Worst Roman defeat in History Pre Adrianople

Worst Roman defeat in History Pre Adrianople

  • Battle of Allia River 390 BC

    Votes: 10 14.1%
  • Battle of the Caudine Forks 321 BC

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Battle of Heraclea 280 BC

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Battle of Cannae 216 BC

    Votes: 30 42.3%
  • Battle of the Upper Baetis 211 BC

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Battle of Arausio 105 BC

    Votes: 6 8.5%
  • Battle of Carrhae 53 BC

    Votes: 4 5.6%
  • Battle of the Teutoburg Forest 9 AD

    Votes: 16 22.5%
  • Domitian's Dacian War (First Battle of Tapae) 87 AD

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • Battle of Abrittus 251 AD

    Votes: 2 2.8%
  • Battle of Edessa 260 AD

    Votes: 2 2.8%

  • Total voters
    71
The Romans simply couldn't bounce back because, as Cassius Dio stated, they had no reserves to replace them. They fled back across the Rhine because they had nothing there to defend Gaul at that point. Roman manpower was stretched past its limits.

This is what made it such a crushing defeat. It shaped the Empire's foreign policy for the remainder of its existence.
 
This is what made it such a crushing defeat. It shaped the Empire's foreign policy for the remainder of its existence.

Except it didn't. Only a few years later, Germanicus was back across the Rhine. Both Caligula, Caracalla, and Maximinus Thrax (just to name a few), made plans to take over Germania to the Elbe. There were a few more emperors who's names escape me as well.
 
I was torn between Cannae, Carrhae and Teutoburg - went with the latter as it marked the end of Roman expansion into Germany (I don't think it was the only cause , but significantly adding to the decision)

I compare Teutoburg to WWIIs Stalingrad - the end of expansion (I also don't think Stalingrad was a defeat that singlehanded defeated Germany - as so many seem to believe - for example the loss of Army group Africa caused more troop losses than Stalingrad ;))

After Annae and even after Carrhae the Empire found strength to try again, but after Teutoburg (and the whole situation around Including the Illyrian revolt) the EMprire never more found the strength to expand significantly (Britain ann many other conquests seem to contradict, but I see those expansions as merely rounding out previous campaigns and not starting into "new lands")
 
Ugh. It marked the end of Augustan expansion into Germania (And as a result of that and the Illyrian Revolt, Augustan expansion ended entirely). Germanicus wanted to expand into Germania but Tiberius prevented it. Caligula wanted to expand into Germania and was about to launch a campaign, but aborted it at the last second for reasons I forget. Marcus Aurelius wanted to annex Marcomannia. Caracalla was planning an invasion of Germania. Maximinus Thrax was also planning on invading Germania before he was assassinated.
 
An article I was reading on Caligula said that in 39 AD Caligula raised two new legions XV Primigenia and XXII Primigenia and marched them to some place called Mogontiacum. He then made contact with some other legions stationed in the Rhine area, XIV Gemina, XVI Gallica, II Augusta and XIII Germina, and replaced the local commander Lentulus with some one named Servius Galba. He then had Galba train the two new legions in preparation for a campaign. After this for some reason he then seems to have just decided to take some local Germans hostage and return to Rome in Jan, 41 AD.
Caligula’s Capers on the North Sea Coast by Duncan Campbell
 
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