Arminius: The Limits of Empire
3.5/5
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About this ebook
One man's greatest victory.
Rome's greatest defeat.
A.D. 9: In the depths of the Teutoburg Wald, in a landscape riven by ravines, darkened by ancient oak and bisected by fast-flowing streams, Arminius of the Cherusci led a confederation of six Germanic tribes in the annihilation of three Roman legions. Deep in the forest almost twenty thousand men were massacred without mercy; fewer than two hundred of them ever made it back across the Rhine. To Rome's shame, three sacred Eagles were lost that day.
But Arminius wasn't brought up in Germania Magna - he had been raised as a Roman. This is the story of how Arminius came to turn his back on the people who raised him and went on to commit a betrayal so great and so deep, it echoed through the ages.
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Don't miss Robert Fabbri's epic new series Alexander's Legacy
Robert Fabbri
Robert Fabbri read Drama and Theatre at London University and has worked in film and TV for twenty-five years. As an assistant director he has worked on productions such as Hornblower, Hellraiser, Patriot Games and Billy Elliot. His life-long passion for ancient history - especially the Roman Empire - inspired the birth of the Vespasian series. He lives in London and Berlin.
Read more from Robert Fabbri
Arminius: The Limits of Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Arminius
9 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book is set in the early years of Empire as the Roman Empire expands north and east into the vast forests of the German plains. Having proven time after time that the power of the legions have no equal the Romans believe that the tribes making up the new province of Germania Magna will prove to be as easy meat but Arminius had other ideas. Brought up in Rome as a hostage against his father's good behaviour, Arminius has been brought up in the ways of the Romans while not forgetting where he had come from, and just biding his time to take revenge on the legions sent to subdue the tribes. But first, he has to... persuade his own people that there was only one end to their constant tribal warfare; domination by Rome. Finally his time comes and as the legions return to their winter forts, Arminius persuades the tribes to attack not one, but three legions and over a number of days, as the advantage goes one way then the other, the Romans are worn down and their sacred Eagles disappear into the great forests. The tale is told in flashback as his son, treating with Romans on more even terms, gets some slaves taken from the legions o recount his father's history to a group of Romans come to recover the missing Eagle as Rome prepares to attack Britannia. Despite the breaks created by the framing story, the bits involving Arminius were engrossing and in their way rather surprising to see how much depended on the stupidity of the Roman commanders (not strictly historically accurate as Fabbri notes in a note at the end of the book - this is a novel not a history textbook)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating alternative treatment of the Teutoberg Disaster and its aftermath. It's mostly told in flashback from the viewpoint of Arminius, the Romanized German, given his voice in his memoirs. We see him as hostage. As he is being taken away to his new life in Rome, his father first gives him the idea to overthrow Romans in Germania and expel them for good. Varying life experiences nurture this idea and finally bring it to bloody and horrific fruition. Now equestrian rank he leads Cheruscian auxiliaries, which become the backbone of Rome's defeat, along with a confederation of different tribes. His charisma, his knowledge of the Roman way of fighting, and the fact he is not a king of any tribe brings them together. The battle per se doesn't begin till half-way through and is pretty detailed, following the account of ancient writer, Cassius Dio. The novel incorporates the latest research on where Day 4 of the last standoff was fought--Kalk Riese or Teutoberg Pass. The four Romans who have come to Arminius's son to ask his help in retrieving the last stolen Eagle, chip in with their comments on their participation in Germanicus's subsequent campaign. The "street-fighter" aka "the ugly little legionary" was my favorite character; the author got his lower-class speech to a Tee. Instead of seeing merely an inept [although not stupid] Varus out of his depth, we find his motivations here: trust, loyalty, and friendship--all misplaced as it turns out. Very highly recommended.