Germanicus Julius Caesar Claudianus (24 May 15
BC–October 10, 19) was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the early Roman Empire. He was
called either Nero Claudius Drusus or Tiberius Claudius Nero at birth and received the agnomen "Germanicus", by which he is principally known, in 9 BC, when it
was awarded to his father in honour of his victories in Germania.
Early life
Germanicus' parents were general Nero Claudius Drusus (son of Empress
Livia Drusilla, third wife of Emperor Augustus) and
Antonia Minor (daughter of triumvir Mark Antony and
Octavia Minor, sister of Augustus). Livilla and Emperor
Claudius were his siblings. Germanicus married Agrippina
the Elder, a granddaughter of Augustus, who gave him nine children. Two died whilst very young, another Gaius Julius
Caesar died in early childhood. The other six survived to grown age:
Germanicus was very popular among the citizens of Rome, who celebrated enthusiastically all his
victories. He was also a favourite with Augustus, his great-uncle and his wife's grandfather,
who, for some time, considered him as heir to the Empire. In 4, at the persuasion of Livia (Augustus'
wife), Augustus decided in favour of Tiberius, a stepson from Livia's first marriage.
Augustus compelled Tiberius to adopt Germanicus as a son and name him as his heir (Tacitus,
Annals IV.57).
Germanicus assumed several military commands leading the army in the campaigns in Pannonia
and Dalmatia. He is recorded to have been an excellent soldier and inspired leader, loved by
the legions. In the year 12 he was appointed consul after five mandates as quaestor.
Commander of Germania
After the death of Augustus in 14, the Senate
appointed Germanicus commander of the forces in Germania. A short time after, the legions
rioted on the news that their recruitments would not be marked back down to 16 years from the now standard 20. Refusing to accept
this, the rebel soldiers cried for Germanicus as emperor. But he chose to honour Augustus' choice and put an end to the mutiny,
preferring to continue only as a general. In a bid to secure the loyalty of his troops and his own popularity with them and with
the Roman people, he led them on a spectacular but brutal raid against the Marsi, a German tribe on the upper Ruhr river, in
which he massacred much of the tribe.
During each of the next two years, he led his 8-legion army into Germany against the coalition of tribes led by
Arminius, which had successfully overthrown Roman rule in a rebellion in 9. His major success
was the capture of Arminius' wife in May 15. He was able to devastate large areas and eliminate any form of active resistance,
but the majority of the Germans fled at the sight of the Roman army into remote forests. The raids were considered a success
since the major goal of destroying any rebel alliance networks was completed.
After visiting the site of the disastrous Battle of the Teutoburg
Forest, where 20,000 Romans had been killed in 9, and burying their remains, he launched a massive assault on the
heartland of Arminius' tribe, the Cheruscans. Arminius initially lured Germanicus' cavalry into a trap and inflicted minor
casualties, until successful fighting by the Roman infantry caused the Germans to break and flee into the forest. This victory,
combined with the fact that winter was fast approaching, meant Germanicus's next step was to lead his army back to its winter
quarters on the Rhine.
In spite of doubts on the part of his uncle, Emperor Tiberius, Germanicus managed to raise another huge army and invaded
Germany again the next year, in 16. He forced a crossing of the Weser near modern Minden, suffering heavy losses, and then met
Arminius' army at Idistoviso, further up the Weser, near modern Rinteln, in an engagement often called the Battle of the Weser River. Germanicus's leadership and command qualities were shown in full at
the battle as his superior tactics and better trained and equipped legions inflicted huge casualties on the German army with only
minor losses. One final battle was fought at the Angivarian Wall west of modern Hanover,repeating the pattern of high German fatalities forcing them to flee. With his main objectives reached
and with winter approaching Germanicus ordered his army back to their winter camps, with the fleet occasioning some damage by a
storm in the North Sea. Although only a small number of soldiers died it was still a bad ending for a brilliantly fought
campaign. After a few more raids across the Rhine, which resulted in the recovery of two of the three legion's eagles lost in 9, Germanicus was recalled to Rome and informed by Tiberius that he would be
given a triumph and reassigned to a different command.
Despite the successes enjoyed by his troops, Germanicus' German campaign was in reaction to the mutinous intentions of his
troops, and lacked any strategic value. In addition he engaged the very German leader (Arminius) who had destroyed three Roman
legions in AD 9, and exposed his troops to the remains of those dead Romans. Furthermore, in leading his troops across the Rhine,
without recourse to Tiberius, he contradicted the advice of Augustus to keep that river as the boundary of the empire, and opened
himself to doubts about his motives in such independent action. These errors in strategic and political judgement gave Tiberius
reason enough to recall his nephew.[1]
Asia and Death
Germanicus was then sent to Asia, where in 18 he
defeated the kingdoms of Cappadocia and Commagene, turning
them into Roman provinces. During a sightseeing trip to Egypt (not a regular province,
but the personal property of the Emperor) he seems to have unwittingly usurped several imperial prerogatives.[2] The following year he found that the governor of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, had cancelled the
provincial arrangements that he had made. Germanicus in turn ordered Piso's reacall to Rome, although this action was probably
beyond his authority.[3] In the midst of this feud
Germanicus died suddenly in Antioch of a wasting illness - or poison. His death was surrounded
by speculation, with several sources claiming he was poisoned by Piso, under orders from Emperor Tiberius. This was never proven,
and Piso later committed suicide while facing trial, but Suetonius suggests
Tiberius' jealousy and fear of his adopted son's popularity and increasing power as a motive.
The death of Germanicus in what can only be described as dubious circumstances greatly affected Tiberius' popularity in Rome,
leading to the creation of a climate of fear in Rome itself. Also suspected of connivance in his death was Tiberius' chief
advisor, Sejanus, who would then turn the empire into a frightful tyranny throughout the 20s,
before himself being removed and executed by Tiberius in a bloody purge in 31.
For Tacitus, the historian to whom we owe much of the information in this article, Germanicus was the epitome of Roman virtue
and manliness, and his death symbolic of the decline of such virtue in the face of the rise of corruption and tyranny. His
account of the German campaigns systematically contrasts Germanicus' prowess and popularity to the intriguing jealousy of his
uncle, the emperor - and the maliciousness of Sejanus - while on the other hand portraying the war itself as a contest between
two worthy heroes, Germanicus and Arminius. If the account downplays the setbacks suffered by Germanicus, the point is not so
much to denigrate Arminius as it is to justify Germanicus in opposition to Tiberius.
Literary Activity
Germanicus made a Latin version, which survives, of Aratus's Phainomena, for which
reason he is ranked among Roman writers on astrology.
See Also
References
- ^ David Shotter, Tiberius Caesar (London: Routledge, 1992)
35-37
- ^ Shotter, 38
- ^ Shotter, 38
External Links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
be-x-old:Германікус
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
