Changes

==Introduction==

The Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 A. D was one of the most important in the classical world. The battle which saw a confederation of German tribes destroy three legions was to change the course of Roman history and it altered the character of Europe. The battle was not only one of the greatest defeats ever inflicted on Rome but it had momentous consequences. After it, Roman Emperors were very unwilling to expand the Empire, especially in Northern Europe. The battle was to establish a frontier between the Roman World and the Germanic World that was to last until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Perhaps the most important consequences of the Battle of Teutoburg forest is that it left most of Germania, the homeland of the German tribes free from Roman influence and these tribes were ultimately able to overrun much of the Roman World in the 5th century.

==Background==

In 4 BCE, the future Roman general Tiberius entered Germania and subjugated large areas east of the River Rhine. The German tribes could not put aside their differences and the Romans were able to subdue them or force them into unfavorable alliances<ref> Dornberg, John. "Battle of the Teutoburg Forest." Archaeology 45, no. 5 (1992): 26-32. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41766157</ref>. The king of the Marcomanni, one of the large Suebi tribeS defied the Romans. However, the, Macromanni too were defeated by the Romans. The tribe fled rather than submit and they entered into a confederation with many smaller tribes in east. By 6 BCE much of modern west Germany was in the hands of the Romans and they had organized it into two provinces. Publius Quinctilius Varus, a nobleman was made governor of the new province of Germania. At the time, Tiberius was called away to deal with a major rebellion in the Balkans. In this war, the Marcomanni played a prominent part. Tiberius took four years to subdue the rebellion and the Marcomanni remained unsubdued. The revolt did not end until 10 A.D. and up to half of the Roman army was engaged in this war<ref> Dornberg, p. 29</ref>. This meant that Varus only had five legions under his command in Germania. At the time, Germain was restive and the various tribes were in constant dispute. At this time a German nobleman, from the Cherusci tribe who had been sent to Rome as a hostage, was returned to Germania. Arminius was believed to be loyal by Romans <ref> Dornberg, p 27</ref>. He was a very charismatic leader and was at home in two worlds- the German and the Roman world. Arminus was on the surface loyal to Varus and Rome but in reality, he was determined to betray the Romans and expel them from Germania. Arminius secretly forged an alliance with dozens of German tribes in what was a remarkable piece of diplomacy because many of the tribes hated their neighbors as much as the Roman invaders. Arminius was able to use Varus treatment of the various tribes in order to persuade them to come together and to fight for their freedom. According to the Roman Historian Tacitus, the Germans were obsessed with ideas of liberty and they rarely even obeyed their leaders<ref> Tacitus, Argicola and Germania, 5 3</ref>. Arminius used the common religion of the Germans to create a united army and he achieved all of this without the knowledge of Varus. Indeed, the leader of the German tribes had become a trusted advisor to the Roman governor. Arminius persuaded the Germans to bide their time and he ordered them to prepare for the right moment to attack. He decided that the best time to attack the Romans was as they made their way from their summer camp to their winter headquarters. The German tribes spent many months in secret laying a vast trap for the legions of Varus near the Weser River <ref> Dornberg, p. 33</ref>.