This single battle, fought by Roman soldiers against a foreign foe, is considered by some historians to have determined the course of European history for nearly two millennia. Centuries later, the foreign leader was praised by his compatriots at various crucial moments in history as a national hero, and a monument to him became a "pilgrimage" site for members of a certain political party. What was this battle, and who was the foreign commander?

TabbyTom

I think this must be the battle which the Germans call the Herrmannsschlacht, and which I think of as the battle of the Teutoburger Wald. It was fought in 9AD/AUC762 somewhere near the modern city of Detmold, and an army of Germanic tribesmen under Herrmann (“Arminius” to the Romans) wiped out three Roman legions under the overall command of Quintilius Varus, putting an end to Roman expansion into that part of Europe. Apparently it was something from which the emperor Augustus never recovered: he was heard to exclaim in his sleep ”Quintili Vare, legiones redde” (“Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions.”) Aug 24 05, 5:40 PM

lanfranco

You are correct, TT. According to one historian, had the Romans won this battle, "Almost all of modern Germany and as well as much of the present-day Czech Republic would have come under Roman rule. All Europe west of the Elbe might well have remained Roman Catholic; Germans would be speaking a Romance language; the Thirty Years' War might never have occurred, and the long, bitter conflict between the French and the Germans might never have taken place." Martin Luther, seeking a German hero to set against Rome, praised Arminius/Hermann, as did at least one German writer during the Napoleonic threat. The "Hermannsdenkmal," a monument to Hermann in the Teutoburg Forest, was much visited by Nazis in the 1930s. Excavations at Kalkriese, the probable site of the battle, are turning up many artifacts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arminius http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teutonburg_Forest Aug 24 05, 6:09 PM