The Germanic Tribes
Heather McKey
February 8th 2016
I. Rome is sacked by the Gauls in the Battle of Allia in 378 BCE
Roman historian Titus Livius describes the fight in History of Rome from its Foundation. The
Gauls take over, sake, pillage etc. but the Romans have to pay them off
II. Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars 58-51 BCE
Julius wrote these stories of War as Propaganda, used it to increase his own popularity. He was
able to take over in Rome because of his popularity because everyone read these accounts. He
made the Gaelic tribes look very fierce and bloodthirsty, so that he would look good.
Carnyx was used to inspire fear into the enemy. Horns blown, trumpets, yelling, shouting war
cries. Carnyx is a trumpet with a scary shape. Swords, crazy helmets, to inspire fear. Romans
pillage what they can from the Germanic tribes. 1 million Gauls are killed and one million are
enslaved. Lots of warfare between Rome and the surrounding areas. Huge tracts of land was
ruined.
The siege of Alesia 52 BCE.
Vercingetorix, the Germanic leader, vs. Julius Caesar.
Vercingetorix forces alliances of other tribes, then takes on Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar’s
greatest military victory. Vercingetorix loses, but he becomes their official national hero. Even
today he is a great hero of France.
III. Battle of the Teutoberg Forest (9CE)
Caesar was assassinated, Rome by this time is now the largest city in the world (one million
people). This battle takes place during the time we call the Pax Romana. Caesar Augustus is
now in charge. In one of the earlier battles, a boy named Armeinus is taken by Rome, starts
fighting in the Roman army. He goes out with this guy Varus to annex Germania. Armenius is a
traitor. He has been taken out of Germania when he was young, now he wants to win it back. So
he leads the Romans into an area where they gets stretched out 8 miles. He sends out messages
to other tribes, they attack, and they win. He becomes a German hero. It kept the Romans out of
Germany – they never tried to go past the Rhine river again. Created a strong division between
the German and Latin cultures again. Varus got his head chopped off and sent to another leader,
then to Caesar Augustus.
Armenius ends up getting killed by others.
IV. Roman Strategies – Spreading the Roman World View
Show Roman power
Keep control of the barbarians
crush enemies or convert them to be servants or citizens of Rome.
Roman Lines stretched over 5000 kilometer. Walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, towers, roads.
Romans colonized all these areas. Caesar Augustus built colonies all over Europe, everywhere
they could. They built mini-replicas of Rome itself. Teaching Roman way of life, Roman
administrative skills, entice converts to Rome. They want taxes, land, soldiers in the army,
slaves, forced slaves to be gladiators.
There was also a sharing of cultures. There is brutality on both sides, but also sharing in trade,
many Germanic people do come into Rome in a positive way.
VI. Culture of the Germanic Tribes
Political element: the warrior kings, the heroic warrior cult. You were expected to die
defending your leader. It was a great shame if you came home. Kings showed conspicuous
energy and courage, had to show more bravery than their troops. They would count and compare
their war wounds.
Wedding gifts for women: a team of oxen so they could farm the lands. A horse so they could
follow the men into battle. Armor so they could fight alongside the men.
Religious element: did not confine the gods within walls, but worshiped in sacred woods and
groves. They would carry objects from the sacred groves into battle. They were polytheistic.
Chief god was Woden or Odin. Priests were both men and women, responsible for reading
omens, divination with small sticks. Their interest was here and now, not the afterlife. They had
a strong sense of ancestor worship, believing in the power and connection of ancestors, blood
relatives. Wyrd = time was cyclical. Wyrd is fate or destiny.
Trial by ordeal involved many horrible things like holding hot irons, or being thrown into the
water. They also had trial by combat.
VII. A blending of religion that shaped the whole middle ages. The fusion of Christianity and
Germanic culture.
Holiness of the warrior makes Christ into a warrior, fighting in the name of Christ.
Love of saints – a polytheistic culture with monotheism glued on.
A love of relics and objects of the church – totemism
Prayer with the folded hands similar to the position of pledging your loyalty to the king
Emphasis on the horrors of Hel. Hel is a place of peace and prosperity. When Christian
missionaries came they had to exaggerate the horrors of hell.
Hierarchy of the church – loyalty to superiors.
VIII. Rome is sacked by Alaric and the Visigoths in 410 CE
Alaric had been raised in Rome, worked at the Roman army. At first they worked for Rome but
then later some Visigoths were killed by Romans. So the Visigoths sacked Rome.
Western Europe enters into the middle ages, with a bunch of different nationalities taking over.
476CE Romulus Augustulus fled from Rome.
“In one city, the whole world perished.” Jerome
Meanwhile, Constantinople flourished until 1453 ! All the scrolls are saved.