#Teutowaldenberg

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Cherusci

The Cherusci were a Germanic tribe from Northwestern Germany. The meaning of their name is unclear, they may have been named after the hart or deer, Herut in Proto-Germanic. They are quite a well known tribe because of their participation in the Teutoburgerwald battle.

They were first mentioned in 53BC by Julius Caesar in his work 'De Bello Gallico'. Caesar crossed the Rhine river to punish the Suevi for aiding the Celts. He also mentions how the Cherusci are surrounded by near inpenetrable forests.

In 9AD, Arminius declares that the Cherusci are independent from the Roman empire, after being allied with Rome through treaties. Arminius was the son of a Cherusci chief. He was made a hostage of Rome and raised there as a kid. He became a Roman soldier and was even granted Roman citizenship. He was sent to Germania to aid the local governor in conquering the rest of the Germanic tribes. During this period, Arminius was already planning his rebellion which led to the famous Teutoburgerwald battle.

Three Roman legions were destroyed during that battle. It was a great victory for the Cherusci thanks to alliances with other Germanic tribes like: Bructeri, Chatti, Chauci, Marsi, Tubantes, Tencteri, Usipetes and Sicambri.

The Romans took their revenge. Between 14-16AD, Germanicus led an army back into Germania. (Germanicus was a Roman general) They laid waste to several tribes. No mercy was shown, age and gender did not matter. The Romans burned and killed everyone and everything on their path. It took several battles before the Romans left the area and this time they never came back again and a permanent border was established at the river Rhine.

A few years later in 19AD, war broke out again but this time Arminius attacks Maroboduus of the Marcomanni tribe because Maroboduus did not join Arminius in his fight against the Romans. The battle was indecisive but Maroboduus withdraws back into territory that later became Bohemia. Arminius'son dies in rome as a Gladiator and Arminius himself was assassinated by Germanic nobles in 21AD. These Germanic nobles were concerned about the growing power of Arminius.

Not much is known about the Cherusci after these events. They were at war with several more tribes like the Chatti but war between Germanic tribes was incredibly common. Tacitus did describe the Cherusci in 100AD:

"Dwelling on one side of the Chauci and Chatti, the Cherusci long cherished, unassailed, an excessive and enervating love of peace. This was more pleasant than safe, for to be peaceful is self-deception among lawless and powerful neighbours. Where the strong hand decides, moderation and justice are terms applied only to the more powerful, and so the Cherusci, ever reputed good and just, are now called cowards and fools, while in the case of the victorious Chatti success has been identified with prudence. The downfall of the Cherusci brought with it also that of the Fosi, a neighbouring tribe, which shared equally in their disasters, though they had been inferior to them in prosperous days." (It sounds a bit salty in my opinion)

Eventually the Cherusci were absorbed into the Saxons. They might have played an important factor in the formation of the Saxons.

This tribe left an important Germanic legacy behind, the battle of Teutoburg forest. Some historians call this the most important battle of Germanic/Roman history and the biggest loss of the Roman empire. It had huge consequences afterwards. The battle led to the permanent withdrawal of the Romans in Germania.

Artist of the battle picture is unknown, if anyone knows, please tell me. Second photo is of the Teutoburgwald in the 21st century.

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