, were fighting on behalf of the Roman Empire, aiming to conquer all Barbarian lands and folding them into their empire. The German warriors represented a culturally less developed region that was not interested in becoming a part of the Roman empire. These disparate tribes also possessed local knowledge about the landscape and were motivated by a desire to keep the invading armies out of their land.
The Romans made strategic blunders in the lead up to this battle the first of which included the appointment of Publius Quinctilius Varus to serve as the general of the Roman army, and equipping him with an army that was not suited to the terrain of the forest.
When Augustus was determining who would serve...
... middle of paper ...
... sense of the nature of the Germanic Tribes and also illustrates what the success at the battle of Teutoburg Forest meant for the Germans.
Tucker, Spencer. "Battle of Teutoburg Forest." In Battles That Changed History: An Encyclopedia of World Conflict. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011.
This source provides the reader with many helpful facts on the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. This source provides a chart on the first page with the date of the battle, the location of it, the opponents, the commanders, the approx. # troops, and the overall importance of the battle.
Wells, Peter S. The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003.
This book provides great information on the iron weapons used in the battle and how the use of specific weapons impacted the result of the battle.
Despite being an immediate bestseller, shortly after publishing, Edward Gibbon’s History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire became unpopular with large groups of the British reading public. The abridged edition consecutively presents the stories behind the Empire’s leadership and course of action. Gibbon revivifies the complex and compelling period of the Romans by detailing the prosperous conditions of the empire, the decline, and the aftermath of the fall. At the same time, Gibbon efficiently scrutinizes the declining virtue of the Roman people. Gibbon made an argument that the intellectual inflexibility of the Roman Empire had declined into “barbarism” and “Christianity,” which ultimately attributed to the fall of the Empire. Many ideas in international politics may have the best foundations for evidence but quickly go out of style. The ideas behind Gibbon’s Decline did just that. Many authors attribute the decline of the Roman Empire to military and economic characteristics rather than virtuous leadership and characteristics. Because Gibbon takes a humanist approach in describing decline, he undermines legitimate factors that modern political scientists would evaluate. Gibbon wrote in a paradigm that has little value for modern political science and as such, is a really bad idea. His idea- the decline of the Roman virtue having consequences beyond structural factors- is, in effect, an idea that should not be used for anything except teaching the definition of virtue and reviewing history. Because of the paradigm going out of style, The Decline would not have survived with merit had it not been for the intriguing anecdotes and tales of the many characters.
Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2012. Print.
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
Tacitus's superiority is further perceived when he describes the German settlements and shelters and portrays them as uncivilized as they do not have great cities and a hierarchical structure of authority that would ensure a level of political stability. The tone used when describing the lack of agricultural development, and the way that the Germans constantly raid other communities for their sustenance also points to the view that German society is inferior to that of the Roman Empire. Therefore, Tacitus’ analysis of Germania is one that is conducted in a way that seeks to compare it to the Roman Empire; resulting in a situation where he looks at Germania, not within its own context, but within the context of the Roman Empire. Tacitus's bias and maintenance of unfavorable views of Germania maybe a result of the massive military achievements of the Roman Empire and its pacification and establishment of its dominion over disparate societies that were considered
Shuckburgh, Evelyn Shirley. A history of Rome to the battle of Actium. London: Macmillan and Co., 1917.
The Battle of Telamon is a battle that occurred in 225 bc. The battle was settled in the town of Tuscany, Italy, which was near the town Telamon. The battle was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Gauls. The Gauls observed the Romans and noticed that the rest of Italy was under Roman power and that they would head in their direction next. Rather than waiting for the Romans to invade their territory, the Gauls formed a large army and headed towards Rome.
The ancient Roman Empire began when Romulus founded the city of Rome in approximately 753 B.C. and lasted until about 1453 A.D. when the German invasion occurred. Throughout this era, specifically 250 BC until 200 AD, historians including Theodor Mommsen and Sara Phang have debated and interpreted several aspects of how and why the Roman military evolved and the military system itself. These authors used several ancient Roman historians, including Livy and Publius, public records, war accounts and many other sources to investigate and theorize different conclusions about why the Roman military was so powerful and how they were able to conquer the vast majority of the European Continent and the known world.
In the darkest hour of the Roman Republic, an army was led against all odds to reign supreme on the Italian peninsula. Led through sheer military genius, the Carthaginian Army laid waste to everything the might of Rome could muster. For years on end, Italy was the stage for the greatest military orchestra the world had yet seen, conducted by a master of strategy and warfare. Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca, laid siege to the very idea of Rome’s military prowess. Despite absolute dominance of the Italian peninsula for several years, his success can not be credited to his brilliance and mastery of strategy. Hannibal’s success can be primarily attributed to Rome’s failure to respond at key points of his advance into Italy.
As all of us, Romans stared at the Britains in the distance, I almost felt a huge stone lift off our shoulders as though we were outnumbered we had better weapons and armour, the chance of victory suddenly became more fair. As we both prepared for the battle, Suetonius gave us a speech to inspire us, "Disregard the clamours and empty threats of the natives! In their ranks there are more women than fighting men! Unwarlike, unarmed, when they see the arms and the courage of the conquerors who have driven them to flight so often, they will break immediately. Even when a force contains many legions, few among them win battles - what special glory for your few numbers to win the renown of a whole army! Just keep in close order. Throw your javelin, and then carry on. Fell them with shield-bosses, kill them with swords. Do not think of plunder. When you have won, you will have everything."
Hannibal’s attempt to conquer Rome will forever and always remain an epic failure. Though he was a brilliant tactician, who was able to lead his army of men and elephants through the Alps and Apennines with minimal losses, he still failed to subdue the relatively new power of Rome. Rome was, to Hannibal’s dismay, terribly underestimated; he failed to see what he was dealing with. The Romans were able to defeat Hannibal for a number of reasons, which include Hannibal’s over-reliance on war elephants, and his choice to cross the Alps and the Apennines with them and his army. He was also overcome by Rome’s superior numbers on both land and sea, could not lay siege to Rome’s fortifications, and most importantly, failed to plan for Rome’s attitude towards war. In this
Heichelheim, Fritz, Cedric A. Yeo, and Allen M. Ward. A History Of The Roman People. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1984.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
The Romans thought of an innovative idea following a loss at a recent battle versus Hannibal. The Romans decided to burn the anticipated path of the advancing army in an attempt to deprive them of any food. This way Hannibal not only struggled to find food, but the rate of his advance was decreased. Eventually his men would grow weary of consistently trying to find food. Hannibal’s inability to adapt to this left the resolve of his men weakened and the army’s willpower decreased. Furthermore, Hannibal was unable to respond to the battle tactics of the Romans. First, the Romans swiftly handled the Carthaginian cavalry which left Hannibal at a major advantage. After this, the war elephants were disoriented by the sounds of trumpets and the Romans flanked Hannibal from behind, one of Hannibal’s tactics. Hannibal was unable to adjust to these tactics and ended up losing in a crucial encounter, the Battle of Zama. Hannibal’s inability to respond to Rome’s adjusted tactics contributed to his downfall. Finally, Hannibal was too reliant on others. In other endeavours to weaken the Roman, he relied too much on his brother in Spain and his friend in Africa to stabilize the situation. He failed to adjust the situation in his inactions (i.e. appointing different military leaders). This proved to be fatal as forces originally intended for Hannibal were diverted to Spain because of the instability there. The outcome of the war could have been different if these forces could have reinforced Hannibal and given him the extra power to overcome the Romans. Essentially, Hannibal was continuously handcuffed because of the incompetence of his military comrades who were not on the same tactical level as he
Rome, even at its beginnings, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. It’s rapid growth and accumulation of power and repeated victories over powerful neighbors set Rome in a position of great authority and influence. As the leader of early Rome, Romulus’ effective command of his men and governance of his people provided the foundation for the building of a great city. Livy emphasizes Romulus’ possible divine origins and strong ties to deities as a validation and reinforcement of his ability to rule. A nation’s sole defense cannot be just bricks and mortar, it requires an army and a will and Romulus was able to successfully take action against the aggressors when action was needed.
In Tacitus’ Germania, the author reveals different aspects of the Germanic tribes of that time. Tacitus underlines religion, politics, and warfare in his passages. He goes into detail about climate, geography, social structure, the different customs of the Germanic people, and the tribes that make up Germany. Warfare being described to be one of the most important characteristics of the Germanic people, it was the most respectable effort that people of Germany could display.