The Battle of the Teutoborg Forest

Date of battle-9-11 September, 9 CE

Location of battle-Lower Saxony, Germany

Participants-Publius Varus, leader of the XVIII, XIX and XX Legions of the Roman Empire and Arminius, leader of the Germanic tribes

Outcome-The complete destruction of the three Roman legions, resulting in the greatest defeat of Roman Imperial power

Background-Under the rule of Augustus Caesar, the first true Roman Emperor, the Roman Empire had been pushing steadily south and east into Europe. As they pushed further east, they began to encounter the Germanic tribes. As the Romans tried to bring these tribes under their rule, resistance became the norm. The more the tribes resisted, the more the Romans punished, particularly by using heavy taxation and crucifixion for the worst offenders. Varus, the leader of the three legions which ended up being destroyed by Arminius, was a particularly harsh ruler, known for mass crucifixions.

Arminius was the son of one of the German chiefs, and he and his brother had been taken to Rome as hostages to ensure the good behavior of their father. While in Rome Arminius was trained as a soldier and equestrian, given Roman citizenship, and ultimately given command of a legion that was engaged in subduing the Balkans. When Arminius returned home to Germany around 8 CE, he realized that if the Roman forces continued to press eastward from the Rhine, his tribes would be brought completely under the heel of Roman rule. Arminius decided that now was the time to prevent that from happening.

The Battle-Varus was lured into battle by false reports of an uprising of Germanic tribes. The source of the false reports was none other than Arminius, the “trusted” advisor to Varus. Acting on false intelligence from Arminius, Varus led his legions into the Teutoborg Forest, not realizing that he was entering into an ambush set by Arminius. From 9 to 11 September in 9 CE, the Germanic tribes executed a classic encirclement and destruction of Varus’ legions. When Varus realized that defeat was upon him, he committed suicide by falling on his sword.

The Effect of the Battle-Many historians rank this as one of the greatest, if not the greatest disaster of the Roman Empire. Roman conquest of Germania was halted once and for all, and the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire was fixed at the Rhine River. A Germanic barbarian sanctuary was now firmly established in the heart of Europe, with tribes completely cut off from the growing civilization of the Roman Empire. Ultimately this barbarian sanctuary would lead to the destruction of the  Roman Empire, and it would have profound effects on the formation of the German Empires under Bismarck and Hitler. The celebration of Arminius’ victory over Rome was celebrated by German nationalists in the 19th century as Germanic states and independent cities were brought under the rule of Prussia, but once Nazi Germany was destroyed in 1945, the victory of Arminius was no longer celebrated. The German government did not celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the battle at all, despite the fact that this battle is one of the most consequential in the history of Europe and the larger world.

Let the Battle of September Begin

The Nats enter the month of September sitting atop the NL East with a 9.5 game lead over the Mets. This is a role reversal from 2015, when the Mets came to Washington with a 6.5 game lead over the Nats. That series ended in a sweep of the Nats and the elimination of any and all hopes the Nats had for post season. This season is totally different. For one thing Dusty Baker is in charge of the team now, and his leadership style is a far cry from the tightly wound “it’s our plan” Matt Williams. Another change is the the bullpen. When Mike Rizzo, the Nats’ general manager, realized that Papelbon’s fastball wasn’t what it used to be, he went out and made a trade to get Mark Melancon from the Pirates. Melancon has been lights out since we acquired him, and with Koda Glover as a set up man, the Nats have achieved the same combination of winning talent that the British General Staff achieved when it put General Alexander and General Montgomery in charge of the British 8th Army after the fall of Tobruk in June of 1942. By October the British were able to mount a major offensive at El Alamein, and by November a combined Anglo-American offensive was launched in Morocco. The rest, as they say, is history.

My hope is that the Nats don’t get overconfident and cocky. Granted we are dominating the NL East right now, and the playoffs are in sight. That being said, sloppy play can destroy a commanding lead. We have three games against the Mets in New York beginning tonight. Let’s play well, win the series (sweeps are Fascist, although there’s nothing wrong with Fascism, but we’ll discuss that later), and get past the NLDS this year.