Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Likely present-day Kalkriese, Lower Saxony
What happened
Arminius, a Germanic chieftain with Roman citizenship and a Roman military education, led an alliance of Germanic peoples against Publius Quinctilius Varus, the Roman governor commanding three legions. Arminius became a trusted adviser to Varus while secretly building an alliance of tribes that had traditionally been enemies. Between 8 and 11 September 9 CE the alliance ambushed the Roman column, possibly near Kalkriese, and three Roman legions were destroyed.
Why it matters
Result: Germanic victory. Leaders: Arminius against Publius Varus. Why it matters: It brought the period of Roman expansion under Augustus to an abrupt end and dissuaded Rome from trying to conquer Germania. Roman campaigns afterward had some success, but the Rhine became the border between the Roman Empire and the rest of Germania.
What came next
Tiberius and Germanicus led retaliatory campaigns. Two of the three lost legion eagles were recovered, one in 14 CE and one in 15 CE, and the third in 41 CE. Arminius kept fighting against Rome until he was killed by fellow Germans in 21 CE.
Did you know?
The likely site of the battle was found in 1987, when the British amateur archaeologist Major Tony Clunn, using a metal detector on Kalkriese Hill, found Roman coins.
Timeline
- 7 CEVarus is assigned to Germania and takes command of Roman forces there.
- 8–11 September 9 CEThe Germanic alliance under Arminius ambushes Varus's three legions.
- 14 CEOne lost legion eagle is recovered from the Marsi.
- 41 CEThe third lost eagle is recovered from the Chauci.
- 1987Finds at Kalkriese lead to excavations of the likely battle site.