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[[File:Otto Albert Koch Varusschlacht 1909.jpg|300px|thumb|left| A German painting of the Battle of Teutoburg Wood]]__NOTOC__
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===