The Germanic tribes
seem to have originated in a homeland in southern
Scandinavia
(Sweden and
Norway, with the Jutland
area of northern Denmark,
along with a very narrow strip of Baltic coastline). They had been settled
here for over two thousand years following the
Indo-European
migrations. The Germanic ethnic group began as a division of the western
edge of late proto-Indo-European dialects around 3300 BC, splitting away
from a general westwards migration to head towards the southern coastline
of the Baltic Sea. By the time the Germanic tribes were becoming key
players in the politics of Western
Europe in the
last two centuries BC, the previously dominant
Celts were on the verge
of being conquered and dominated by
Rome. They had already
been pushed out of northern and Central Europe by a mass of Germanic tribes
which were steadily carving out a new homeland.
The Hermunduri (or Hermanduri) appear to have been one of many tribes with
mixed ancestry, both Celtic and Germanic, as they are frequently included
in either group. In the first century AD they were located in central
Germania, generally occupying a wide swathe of territory southwards from
the Elbe, along the line of the River Saale. The Bohemian Forest was on
their eastern flank while the
Roman province of Germania
Superior was to the west. Neighbouring them were tribes such as the
Cherusci,
Semnones,
Marcomanni,
Naharvali,
Osi,
Lugii, plus the
Raeti to the south,
and the Chatti to the
north-west.
They were one of the early tribes to emerge into history in central
Germany in the first century AD, but remained fairly obscure. Little
detailed knowledge exists of them, and there is an almost total absence
of the names of tribal leaders, revealing that they had little substantial
political or military contact with Rome - and yet they were counted by
Rome as one of the best trading contacts possessed by the empire. By
around AD 200 they had disappeared, their cohesion largely destroyed by
warfare. Their remnant was possibly absorbed by the
Alemanni confederation which
had formed close to their tribal lands, and their territory later lay within
Thuringia.
The Hermunduri were generally lumped together by the Romans as Germans, or
Germani. The construction 'Ger-man' breaks down into 'ger' (still used
in English as 'gar', the name of a fish) meaning spear, and 'man' which is
unchanged in meaning. 'Her-man' is another form of the word. It was likely
to have been formed of 'ger' for a spear and 'ker' for an army of spearmen,
for which 'k' was softened to an 'h'. Some sources suggest quite wrongly
that Germani means 'neighbour' or 'men of the forest'. Instead, the
possessors of this name were tough, fierce killers and would not have named
themselves anything quite so friendly. The Romans introduced Germani
because they consistently heard both forms from the Germans themselves:
'herman' as in Hermunduri, and 'german', because these warriors called
themselves just that: spearmen. The
Heruli and Cherusci names
may also derive from or contain this root word for spear, meaning an army
(of spears).
The tribe was also counted as part of the
Suevi confederation, a
wide-ranging collection that also included the Alemanni confederation,
along with the Langobards,
Marcomanni, Quadi, and
Semnones. Some elements of the Marcomanni further south later formed
part of the Bavarii
confederation, at the start of the sixth century. The term 'suevi'
seems to have been used almost casually to describe a wide range of
German peoples.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward
Dawson, from The La Tene Celtic Belgae Tribes in England: Y-Chromosome
Haplogroup R-U152 - Hypothesis C, David K Faux, from Geography,
Ptolemy, from Roman History, Cassius Dio, from Research into
the Physical History of Mankind, James Cowles Pritchard, and from
External Link: Geography, Strabo (H C Hamilton & W
Falconer, London, 1903,
Perseus Online Edition).)
fl AD 19 - 50
Vibil / Vibilius
Earliest-known
leader of the tribe.
AD 19
Vibil
is involved in the exile of a young nobleman of the
Marcomanni tribe named
Catualda around this date, or perhaps shortly before it. Catualda returns in
this year (perhaps as the puppet of a
Roman plot to sow discord).
Generally referred to by Romans as Germans, the Hermanduri were
one of the earliest Germanic tribes to gain an identity of their
own but perhaps suffered for it for that very reason
20
Strabo places the Langobards
near the mouth of the Elbe at this time. They are in frequent and close
relations with the Hermunduri and
Semnones, two great
Suebic tribes who dwell
higher up the stream (further up river, along the tributary of the
Saale). Strabo seems to suggest that in his time the Hermunduri and
Langobards had been driven from the left to the right bank of the Elbe.
However, in the case of the Hermunduri this cannot be a long-lasting
situation as they are soon to be found back on the left (southern)
bank of the Elbe.
50
Vannius of the Quadi
shows an inclination to rebuild the
Marcomanni
confederation, so
Rome
instigates an insurrection to solve what it sees as a problem on its
borders. The regnum Vannianum breaks up following the insurrection which
is led by the nephews of Vannius, Wangio and Sido, and supported by the Hermunduri.
Vannius is deposed and later dies in unknown circumstances. Wangio gains the
leadership of the Quadi while Sido gains that of the Hermunduri. Who now
rules the Marcomanni is entirely unknown.
As recorded by Tacitus, the Hermunduri and Chatti
fight a great battle. Each of them is vying for control of the rich
salt-producing river which flows between them. Besides their passion for
settling everything by force, Tacitus says, they hold a religious conviction
that this region is close to heaven so that men's prayers receive ready
access. In the battle, the Chatti are defeated with a disastrous result. In
the event of victory, both sides have vowed their enemies to the gods Tiu (Tyr)
and Wotan (Wodan). The vow implies the sacrifice of the entire defeated side
with their horses and all their possessions.
98
Tacitus, writing around this time, describes the Hermunduri as perhaps
the best-known Germans as far as
Rome
is concerned. They are the only tribe to carry on extensive trade
with the empire, and individual Hermunduri are the only Germans
to be allowed into Roman cities without armed escorts. Their name is used as
the source of the Latin word that is adapted to describe the entire people,
the Germanii. They are also viewed as being part of the
Suevi's
confederation of tribes.
166 - 169
A Marcomanni confederation is formed which also includes elements from many
other tribes including the Iazyges, Sarmatians, and elements of the
Suevi confederation which
includes the
Quadi. Together they cross
the Danube and invade Dacia, penetrating as far as
Italy and forcing the
Roman
emperor, Marcus Aurelius, to spend the rest of his life campaigning in the
Danube region to contain the problem, which he does (to an extent) with a
further defeat of them in 180.
Emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius had
concentrated on defining the Roman empire's borders, defending
the territory they had. That would have included building watch
towers along the limes in the Danube region which the
Marcomanni managed to break through
180
Marcus Aurelius dies while conducting what would have been a final
Roman
campaign against the most dangerous barbarian
Germanic tribes across
the Danube. It is formed of an alliance which is under
Marcomanni leadership
and includes Dacians,
Peucini, and Sarmatians.
As it is, the problem is never fully resolved.
c.200
Having been broken during the Marcomannic Wars
against Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Hermunduri are now absorbed into a
new confederation of smaller tribes called the
Alemanni. Until at least
the sixth century, it is likely that each tribe in the confederation
largely rules itself, with a possible over-king simply providing military
leadership in times of trouble. Large numbers of Hermunduri may also be
absorbed by the Thuringians
in the third century.
