The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest was a stunning defeat for Rome at the hands of German soldiers in the 1st Century.

Roman soldiers had led the expansion of the boundary ever northward and, in some cases, eastward. Rome first did battle with Germanic tribes in 102 B.C., under the Roman commander Gaius Marius. A subsequent skirmish occurred at Colmar in 58 B.C., involving forces led by Julius Caesar, who had been conquering neighboring Gaul. It was at that point that Roman soldiers had crossed the Rhine and invaded what Caesar called Germania.

Two decades later, another such battle took place, as the Gallic governor Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa defeated the Suebians, forcing them to resettle across the Rhine at what is now Cologne. This was the time of the beginning of the Empire, under Augustus, and the formation of the armies of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior. Augustus's adopted son Drusus led Roman troops into battle time and again and further consolidated his gains by founding a large military base in the Lippe valley, in 11 B.C. Drusus died on campaign after crossing the Elbe, and his brother Tiberius took over. Augustus ordered Tiberius to finish the conquest of Germania in A.D. 4. Such was planned, but a rebellion in nearby Pannonia occupied Tiberius and a substantial part of the Roman army in the north for a few years. By the time that Rome put down the rebellion, things had changed. In particular, the new commander of the army of Germania Inferior was a named named Publius Quinctilius Varus. The Emperor had sent his close personal friend, a powerful Senator known for his uncompromising cruelty, north to help Tiberius finish the job of subjugating Germania.

Varus (left) had been given that command in 6. He set about instituting a rough administration, augmented by heavy taxes and a keen ability to ignore elements of Germanic culture that didn't match the Roman vision. Rome had made a habit of providing certain amount of respect for the variety of the peoples under the imperial administration for some time, but Varus was under orders to finish the job of conquest. He certainly was not the first commander to impose harsh conditions on people who were in the process of being conquered by Rome, but his actions didn't help the transition. Rebelling were a few Germanic tribes, some of whom had not expressed such an interest previously.

Rome had 11 legions stationed in the area. In the first few years of the new millennium, however, the Empire encountered a number of rebellions that required the attention of a significant number of that force. In particular, a large rebellion in the Balkans forced the Emperor to send eight of the 11 legions stationed in and around Germania southward. Left behind in Germania were the 17th, 18th, and 19th legions.

Varus had a large handful of other troops as well, but the three legions were the main fighting force remaining. At this time, Varus counted among his counselors a man named Arminius, a leader of the Cherusci tribe who had spent time as a child hostage in Rome, sent there by his father as a gesture of goodwill. The practice of sending members of various prospective enemies to Rome in order to maintain order was quite common, and Arminius took the opportunity to learn all that he could about how the Roman war machine worked. Back near his homeland and advising Varus, Arminius hatched a plan to undo what the Romans had so far achieved.

It was the fall of 9, and Varus and his army were marching to their winter quarters when they received reports of yet another rebellion. At the same time, Segetes, a Cheruscan who had no love for Arminius (his son-in-law), told Varus that Arminius was working to ensure Varus's downfall. Interpreting the accusation as jealousy, Varus chose to ignore it and followed Arminius's advice that the Roman troops move through the Teutoburg Forest in order to reach their destination more quickly and efficiently. Arminius, meanwhile, left the Roman army with a promise to find Varus more allies.

The forest known as Teutoburg was indeed unfamiliar territory, which was nothing new for Roman soldiers. As they had expanded the boundaries of the Republic and then the Empire, they had marched through a great many miles of previously unknown lands, conquering as they went. At times, they depended heavily on local knowledge provided by captured or otherwise compliant locals in order to make progress. This was one of those times, particularly since the bulk of the soldiers in those three legions left behind had little experience fighting against members of Germanic tribes.

The Teutoburg Forest was in and of itself a poor place in which to stage a pitched battle. The road through the forest was in poor condition, and the surrounding terrain provided little opportunity for Roman soldiers to unleash the vaunted legion formation that had won them so many battles in so many other places. Roman soldiers had been quick to adapt in other cases, in most cases willing themselves to victory.

A heavy rain began to fall as the Roman soldiers entered the forest. The rain forced them to stick to the road, which was narrow and long. In time, the Roman force found itself stretched out for nearly a dozen miles in a long line of slow progress. Harrying that progress were members of various Germanic tribes, conducting what modern historians would call guerrilla raids on the advancing Romans. One of the directors of these guerrilla strikes was none other than Arminius, who had no love at all for Rome and wanted to see its legions defeated.

Varus, confident in his men's ability, had not sent out scouts. Thus, the legions and auxiliaries had no idea what awaited them. German soldiers fell on the Roman rear once the column was well strung out, harrying from behind and cutting off any retreat out of the forest. Javelins and other missiles rained down on Roman soldiers. The pouring rain made every type of fighting difficult and nullified any kind of advantage that Rome might have had from its archers. As well, the heavy Roman shields were even heavier from being waterlogged. Still, Romans formed ranks and battled the enemy for the better part of the day, taking heavy losses throughout; near nightfall, they established a fortified camp with which to survive the night.

Varus pressed his men on the following day. They reached open country but were en route to the military base at Halstern and needed to re-enter wooded country in order to get there by quickly. Near Kalkriese Hill, they marched right into the trap that Arminius and other Germanic leaders had laid. In an area known as the Great Bog, the Germanic tribes had built a large fortification blocking the road. Surrounded and with few choices, Varus ordered a series of attacks. None were successful. Giving no quarter, the Germans fell on the depleted Roman ranks, overwhelming them and engaging in wholesale slaughter. Wave after wave of angry German soldiers descended on the reeling Roman soldiers, desperately defending in dwindling numbers. Varus, rather than be captured, fell on his own sword. A number of his commanders did the same.

It was a complete victory for Arminius and his fellow Germans. Estimates are that the Roman dead numbered in the tens of thousands. The three legions didn't exist anymore.

An angry, shaken Augustus ordered revenge, and Roman troops descended on the area five years later. They exacted a terrible revenge.