Germanic Tribes in the Southwest

Germanic Tribes in the Southwest: Where Did They Come From?

0:23

The Limes. The mighty, 550-kilometer-long border fortification of the Roman Empire against free Germania. It's burning. The defensive wall against the barbarians, as the Romans called the Germanic tribes, was vulnerable.

0:42

Despite walls and ditches, palisades and watchtowers, fires repeatedly broke out along the Germanic Limes from the 3rd century AD onward.

0:56

What had happened?

1:02

Germanic horsemen stormed the border in 233 AD. They had a relatively easy time of it, because the Romans had previously withdrawn many troops from the Limes, which they needed in the east of the empire for the fight against the Persians.

1:23

Who were these fierce warriors who overran the Roman palisades and rode like demons?

1:35

And where did they come from? Free Germania was vast and populated by many tribes.

1:47

The Tabula Peutingeriana, the medieval copy of a Roman map of land and roads, provides information. It notes two names on the edge of the empire: "Suebia" and…

2:03

… "Alamannia." These are the names of the peoples who harassed the Limes: the Suebi and the Alamanni.

2:16

Until the 3rd century, they lived far from the Limes in the region between the Oder and Elbe rivers. From there, the Suebi and Alamanni launched raids that penetrated deep into the Roman Empire, into rich Gaul, into the Roman heartland south of the Alps, and into the hinterland near the Limes.

2:41

These campaigns were facilitated by internal unrest within the Roman Empire. These were times of crisis when the Germanic tribes began to move.

2:52

The remnants of the Limes, still visible today, marked a boundary of prosperity at that time. Life was generally good on the Roman side, including here around Trier.

3:05

This made the city attractive to the Alamannic warriors.

3:10

Soundbite from Prof. Christoph Schäfer

"For the population of the Trier region, these Alamannic incursions must have been a real shock, because for over 200 years they had been able to cultivate the land here relatively peacefully; it was a prosperous, flourishing region, and now suddenly this drastic change, extreme plundering, violence everywhere, both outside and inside the city."

3:32

In 275 AD, the city, with its famous Porta Nigra, was particularly hard hit by the Alamannic cavalry. They rode into battle without stirrups. But how does that even work? We want to find out just how difficult it is at a riding stable.

3:50

Riding instructor Peter Frey initiates his student into the secrets. First, it's about the correct seat, the connection between rider and horse. Because almost without aids, the rider now has to make it clear to her horse what it should do.

4:07

What is the main difficulty?

4:11

Soundbite from the riding instructor

"If the horse picks up speed or goes into a turn, the rider can lose their balance much more easily without stirrups than with them. The stirrup acts like a support, essentially replacing the ground. The rider then has to balance much more freely from their center of gravity, from their torso."

4:35

That's already working surprisingly well. Peter Frey's tips are helpful in this unfamiliar situation.

5:46

Most Alamanni grew up with horses. That was their secret to success. And today?

4:54

Soundbite from a riding instructor

"The secret is, on the one hand, good body awareness, good balance, and then sensing the horse's movement so that the rider flows into it without resistance."

``` 5:14

This "natural" riding is obviously fun. For the Alamanni, it was everyday life. They had a very special relationship with their horses. Some were even sacred to them.

5:32

The experiment worked. Rider and horse are happy.

5:41

But now Peter Frey wants to know for sure. The Alamanni were heavily armed on horseback. He tries it first with a shield and lance.

5:52

His stallion doesn't like it at all. Frey loses his balance; now he's missing the artificial ground, the stirrups.

6:01

The experiment at the Red Stone Ranch in Unterrotenstein in the Swabian Alps has shown: Riding without stirrups is possible. But with both hands on weapons—that was more something for the Alamannic warrior elite.

6:20

In the 3rd century, they were the terror of the Roman population behind the Limes. They robbed people, as well as livestock and Jewelry. Nothing was safe from the Alamannic warriors…

6:36

They usually carried out their raids in small groups. The younger men sought adventure abroad, while their families waited for a safe return to their Germanic homeland.

6:49

Soundbite: Prof. Christoph Schäfer

“These Alamannic raids were clearly aimed at plunder. The goal wasn't to establish a permanent presence in this region, as happened later, for example…”

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