In 9 AD three entire Roman legions under Varo were wiped out in Germania and their insignia were lost. A confederation of Germanic tribes under Arminius ambushed the Roman army in the Teutoburg forest and crashed the Romans.
This was the greatest Roman defeat and shame for the Romans up to this time. Emperor Augustus is reported to have shouted in shock ‘Varus,give me back my legions!’
But only 6 years after this crashing defeat the Romans came back. It was only because of Roman internal politics that Germania evaded Roman annexation.
The importance of the Teutoburg forest defeat orchrastred by Arminius is overplayed.
The Roman Empire with its vast resources quickly recovered and came back to Germania just a few years after the devastating defeat under a great general.
Germanicus
Germanicus was put in charge of 8 legions-one third of the entire Roman army and in 14AD marched his army across the river into Germania.The goal was to avenge the previous defeat,restore Roman prestige and bring the border back to the Elbe river.
The first challenge Germanicus faced was that the legions at Rhine mutinied because of not being payed and the harsh treatment they received from their centurions. Germanicus was successful in coming to terms with the legions and a compromise was reached.
Then the Roman army crossed the Rhine and moved on.
After many difficulties Germanicus crashed the coalition of the Germanic tribes under Arminius again and even retrieved two of the three lost eagle insignia.
Arminius was a member of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who was brought to Rome as a child-hostage. There he was raised in the Roman ways and served in the Roman army as an auxilia. Eventually Arminius turned on the Romans.
Germanicus was determined to bring Magna Germania to its knees and he was well in the way of doing that.
But his adopted father and emperor Tiberius deemed it unnecessary to annex Germania and Germanicus was recalled to Rome where he was granted a triumph.
Green-Roman controlled.
Yellow-Roman client states.
Pink-hostile to Rome.
Germania was a land full of marshes and forests of little economic interest to the Romans. But the real reason why Germania was not annexed was probably because Tiberius feared the glory Germanicus would enjoy after capturing Germania.
Tiberius already had a son but was forced by Augustus to adopt Germanicus.
The Romans never returned to control Germania beyond the Rhine.
Sin dex sin! 