Battle of the Weser River

Battle of the Weser River

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of the Weser River
partof=the Roman-Germanic wars


caption=
battle_name=Battle of the Weser River
date=16
place=On the Weser River
result=Minor Roman victory
combatant1=Roman Empire
combatant2=Germanic tribes
commander1=Germanicus
commander2=Arminius
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=
casualties2=

The Battle of the Weser River, sometimes known as a first Battle of Minden, was fought in 16 A.D. between Roman legions commanded by Emperor Tiberius' heir and adopted son Germanicus, and an alliance of Germanic tribes commanded by Arminius.

Ancient sources identify the location as "Idistaviso", but the precise location is unknown, save that it was on the right side of the Weser River, somewhere up between the cities of Minden and Hameln of present-day Germany. The battle marked the end of a three-year campaign by Germanicus to restore the Roman frontier at the Elbe, lost in 9 A.D.. The Germanic tribes generally avoided open large-scale combat, but at this battle Germanicus was finally able to force them into a major engagement. Both sides suffered severe losses, but the Romans were victorious, even though Arminius himself and Inviomerus, his uncle manage to escape with the bulk of their army intact. According to Tacitus with the help of Chauci, who fought on the Roman side as auxiliaries.

Germanicus once again had to withdraw behind the Rhine for the winter. Tiberius saw no point in continuing the costly military campaigns in northern Germania and ordered Germanicus to end his campaign and return to Rome. After this, Rome never again made a serious effort to conquer Germania beyond the Rhine River.

Trivia

In Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita", the procurator of Iudaea, Pontius Pilate, states that he had fought in this battle.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Battle of the Teutoburg Forest — Part of the Roman Germanic wars Cenotaph of Marcus Caelius, 1st …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of the Beams — The Battle of the Beams was a period in early World War II when bombers of the German Air Force ( Luftwaffe ) started using radio navigation for night bombing. British scientific intelligence at the Air Ministry fought back with a variety of… …   Wikipedia

  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin — is a legend about the abduction of many children from the town of Hamelin ( Hameln ), Germany. Famous versions of the legend are given by the Brothers Grimm and, in English, by Robert Browning.PlotIn 1284, while the town of Hamelin was suffering… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Drakenburg — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Drakenburg partof=the Schmalkaldic War caption=1607 etching of the battle date=May 23, 1547 place=near Drakenburg casus= territory= result=Protestant victory combatant1=Protestant Schmalkaldic troops… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Stadtlohn — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Stadtlohn caption=Battle of Stadtlohn, etching from 1626 partof=Thirty Years War date=August 6, 1623 place=Stadtlohn, present day Germany result=Catholic victory combatant1=German Protestants… …   Wikipedia

  • Campaign history of the Roman military — This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD 476 Structural history Roman army (unit types and ranks …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Hastenbeck — Infobox Military Conflict caption= conflict=Battle of Hastenbeck partof=the Seven Years War date=26 July 1757 place= near Hastenbeck, southeast of Hamelin, Hanover result=French victory, leading to the defeat of the Electorate of Hanover… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Heligoland (1849) — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Heligoland caption=RMS Britannia before being converted to SMS Barbarossa , Brommy s flagship partof=the First War of Schleswig date=4 June 1849 place=Off Heligoland, German Bight result=inconclusive… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Netherlands — This article is part of a series Early History …   Wikipedia

  • Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II — Periods and eras in English history Anglo Saxon period (927–1066) Norman period …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”