Massacre in the Teutoburg Forest: how betrayal and an incompetent commander destroyed three trained Roman legions (8 photos)

This was one of the most resounding defeats in the history of Rome.





At the dawn of the empire, Rome had the most powerful army in the world. With trained infantry, engineers, cavalry and auxiliary troops. This steel machine pushed forward and swept away everything in its path. And when the legionaries lined up in battle formation, it was almost impossible to cope with them.



But sometimes there were devastating defeats. As a rule, due to poor leadership of the troops.

In 5 AD, Octavian Augustus appointed 55-year-old Publius Quinctilius Varus as commander of the German legions. But not at all because he was a smart commander - Varus simply married the princeps' niece at the right time. And his career immediately took off.





The image of Quintilius Varus in the TV series "Barbarians"

Before this, Varus was in charge of the province of Syria. There he more or less coped with affairs, but he understood a little more than 0 in military craft. Plus, he did not understand the mentality of the Germans at all - Quintilius for some reason believed that they were just itching to become part of the empire and admired Roman culture. Arminius, the son of the leader of one of the local tribes, constantly told him about this. The young man managed to obtain Roman citizenship and even served in the army.

By 9 AD, the Romans had conquered the territory up to the Elbe River, but the situation in the new province was alarming. Judging by the intelligence reports and the movements of the Germans, they were preparing to make a big investment for the new masters. And Arminius played a decisive role here.

In the same year, at the end of summer, Varus led 3 legions, took Arminius with his auxiliary troops, and moved to winter quarters. He was warned that the German could betray, but Quintilius only waved them off and said that they were friends. And this friend suggested that Varus change the route and go through the Teutoburg Forest.



When the troops entered the thicket, the weather suddenly deteriorated: incessant rain poured down and the road became muddy. The column of Romans stretched out and became a very convenient target for attack. Soon it crawled to a place that was later called "Black Marsh" - here the Germans struck. They had gathered warriors from eight tribes in advance, and Varus's dear friend Arminius coordinated the operation.

The barbarians occupied the heights and attacked from all sides. And the Romans got stuck in the swampy soil and could not fight back properly. Arminius fled before the battle began and joined his brothers. And then the massacre began.



It lasted three days. Half of the army perished on the first day, the rest broke through to a vast forest clearing and somehow held the defense. But they had no chance, Varus realized this and committed suicide. The legionaries learned of the commander's death, lost heart and tried to hide in the forest, breaking up into small detachments. Later they were caught and brutally killed. And Varus' head was sent to Rome.



Upon learning of the defeat, Augustus said: "Var, give me back my legions!" And declared mourning in the country. Then a piece of the recently conquered territories broke away from the empire. Although they were returned under the new emperor Tiberius - the soldiers again walked through that ill-fated forest and found piles of bones and fragments of weapons. And the trees were decorated with the skulls of fallen legionnaires.

But the Romans were never able to gain a foothold in those places. And the disputed territories became a constant headache for many subsequent emperors. There was no peaceful life there until the fall of the empire.



And what about Arminius? He did not share power over the tribes with his uncle and went to the next world at the hands of his fellow tribesmen. A typical fate of a traitor. But in Germany he is considered a national hero. There is even a statue of the rebel leader - it adorns the top of a hill in the Teutoburg Forest.