Marobodius versus Arminius

Inter-Tribal Rivalries

An interesting, yet easily overlooked, chapter in the story of Germano-Celtic cooperation and interaction is found in the region of what is called “Bohemia,” what is now the Czech Republic. I have it in mind to write a series of articles, perhaps one day concluding in a book, on Celto-Germanic culture to be entitled: The Celto-Germanic World: The Germanic Interaction with the Celtic World — Three Millennia of Cooperation and Conflict. The “Bohemian” region comes into focus for this question in the years leading up to the dawn of the present era, i.e. the first century BCE and the early centuries of our era, between 60 BCE and 400 CE. The first leading personality in this story is the fascinating king Marbod, whose name appears in several Latinized versions: including Maroboduus, Marobodus, Marobudus and Marbodius and in Greek Maroboudos and Baroboudos [haven’t managed to get Substack to accept Greek font!] I was reminded and directed to the issue of Marobodius, the Marcomanni and Quadi in transcribing Professor Polomé’s class notes for his course on Early Germanic Culture from 1979. There he notes: “The first Germanic state which transcended the tribal level to establish a structured political unit — a concept apparently based on Roman political thought — is the state of the Marcomanni established by Marobodius in Bohemia, the land of the Boii, originally occupied by Celts. Marobodius had been educated in Rome, and after he moved his people in 9 B.C. to Bohemia, he established a strict dominance over the country, also involving other tribes — Celtic and Germanic — like the Lugii, the Suebian and, thus expanding his territory between the Elbe and the Oder as well as in Silesia and western Poland.” As a side remark, I point out that the Woodharrow School will offer a whole course covering the substance of this 1979 lecture series!

Marobodius, whose name may have Celtic roots meaning “great-crow” with the crow corresponding to the ancient Celtic divinity of war, was born into a noble Marcomannic family. The Marcomanni were an offshoot of the greater Suabian tribe. He spent his younger years in Italy and even gained the favor of the Emperor Augustus. In 10 BCE, the Romans won a resounding victory over the Marcomanni. The next year Marbodius made his way back to his home tribe and was elected their king by them. He moved the population in the Bohemian region and made many alliances with other tribes and clans, both Germanic and Celtic. Thus, a multifaceted government was established in what came to be known as Marcomannia. This was seen as a direct threat to Rome. Augustus had it in mind to eradicate the Marcomanni as early as 6 CE, eventually Tiberius, then a major military commander, would move twelve legions toward Marcomannia but had to withdraw due to trouble elsewhere in the Empire. Marobodius was then recognized as king by the Romans.

Among the Germanic tribes, of course, Arminius was the great “national” hero due to his triumph over Varus at the Battle of the Teutoburger Forest in 9 CE. A rivalry between Arminius, the Cheruscan and Marobodius, the Marcomannian, developed. One historian reported that Arminius sent the head of Varus to Marobodius, who in turn sent it to Augustus in Rome! The ensuing attempts by the Romans to avenge the defeat at Kalkriese, led by Tiberius and Germanicus, as fierce as they were, did not lead to Arminius’ defeat. Three times Arminius squared up with the Romans on the field of battle in Roman style, some were inconclusive, with Rome generally gaining the upper hand in such confrontations. During this war, which mainly took place during the year 16 CE, Marobodius remained “neutral.” Obviously, if Arminius and Marobodius had joined forces they could have defeated the Romans decisively. Instead, a war broke out the next year between Arminius and Marobodius. This led to Marcomannian king withdrawing into the forests of Bohemia. There he was challenged by another Marcomanni nobleman, Catualda with Gothic support. This forced Marobodius to flee his land and go into exile in Ravenna in Italy. There Maroboius died eighteen years later. Of course, Arminius’ wife Thusnelda was taken captive by the Romans (due to the treachery of her own father) and she found herself in exile in Ravenna as well. Arminius himself was famously murdered by his own kinsmen in 21 CE, apparently moved by fear of his charismatic power. Some say that the life of Arminius was mythologized as the story of Sigurd.