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Barbarians

Barbarians. Kaitlin Dallas. Barbarians. Barbarians were basically non-Roman people Mainly Tribal Ex: Germanic tribes Barbarians threatened and invaded each other, including Roman allies. Adrianople: Basic info. 9, Aug. AD 378 Romans (Eastern Empire) v. Goths (*Visigoths and Ostrogoths)

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Barbarians

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  1. Barbarians Kaitlin Dallas

  2. Barbarians • Barbarians were basically non-Roman people • Mainly Tribal • Ex: Germanic tribes • Barbarians threatened and invaded each other, including Roman allies

  3. Adrianople: Basic info • 9, Aug. AD 378 • Romans (Eastern Empire) v. Goths (*Visigoths and Ostrogoths) • Roman leader: Valens • Visigoth leader: Fritigern • Location: near Adrianople

  4. Visigoths and Ostrogoths • Eastern Germanic tribes

  5. Eastern Roman Empire

  6. Background: Division of Rome • After a few deaths, the Roman Empire had been divided in half, Eastern and Western • Around Adrianople time, Valens was emperor of the Eastern Empire and Gratian was emperor of the Western Empire • Valens and Gratian were related

  7. Background: Trouble in the Empire • Valens had been trying to reclaim lost land in Persia • Revolts in the Eastern Empire prevented him from completing this • Also some trouble with Goths • Valens defeated some, and then made up a treaty so that he could go back to Persia

  8. Background • Huns driving westward, destroying the lands of Ostrogoths and Visigoths (both barbarians) AD 376 Valens allowed Visigoths to cross the Danube and settle in territory along the Danube mostly because he needed more military power. Those that weren’t allowed followed anyway

  9. More Background • The Visigoths were mistreated and taken advantage of by the Roman officials in charge • When famine struck, the Goths begged for a market • The greedy Romans sold carcasses of dogs, unclean animals, etc. for high prices • Soon enough, the Visigoths rebelled, and their old neighbors, the Ostrogoths joined in • The Goths defeated Roman mil. Units in Thrace in 377 A.D.

  10. Cont. • The rebelling Goths were now running around in imperial territory (Balkans) • This caused Valens to come back from Persia • Goth forces were large, causing Valens to ask Gratian and the western army to help • Gratian was delayed (presumably because of trouble with Alemanni) and Valens decided to move without waiting

  11. Why did he not wait? • Situation may have gotten dire • Might have gotten overconfident, or wanted more glory for himself

  12. The odds • Eastern Romans: over 40,000 strong, mostly heavy infantry, some light cavalry • Goths: massive size, mostly heavy cavalry

  13. Valens Arrives • Valens finds the main Gothic circular camp, called a laager • This circular camp has carts which are used as palisades, or defensive fences • Gothic cavalry was at a different position at this point for better grazing ground

  14. Valens attacks • Valens begins his attack, focusing on the laager. • He may have thought he could defeat them before the cavalry arrived, or that the cavalry was away and would not come. • Gothic heavy cavalry was notified of the attack, and quickly came to help

  15. Here comes the cavalry • Roman light cavalry no match for Gothic heavy cavalry • More men in the camp joined the cavalry (Gothic) • Gothics see what is happening and change from defensive to offensive • The Calvary force somehow managed to overcome the large mass of heavy Roman infantry • The Gothic cavalry continuously attacked from all sides, and the Romans fell apart and collapsed • Valens was killed and the troops were annihilated

  16. Results • 2/3 of the Eastern Army killed, along with Valens 16 divisions ended • Military advantage passed to barbarians • End of supremacy of heavy infantry on battlefield

  17. Battle of the Teutoburg Forest9 A.D.

  18. Backstory • Roman Empire in control of most of Western Europe • River Rhine divided the Teutonic barbarians and the Roman territories • Barbarians would sometimes cross the Rhine to raid Roman possessions • Augustus sent his son, Drusus, to strengthen the border and regain order • Eventually, most of Germania was under Roman control

  19. Varus and Arminius • Roman Governor Varus was appointed as administrator for Germania • Arminius was his trusted advisor • Arminius had been taken from the Cherusci tribe at age 19 to go to Rome • At Rome, he studied Roman warfare and became a citizen (equestrian) • Arminius did not like the oppression of the Germanic tribes and sought to begin an alliance between tribes secretly

  20. Arminius • Arminius fabricated reports of rebellion • Varus brought three legions, six cohorts of non-Roman auxiliary troops, and three squadrons of cavalry • The last ones listed had no battle experience • Arminius requested that some troops be sent to protect his old tribe • It was granted, Varus expected nothing

  21. Bad Position • The Roman troops didn’t march in combat position, they were in a long, strung out line • There were women, children, and wagons with them • No recon parties were sent out • At this point, Arminius and his father left with an excuse of “getting a Germanic force to help” • The line was stretched out even farther once the weather turned bad

  22. The Battle Begins • Varus was warned of the attack by Arminius’ step-father, but he did not believe him • Arminius struck the Romans while they were spread out on a mountain path in Teutoburg Forest • Arminius’ Germanic forces outnumbered the Romans, and the tribes were lighter armored • Arminius used his knowledge of Roman warfare to defend counterattacks

  23. The Battle • The Romans managed to set up a secure night camp, but the Germanic tribes continued to attack throughout the next day as the Romans tried to retreat and look for open ground • Eventually, the Romans ended up where Arminius wanted them: trapped between a swamp and a hill, while the road ahead was blocked by a ditch and a wall

  24. The Battle cont. • The Germanic tribes continued to fight from the ditch and wall • The Romans tried to storm the wall, but that failed and the tribes came down upon them • The Roman cavalry fled, and were annihilated once the Germanic cavalry caught up with them • Varus committed suicide instead of being captured or killed by the enemy

  25. Results • The Battle at Teutoburg Forest lasted three days • Arminius continued to fight off Roman rule in Germanic territory • Estimate number of Romans killed: 25,000 • The three Roman legions with Varus were lost, and the numbers of those legions were never used again • A 7-year war began, establishing the Rhine as the division between the Teutonic tribes and Rome once again

  26. References • http://www.roman-empire.net/army/adrianople.html • http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/valens/a/Adrianople.htm • http://www.helium.com/items/733563-the-battle-of-teutoburg-forest • http://www.livius.org/te-tg/teutoburg/teutoburg01.htm

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