BLUF
James Lacey argues that in 9 AD, a failure in command and control allied with overconfidence led the Roman Army to one of its greatest defeats— a defeat that created a Latin-Germanic divide in Western Europe that is still with us today.Summary
James Lacey, writing in World History Encyclopedia, makes the following points regarding the Battle of Teutoburg Forest between Roman forces and Germanic tribes;
- In previous battles, Varus, the Roman commander, had successfully applied standard Roman tactics.
- He saw no reason to change those tactics in this battle.
- He trusted the Roman-educated, Germanic tribal leader, Arminius—and ignored warnings that Arminius was not to be trusted.
- A failure of reconnaissance and underestimating enemy capability led to Varus's legions being ambushed by a well-organised Germanic attack.
- Despite a fighting retreat, three legions were wiped out.
- The Rhine River became the permanent northern boundary of the Roman Empire.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
References from the Web:
- SEP 2006 The Ambush That Changed History-Smithsonian Magazine
- OCT 2020 What was the Roman Empire's greatest defeat? It might be Teutoburg Forest in AD 9-History Extra
- OCT 2020 Teutoburg Forest (9 CE)-Livius
