An Indirect Approach: 785-787 AUC
Chapter III, Part III
Chapter III, Part III
Marobodwoz’ arrival in Roma made for quite an illuminating encounter with Drusus and his advisors. There had been hints that Erminaz’ concordat had survived Roman withdrawal, but to hear that they were still working in concert was somewhat disturbing news. Marobodwoz, unaware of the dispute between Wigbiliz and Erminaz that had ensued following his egress, assumed that they would seize his lands for their own use, and he told the Princeps as much. Roman scouts soon refuted Marobodwoz’ claims; Boihaimaz appeared to have fallen to civil war as the great lords of the Marcomanni struggled over leadership of the tribe. This was no less worrying than the prospect of Erminaz seizing control of Marcomannic lands. Without another tribal power to counterbalance Erminaz’ alliance, Drusus and his inner circle believed that the nascent confederation might become a danger. Though the Marcomanni had been a problem for past rulers, Drusus would bend them to the will of Roma.
A military expedition was out of the question, but a more indirect approach might do well enough. Drusus would have to end the conflict among the Marcomanni and then prop up Marobodwoz’ kingdom under the leadership of a Roman puppet. Marobodwoz’ involvement in this affair was at its end, however. Instead of trying to aid Marobowoz in reclaiming his kingdom, however, Drusus had the exiled monarch shipped away to some residence or other in the north of Italia. There, he would live out the rest of his days under constant watch (Drusus made only a token effort to pass this arrangement off as anything better than house arrest). The Princeps would instead search for a better candidate among the warring nobility of the Marcomanni.
Harjawalda was not the mightiest of the competing Marcomannic nobles, but he was also not the weakest. He commanded a modest portion of the tribe’s fighting force, though not likely enough to prevail over his enemies. He was the ideal pawn for the Princeps. An investment in Harjawalda could easily put him above his rivals, and would put him in debt to Roma on the eventuality that he prevailed. Not one to count on the honor of a man who would put his own kind under foreign yoke, Drusus would ensure that Harjawalda could only hold power while under the shadow of Roma.
Harjawalda was prideful, but not unaware of where he stood in the conflict. The two most formidable combatants, each possessing about a fourth of the strength of the tribe, were Hloworiks, son of the recently-deposed Marobodwoz, and Inguharjaz, a nobleman of high standing. The two of them were narrowing down their opposition at a steady pace, either by the sword or by compelling the weaker lords to swear fealty. Harjawalda stood little chance of overcoming them, though he might be able to hold out for a year or two. Being as he was in dire straits, any means of reversing his fortunes would be welcomed without hesitation. The Roman envoy nevertheless caught him by surprise with his visit and Drusus’ promises. The Princeps promised him steel, supplies, and (albeit only in the extreme) military assistance. With hardly a second thought, Harjawalda entered into a pact with Roma.
With the Princeps’ backing, Harjawalda started to gain the upper hand over Hloworiks and Inguharjaz. Instead of using the provisions he’d been supplied with by Drusus to try and defeat his rivals in the field, he instead brought lesser nobles to his side by offering them a piece of the Princeps’ contribution. They joined their armies to Harjawalda’s, eventually placing him on even footing with Hloworiks and Inguharjaz. Harjawalda proved to be reasonably competent as a warlord as well, winning multiple engagements without any need for Drusus to draw a single cohort off of the Danube. With every victory, his flock of supporters grew in number, further cementing his dominance. After two years of fighting, Hloworiks and Inguharjaz were firmly on the losing side of the succession war. All the while, Harjawalda’s compact with Roma was kept quiet, with only a small number of agents and diplomats standing by and observing.
By September of 787 Ab Urbe Condita, Harjawalda had taken full control of the heartland of Boihaimaz. Inguharjaz had suffered his final defeat in battle some months before and had parted with his head in the fray. Hloworiks alone remained in opposition to Harjawalda, and he had been forced back to the mountain range on the edge of his tribe’s domain. As it happened, it was even less desirable to be driven against these peaks by an oncoming enemy that to lay siege through them. The Hermunduroz had been watching the passes ever since Marobodwoz’ incursion and would not permit the Markamannoz to go beyond their lands alive and intact. Demoralized and likely doomed, some of Hloworiks’ men found themselves evaluating the situation with slim notion of loyalty or honor. As Harjawalda’s army neared, self-preservation eclipsed all else. Hloworiks’ men surrendered upon Harjawalda’s arrival presented their leader to the warlord, bound, bloody, and betrayed. Satisfied with this turn of events, Harjawalda summarily executed the last son of Marobodwoz, leaving only himself as the uncontested king of the Markamannoz. He was not finished with his war, however. He denounced Hloworiks’ army for their betrayal of their leader, and ordered an attack in defiance of their efforts to spare themselves. Two thousand men were cut down in the passes, and any who managed to escape Harjawalda’s army likely met their end by the Hermunduroz.
Shortly after the end of the war, Roman diplomats and military officials flocked to Harjwalda’s stronghold, setting up their bureaucracy and quietly tightening their grip on the tribal kingdom. Harjawalda had served Drusus’ purposes well. His kingdom would check the rise of Erminaz, or so the Princeps hoped, and extend Roman influence north of the Danube. Indeed, the conflict between north and south in the tribal lands was hardly at its onset. War lay ahead, that much was certain, but the ramifications of the conflict between north and south in these tribal lands extended far into the future, beyond the foresight of an human being.