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For other uses, see Alamanni (disambiguation).
Area settled by the Alamanni, and sites of Roman-Alamannic battles, 3rd to 6th century
Area settled by the Alamanni, and sites of Roman-Alamannic battles, 3rd to 6th century
Alemannic belt mountings, from a 7th century grave in the grave field at Weingarten.
Alemannic belt mountings, from a 7th century grave in the grave field at Weingarten. A grave field is a prehistoric Cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe.

The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of west Germanic tribes located around the upper Main, a river that is one of the largest tributaries of the Rhine, on land that is today part of Germany. The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three traditional branches of the Germanic family of Languages and include languages such as English The Main (maɪn is a River in Germany, 524 km (329 miles long (including White Main 574 km (357 mi and it is one of the more significant tributaries One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211-217 and claimed thereby to be their defeater. The cognomen (plural cognomina) was originally the third name of an Ancient Roman in the Roman naming convention. Caracalla ( April 4 188 &ndash April 8, 217) born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial [1] The nature of this alliance and their previous tribal affiliations remain uncertain. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The alliance was aggressive in nature, attacking the Roman province of Germania Superior whenever it could. Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Generally it broadly followed the example of the Franks, the first Germanic tribal alliance, which had stopped the Romans from penetrating north of the lower Rhine and subsequently invaded the Roman province of Germania Inferior. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of

From the first century, the Rhine had become the border between Roman Gaul and tribal Germania. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Germanic peoples, Celts, and tribes of mixed Celto-Germanic ethnicity were settled in the lands along both banks. The Romans divided these territories into two districts, Germania Inferior and Germania Superior situated along the lower and upper Rhine respectively. Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge

Upper Germania included the region between the upper Rhine and the upper Danube, (the Black Forest region that was larger than today: see Hercynian Forest). The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj For the suburb of Adelaide, please see Black Forest South Australia; for the CDP in Colorado, please see Black Forest Colorado. The Hercynian Forest was an ancient and dense forest that stretched eastward from the Rhine River across southern Germany and formed the northern boundary of that part of Europe The Romans called this the Agri Decumates, (i. Agri Decumates was a region of the Roman Empire, covering the Black Forest area between the Main river and the sources of Danube and Rhine e. "Decumates territories"), a name of unknown origin. Some scholars have translated the expression as "the ten cantons",[2] but whose cantons of what entity is not known.

The exterior Roman fortified border around the area of Germania Superior was called the Limes Germanicus. The Limes Germanicus ( Latin for Germanic frontier) was a remarkable line of frontier ( Limes) forts that bounded the ancient Roman The assembled warbands of the Alamanni frequently crossed the limes, attacking Germania Superior and moving into the Agri Decumates. As a confederation, from the fifth century, they settled the Alsace and expanded into the Swiss Plateau, as well as parts of what are now Bavaria and Austria, reaching the valleys of the Alps by the eighth century. Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern The Swiss Plateau ( plateau suisse in French, Schweizer Mittelland in German) constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

According to Historia Augusta the confederates in the third century were still simply called Germani. The Augustan History ( Lat Historia Augusta) is a late Roman collection of biographies in Latin of the Roman Emperors their junior Proculus, an imperial usurper in 280, derived some of his popularity in Gaul by his guerrilla successes against the Alamanni. Proculus (d c 281 was a Roman usurper, one of the "minor pretenders" according to Historia Augusta; he took the purple against Emperor Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc [3]. The Alamanni, thereafter became the nation of Alamannia, that was sometimes independent, but more often was ruled by the Franks. Alamannia or Alemannia was the territory inhabited by the Alamanni after they broke through the Roman limes in 213 The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The name of Germany and the German language, in French, Allemagne, allemand, in Portuguese Alemanha, alemão, and in Spanish Alemania, alemán, are derived from the name of this early Germanic nation. Persian and Arabic also designate Germans Almaani, and Germany as Almaania.

The region of the Alamanni was always somewhat sprawling and comprised a number of different districts, reflecting its mixed origins. In the Early Middle Ages its territories were divided between the Diocese of Strassburg, which dates from about 614, the territory of Augsburg from 736, the Mainz archdiocese from 745, and of Basel, from 805. The Early Middle Ages is a period in the History of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 The Bishopric was a client state of the Holy Roman Empire from the 13th century until 1803 The Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg is historically one of the Prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, and belonged to the Swabian Circle. The Archbishopric of Mainz (Erzbistum Mainz or Electorate of Mainz (Kurfürstentum Mainz or Kurmainz) was an influential ecclesiastic and secular Prince-bishopric Bishopric of Basel may refer to either the Roman Catholic Diocese in Switzerland (German Bistum Basel, Latin Dioecesis Basileensis Its distinctive laws were codified under Charlemagne as the Duchy of Alamannia in Swabia. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Today the descendants of the Alamanni are divided between parts of four nations: France (Alsace), Germany (Swabia and parts of Bavaria), Switzerland and Austria, and the German spoken in those regions has distinctive regional dialects. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

Contents

Language

The German spoken today over the range of the former Alemanni is termed Alemannic German, and is recognised among the subgroups of the High German languages. Alemannic German ( Alemannisch) is a group of Dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. The High German languages (in German, Hochdeutsch) are any of the varieties of standard German, Luxembourgish and Alemannic runic inscriptions such as those on the Pforzen buckle are among the earliest testimonies of Old High German. The Pforzen buckle is a silver belt buckle found in Pforzen, Ostallgäu ( Schwaben) in 1992. The High German consonant shift is thought to have originated around the fifth century either in Alemannia or among the Langobards; before that the dialect spoken by Alemannic tribes was little different from that of other West Germanic peoples. In Historical linguistics, the High German consonant shift or second Germanic consonant shift was a phonological development ( Sound change) which took place The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from

Origin

Name

According to Asinius Quadratus (quoted in the mid-sixth century Byzantine historian Agathias) their name means "all men". Gaius Asinius Quadratus ( fl 248) was a Roman Historian in 200. Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus (c AD 536-582/594 of Myrina, an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor, was a Greek Poet and the It indicates that they were a conglomeration drawn from various tribes. This was the derivation of Alamanni used by Edward Gibbon, in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire[4] and by the anonymous contributor of notes assembled from the papers of Nicolas Fréret, published in 1753, who noted that it was the name used by outsiders for those who called themselves Suevi. Edward Gibbon ( April 27, 1737 January 16, 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. Nicolas Fréret was a (1688-1749 French scholar He was born at Paris on 15 February 1688 The Suebi or Suevi (from Proto-Germanic * swēbaz based on the Proto-Germanic root * swē- meaning "one's own" [5] This etymology has remained the standard derivation [6]

Another source derives the Ala- from *al-, "beyond", often in the sense of "other", from which are also derived Greek allos "other, alien" and Old High German Elisâzzo " (Elsaz or Alsace): "the land on the other side of the Rhine". The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge

The least likely derivation of the Alamanni is Alan-Manni, the reason being that Alamanni, as far as can be determined from initial contacts, was not a self-imposed name. The Alans, moreover, were never in the region, did not originally speak Germanic and had no influence over any Germanic folk west of the Vistula, nor did they acquire any influence under Attila, who bypassed the region, nor from the Ostrogoths of Pannonia after Attila. The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people The Ostrogoths (Ostrogothi or Austrogothi were a branch of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe that played a major role in the political events of the late Pannonia is an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, Walafrid Strabo, a monk of Abbey of St. Gall writing in the ninth century remarked, in discussing the people of Switzerland and surrounding regions that only foreigners called them Alamanni, but that they gave themselves the name of Suevi. Walafrid, alternatively spelt Walahfrid, surnamed Strabo (or Strabus, i The Abbey of St Gall (Sankt Gallen was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine Abbeys in Europe The Suebi or Suevi (from Proto-Germanic * swēbaz based on the Proto-Germanic root * swē- meaning "one's own" If true of the ninth century, this observation may not necessarily equally apply to the fourth. In short we do not know who applied the name and exactly when. It was, however, well established among a variety of historians and geographers.

First explicit mention

The Alamanni were first mentioned by Cassius Dio describing the campaign of Caracalla in 213. Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus ( Greek:) (c 155 or 163/164 to after 229 known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was Caracalla ( April 4 188 &ndash April 8, 217) born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later At that time they apparently dwelt in the basin of the Main, to the south of the Chatti. The Main (maɪn is a River in Germany, 524 km (329 miles long (including White Main 574 km (357 mi and it is one of the more significant tributaries The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser.

Cassius Dio (78.13.4) portrays the Alamanni as victims of this treacherous emperor. Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus ( Greek:) (c 155 or 163/164 to after 229 known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was They had asked for his help, says Dio, but instead he colonized their country, changed their place names and executed their warriors under a pretext of coming to their aid. When he became ill, the Alamanni claimed to have put a hex on him (78. 15. 2). Caracalla, it was claimed, tried to counter this influence by invoking his ancestral spirits.

In retribution Caracalla then led the Legio II Traiana Fortis against the Alamanni, who lost and were pacified for a time. Legio II Traiana Fortis, Trajan's strong legion, was a Roman legion levied by emperor Trajan in 105, along with XXX ''Ulpia Victrix'' The legion was as a result honored with the name Germanica. The Historia Augusta, Life of Antoninus Caracalla, relates (10.5) that Caracalla then assumed the name Alamannicus, at which Helvius Pertinax jested that he should really be called Geticus Maximus, because in the year before he had murdered his stepbrother, Geta. The Augustan History ( Lat Historia Augusta) is a late Roman collection of biographies in Latin of the Roman Emperors their junior Publius Septimius Geta ( March 7, 189 &ndash December 26 211) was a Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father Septimius Severus Not on good terms with Caracalla, Geta had been invited to a family reconciliation, at which time he was ambushed by centurions in Caracalla's army and slain in his mother Julia's arms. Julia is said thereafter to have seduced and married Caracalla. True or not, Caracalla, pursued by devils of his own, left Rome never to return.

Caracalla left for the frontier, where for the rest of his short reign he was known for his unpredictable and arbitrary operations launched by surprise after a pretext of peace negotiations. If he had any reasons of state for such actions they remained unknown to his contemporaries. Whether or not the Alamanni had been previously neutral, they were certainly further influenced by Caracalla to become thereafter notoriously implacable enemies of Rome.

This mutually antagonistic relationship is perhaps the reason why the Roman writers persisted in calling the Alamanni barbari, "savages". The archaeology, however, shows that they were largely Romanized, lived in Roman-style houses and used Roman artifacts, the Alemannic women having adopted the Roman fashion of the tunic even earlier than the men. A tunic is any of several types of Clothing for the body with or without Sleeves and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles

Most of them probably were in fact resident in or close to the borders of Germania Superior. Although Dio is the earliest writer to mention them, Ammianus Marcellinus used the name to refer to Germans on the Limes Germanicus in the time of Trajan's governorship of the province shortly after it was formed, circa 98/99. Amiricanus Gambilinus (325/330-after 391 was a fourth-century Roman historian. The Limes Germanicus ( Latin for Germanic frontier) was a remarkable line of frontier ( Limes) forts that bounded the ancient Roman Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who At that time the entire frontier was being fortified for the first time. Trees from the earliest fortifications found in Germania Inferior are dated by dendrochronology to 99/100. Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of Dendrochronology (from Greek grc δένδρον dendron, "tree" grc χρόνος khronos, "time" and grc -λογία Shortly afterwards Trajan was chosen by Nerva to be his successor, adopted with public fanfare in absentia by the old man shortly before his death. Marcus Cocceius Nerva was also the name of a Roman emperor NERVA is an acronym for Nuclear Engine for Rocket By 100 Trajan was back in Rome as Emperor instead of merely being a Consul.

Ammianus relates (xvii.1.11) that much later the Emperor Julian undertook a punitive expedition against the Alamanni, who by then were in Alsace, and crossed the Main (Latin Menus), entering the forest, where the trails were blocked by felled trees. Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar As winter was upon them, they reoccupied a

"munimentum quod in Alamannorum solo conditum Traianus suo nomine voluit appellari"
"A fortification which was founded on the soil of the Alamanni that Trajan wished to be called with his own name"

In this context the use of Alamanni is possibly an anachronism but it reveals that Ammianus believed they were the same people, which is consistent with the location of the Alamanni of Caracalla's campaigns.

Alemanni and Hermunduri

The early detailed source, the Germania of Tacitus, has sometimes been interpreted in such a way as to provide yet other historical problems. Germania was the Latin Exonym for Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. In Chapter 42 we read of the Hermunduri, a tribe certainly located in the region that later became Thuringia. The Hermunduri, Hermanduri, Hermunduri, Hermunduli, Hermonduri, or Hermonduli were an ancient tribe of Germanic people The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Tacitus stated that they traded with Rhaetia, which in Ptolemy is located across the Danube from Germania Superior. Raetia (so always in inscriptions classical manuscripts usually use the form Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, bounded on the west by the country Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the A logical conclusion to draw is that the Hermunduri extended over later Swabia and therefore the Alamanni originally derived from the Hermunduri. Swabia, Suabia, or Svebia ( German: Schwaben, Schwabenland or Ländle) is both a historic and linguistic

However, no Hermunduri appear in Ptolemy, though after the time of Ptolemy the Hermunduri joined with the Marcomanni in the wars of 166-180 against the empire. Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri, Suebi or Suevi A careful reading of Tacitus provides one solution. He says that the source of the Elbe is among the Hermunduri, somewhat to the east of the upper Main. The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. The Main (maɪn is a River in Germany, 524 km (329 miles long (including White Main 574 km (357 mi and it is one of the more significant tributaries He places them also between the Naristi (Varisti), whose location at the very edge of the ancient Black Forest is well known, and the Marcomanni and Quadi. The Varisci ( German Varisker) were a Germanic tribe, the presumed prior inhabitants of a mediaeval district Provincia Variscorum, the same (in For the suburb of Adelaide, please see Black Forest South Australia; for the CDP in Colorado, please see Black Forest Colorado. Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri, Suebi or Suevi Quadi were a smaller Germanic tribe, about which little definitive information is known Moreover, the Hermunduri were broken in the Marcomannic Wars and made a separate peace with Rome. The Marcomannic Wars (called by the Romans bellum Germanicum or expeditio Germanica) were a series of wars lasting over a dozen years from about AD 166 The Alamanni thus were probably not primarily the Hermunduri, although some elements of them may have been present in the mix of peoples at that time that became Alamannian.

Ptolemy's Geography

Before the mention of Alamanni in the time of Caracalla, one would search in vain for Alamanni in the moderately detailed geography of southern Germany in Claudius Ptolemy, written in Greek in the mid-second century; it is likely that at that time, the people who later used that name were known by other designations. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca [7]

Nevertheless some conclusions can be drawn from Ptolemy. Germania Superior is easily identified. Following up the Rhine one comes to a town, Mattiacum, which must be at the border of the Roman Germany (vicinity of Wiesbaden). Wiesbaden, a city in southwest Germany, is the capital of the state of Hesse. Upstream from it and between the Rhine and Abnoba (in the Black Forest) are the Ingriones, Intuergi, Vangiones, Caritni and Vispi, some of whom were there since the days of the early empire or before. Abnoba is a Gaulish goddess who was worshipped in the Black Forest and surrounding areas For the suburb of Adelaide, please see Black Forest South Australia; for the CDP in Colorado, please see Black Forest Colorado. The Vangiones appear first in history as an ancient Germanic tribe of unknown provenience The Caritni, a Latinization or the Karitnoi in the Greek of Ptolemy 's Geography (2 On the other side of the northern Black Forest were the Chatti about where Hesse is today, on the lower Main. The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser. Hesse (Hessen is a state of Germany with an area

Historic Swabia was eventually replaced by today's Baden-Württemberg, but it had been the most significant territory of mediaeval Alamannia, comprising all Germania Superior and territory east to Bavaria. Swabia, Suabia, or Svebia ( German: Schwaben, Schwabenland or Ländle) is both a historic and linguistic Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Alamannia or Alemannia was the territory inhabited by the Alamanni after they broke through the Roman limes in 213 Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 It did not include the upper Main, but that is where Caracalla campaigned. Moreover, the territory of Germania Superior was not originally included among the Alemanni's possessions.

However, if we look for the peoples in the region from the upper Main in the north, south to the Danube and east to the Czech Republic where the Quadi and Marcomanni were located, Ptolemy does not give any tribes. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Quadi were a smaller Germanic tribe, about which little definitive information is known Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri, Suebi or Suevi There are the Tubanti just south of the Chatti and at the other end of what was then the Black Forest, the Varisti, whose location is known. The Tubanti was a Germanic tribe, living in the eastern part of The Netherlands. The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser. The Varisci ( German Varisker) were a Germanic tribe, the presumed prior inhabitants of a mediaeval district Provincia Variscorum, the same (in One possible reason for this distribution is that the population preferred not to live in the forest except in troubled times. The region between the forest and the Danube on the other hand included about a dozen settlements, or "cantons". The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj

Ptolemy's view of Germans in the region indicates that the tribal structure had lost its grip in the Black Forest region and was replaced by a canton structure. The tribes stayed in the Roman province, perhaps because the Romans offered stability. Also, Caracalla perhaps felt more comfortable about campaigning in the upper Main because he was not declaring war on any specific historic tribe, such as the Chatti or Cherusci, against whom Rome had suffered grievous losses. The Cherusci (Cherusker were a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the northern Rhine valley and the plains and forests of northwestern Germany, in By Caracalla's time the name Alamanni was being used by cantons themselves banding together for purposes of supporting a citizen army (the "war bands").

Concentration of Germanic peoples under Ariovistus

The term Suebi has a double meaning in the sources. On the one hand Tacitus' Germania tells us (Chapters 38, 39) that they occupy more than half of Germany, use a distinctive hair style, and are spiritually centered on the Semnones. Semnoni (Semnonen or Semnones were a Germanic tribe which was settled between the Elbe and the Oder in the 1st century when they On the other hand the Suebi of the upper Danube are described as though they were a tribe.

The solution to the puzzle as well as explaining the historical circumstances leading to the choice of the Agri Decumates as a defensive point and the concentration of Germans there are probably to be found in the German attack on the Gallic fortified town of Vesontio in 58 BC. Besançon (bəzɑ̃ˈsɔ̃ in French and Arpitan; German: Bisanz) is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté The upper Rhine and Danube appear to form a funnel pointing straight at Vesontio.

Julius Caesar in Gallic Wars tells us (1.51) that Ariovistus had gathered an army from a wide region of Germany, but especially the Harudes, Marcomanni, Triboci, Vangiones, Nemetes and Sedusii. The Gallic Wars were a series of Military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes, lasting from Ariovistus was a leader of the Suebi and other allied Germanic peoples in the second quarter of the 1st century BC Charudes is the scholarly Latinization of an ethnic identity known in Ptolemy as the Charoudes. Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri, Suebi or Suevi The Vangiones appear first in history as an ancient Germanic tribe of unknown provenience The Nemetes or Nemeti (Nemeter were a Western Germanic tribe living by the Rhine between the Palatinate and Lake Constance where Ariovistus The Suebi were being invited to join. They lived in 100 cantons (4.1) from which 1000 young men per year were chosen for military service, a citizen-army by our standards and by comparison with the Roman professional army.

Ariovistus had become involved in an invasion of Gaul, which the German wished to settle. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Intending to take the strategic town of Vesontio, he concentrated his forces on the Rhine near Lake Constance, and when the Suebi arrived, he crossed. The Gauls had called to Rome for military aid. Caesar occupied the town first and defeated the Germans before its walls, slaughtering most of the German army as it tried to flee across the river (1. 36ff). He did not pursue the retreating remnants, leaving what was left of the German army and their dependents intact on the other side of the Rhine.

The Gauls were ambivalent in their policies toward the Romans. In 53 BC the Treveri broke their alliance and attempted to break free of Rome. The Treveri or Treviri were a tribe of Gauls who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle, within the southern fringes of the Arduenna Silva Caesar foresaw that they would now attempt to ally themselves with the Germans. He crossed the Rhine to forestall that event, a successful strategy. Remembering their expensive defeat at the Battle of Vesontio, the Germans withdrew to the Black Forest, concentrating there a mixed population dominated by Suebi. As they had left their tribal homes behind, they probably took over all the former Celtic cantons along the Danube.


Conflicts with the Roman Empire

The Limes Germanicus AD 83 to 260.
The Limes Germanicus AD 83 to 260. The Limes Germanicus ( Latin for Germanic frontier) was a remarkable line of frontier ( Limes) forts that bounded the ancient Roman

The Alamanni were continually engaged in conflicts with the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial They launched a major invasion of Gaul and northern Italy in 268, when the Romans were forced to denude much of their German frontier of troops in response to a massive invasion of the Goths from the east. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s Their raids throughout the three parts of Gaul were traumatic: Gregory of Tours (died ca 594) mentions their destructive force at the time of Valerian and Gallienus (253–260), when the Alemanni assembled under their "king", whom he calls Chrocus, who "by the advice, it is said, of his wicked mother, and overran the whole of the Gauls, and destroyed from their foundations all the temples which had been built in ancient times. Saint Gregory of Tours ( November 30, c 538 &ndash November 17, 594) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (218-268 ruled the Roman Empire as co-emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and then as the sole Roman Emperor Chrocus or Crocus, also Croc KrokusCrochus or Croscus ( fl 260–306 was a leader of the Alamanni in the late 3rd century And coming to Clermont he set on fire, overthrew and destroyed that shrine which they call Vasso Galatae in the Gallic tongue," martyring many Christians (Historia Francorum Book I.32–34). Clermont-Ferrand ( Auvergnat dialect of Occitan: Clarmont-Ferrand / Clarmont d'Auvèrnhe) is a city and commune of France Thus 6th century Gallo-Romans of Gregory's class, surrounded by the ruins of Roman temples and public buildings, attributed the destruction they saw to the plundering raids of the Alemanni. Fanum At the temples Romans prayed and made Ritual Worship Offerings of a small gift or Animal sacrifices to their Roman

In the early summer of 268, the Emperor Gallienus halted their advance into Italy, but then had to deal with the Goths. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (218-268 ruled the Roman Empire as co-emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and then as the sole Roman Emperor When the Gothic campaign ended in Roman victory at the Battle of Naissus in September, Gallienus' successor Claudius II Gothicus turned north to deal with the Alamanni, who were swarming over all Italy north of the Po River. The Battle of Naissus (268 or 269 AD was the defeat of a Gothic coalition by the Roman Empire under Emperor Gallienus (or Claudius II) The Po ( Latin: Padus, Po Ligurian: Bo, Greek: Eridanus) is a river that flows 652 km(405 miles (682 km by considering

After efforts to secure a peaceful withdrawal failed, Claudius forced the Alamanni to battle at the Battle of Lake Benacus in November. The Battle of Lake Benacus was one of the decisive battles that marked the beginning of the Roman Empire 's emergence from the Crisis of the Third Century. The Alamanni were routed, forced back into Germany, and did not threaten Roman territory for many years afterwards.

Their most famous battle against Rome took place in Argentoratum (Strasbourg), in 357, where they were defeated by Julian, later Emperor of Rome, and their king Chondomar ("Chonodomarius") was taken prisoner to Rome. Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar

On January 2, 366 the Alamanni yet again crossed the frozen Rhine in large numbers, to invade the Gallic provinces, this time being defeated by Valentinian (see Battle of Solicinium). Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Events By Place Roman Empire January 2 — The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers invading the Roman The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Battle of Solicinium was fought in 367 between a Roman Empire army and the Alamanni.

In the great mixed invasion of 406, the Alamanni appear to have crossed the Rhine river a final time, conquering and then settling what is today Alsace and a large part of the Swiss Plateau. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern The Swiss Plateau ( plateau suisse in French, Schweizer Mittelland in German) constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Fredegar's Chronicle gives the account. The Chronicle of Fredegar is a Chronicle that recounts the events of Frankish Gaul from 584 to around 641 At Alba Augusta (Alba-la-Romaine) the devastation was so complete, that the Christian bishop retired to Viviers, but in Gregory's account at Mende in Lozère, also deep in the heart of Gaul, bishop Privatus was forced to sacrifice to idols in the very cave where he was later venerated. Alba-la-Romaine is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Lozère (in Occitan Losera) is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central. It is thought this detail may be a generic literary ploy to epitomize the horrors of barbarian violence.

List of battles between Romans and Alamanni

Alamanni and Franks

Alemannia (yellow) and Upper Burgundy (green) around 1000.
Alemannia (yellow) and Upper Burgundy (green) around 1000.
Main article: Alamannia

The kingdom (or duchy) of Alamannia between Strasbourg and Augsburg lasted until 496, when the Alamanni were conquered by Clovis I at the Battle of Tolbiac. Alamannia or Alemannia was the territory inhabited by the Alamanni after they broke through the Roman limes in 213 Alamannia or Alemannia was the territory inhabited by the Alamanni after they broke through the Roman limes in 213 Clovis I (c 466 &ndash 27 November 511) was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler The Battle of Tolbiac was fought between the Franks under Clovis I and the Alamanni, traditionally set in 496. The war of Clovis with the Alamanni forms the setting for the conversion of Clovis, briefly treated by Gregory of Tours (Book II.31) Subsequently the Alamanni formed part of the Frankish dominions and were governed by a Frankish duke. Saint Gregory of Tours ( November 30, c 538 &ndash November 17, 594) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group

In 746, Carloman ended an uprising by summarily executing all Alemannic nobility at the blood court at Cannstatt, and for the following century, Alamannia was ruled by Frankish dukes. Carloman (between 706 and 716 &ndash 17 August 754 was the eldest son of Charles Martel, Major domo or Mayor of the palace and duke The blood court at Cannstatt ( Blutgericht zu Cannstatt) took place as Carloman in 746 invited all nobles of the Alamanni, to a council Following the treaty of Verdun of 843, Alamannia became a province of the eastern kingdom of Louis the German, the precursor of the Holy Roman Empire. In the Treaty of Verdun of 843 the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, Charlemagne 's grandsons divided his territories the Carolingian Louis (also Ludwig or Lewis) the German (also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian) (806 &ndash August 28, 876 The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The duchy persisted until 1268.

List of Alamannic rulers

Independent kings

Dukes under Frankish suzerainty

Christianization

See also: Germanic Christianity

The Christianization of the Alamanni took place during Merovingian times (6th to 8th centuries). Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the Theodefrid (Theodefridus was the Frankish duke of the Alemanni in the Diocese of Avenches until 573 when Marius became bishop and took over Leutfred, Leutfried, or Leudefredus was the Duke of Alemannia from 570 Uncelen, Uncelin, or Uncilin (from Latin Uncelenus; died c 613 was the Duke of Alemannia from 587 to 607 The article is about the historical figure For the Japanese magazine see Gunzo. Chrodobert, Crodobert, or Crodebert ( Crodobertus or Chrodobertus) was an Aleman Dux of the early seventh century Leutharis, Leuthari, Leuthard, or Leutharius II (fl c 643 was the Duke of Alamannia in the early seventh century Gotfrid, Gotefrid, or Gottfried ( Latin: Gotfridus or Cotefredus; died 709 was the Duke of Alemannia in the late seventh Willehari or Willihari ( Latin: Vilarius, Wilharius, Willeharius, or Willicharius) was an Alemannic duke ( Ortenaukreis is a district ( Kreis) in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Lantfrid (also Landfrid or Lanfred, Latinised Lantfridus or Lanfredus, died 730 was duke of Alamannia under Frankish Theudebald or Theutbald was the Duke of Alamannia from 730 until his deposition The Germanic peoples underwent gradual Christianization in the course of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The historical phenomenon of Christianization (or Christianisation &mdash see spelling differences) the conversion of individuals to Christianity The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin Sources are sparse, but in the mid-6th century, the Byzantine historian Agathias of Myrina records, in the context of the wars of the Goths and Franks against Byzantium, that the Alamanni fighting among the troops of Frankish king Theudebald were like the Franks in all respects except religion, since they

"worship trees, rivers, hills and gorges as gods, and decapitate horses and cows, and innumerable other animals, as if it were a holy rite,"

He also spoke of the particular ruthlessness of the Alamani in destroying Christian sanctuaries and plundering churches while the genuine Franks were respectful towards those sanctuaries. Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus (c AD 536-582/594 of Myrina, an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor, was a Greek Poet and the Theudebald or Theodebald (in Modern English, Theobald; in French, Thibaud or Théodebald; in German, Theudowald Agathias expresses his hope that the Alamanni would assume better manners through prolongued contact with the Franks, which is by all appearances what eventually happened.

Apostles of the Alamanni were Saint Columbanus and his disciple Saint Gall. Not to be confused with St Columba, also Irish and partly his contemporary Saint Gall, Gallen, or Gallus (c 550 - c 646 was an Irish disciple and one of the traditionally twelve companions of Saint Columbanus Jonas of Bobbio records that Columbanus was active in Bregenz, where he disrupted a beer sacrifice to Wodan. Jonas of Bobbio ( Jonas Bobiensis; Susa Roman Sigusia, Piedmont c Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. Wōden is a god in Anglo-Saxon paganism, together with Norse Odin representing a development of a Proto-Germanic god * Wōdanaz Despite these activities, for some time, the Alamanni seem to have continued their pagan cult activities, with only superficial or syncretistic Christian elements. Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs often while melding practices of various schools of thought In particular, there is no change in burial practice, and tumulus warrior graves continued to be erected throughout Merovingian times. Syncretism of traditional Germanic animal-style with Christian symbolism is also present in artwork, but Christian symbolism becomes more and more prevalent during the 7th century. Unlike the later Christianization of the Saxon and of the Slavs, the Alamanni seem to have adopted Christianity gradually, and voluntarily, spread in emulation of the Merovingian elite.

From ca. the 520s to the 620s, there was a surge of Alamannic Elder Futhark inscriptions. The Elder Futhark (or Elder Fuþark, Older Futhark, Old Futhark) is the oldest form of the Runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes About 80 specimens have survived, roughly half of them on fibulae, others on belt buckles (see Pforzen buckle, Bülach fibula) and other jewelry and weapon parts. For other uses see Fibula (disambiguation The fibula or calf bone is a Bone located on the lateral side of the Tibia The Pforzen buckle is a silver belt buckle found in Pforzen, Ostallgäu ( Schwaben) in 1992. The Bülach fibula is a silver disk-type fibula with almandine inlay found in Bülach, Canton Zürich in 1927 Use of runes subsides with the advance of Christianity.

The establishment of the bishopric of Konstanz cannot be dated exactly and was possibly undertaken by Columbanus himself (before 612). Konstanz (in English formerly known as Constance) is a university town of around 80000 inhabitants at the western end of Lake Constance In any case, it existed by 635, when Gunzo appointed John of Grab bishop. The article is about the historical figure For the Japanese magazine see Gunzo. Constance was a missionary bishopric in newly converted lands, and did not look back on late Roman church history (unlike the Raetian bishopric of Chur, established 451) and Basel, which was an episcopal seat from 740, and which continued the line of Bishops of Augusta Raurica, see Bishop of Basel. CHUR may refer to CHUR-FM, a radio station in North Bay Ontario Canada Chur, is a city in Switzerland "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. Augusta Raurica is a large Roman Archaeological site and an Open-air museum in Switzerland. Bishopric of Basel may refer to either the Roman Catholic Diocese in Switzerland (German Bistum Basel, Latin Dioecesis Basileensis The establishment of the church as an institution recognized by worldly rulers is also visible in legal history. In the early 7th century Pactus Alamannorum hardly ever mentions the special privileges of the church, while Lantfrid's Lex Alamannorum of 720 has an entire chapter reserved for ecclesial matters alone. The terms Lex Alamannorum and Pactus Alamannorum refer to two early medieval Law codes of the Alamanni. Lantfrid (also Landfrid or Lanfred, Latinised Lantfridus or Lanfredus, died 730 was duke of Alamannia under Frankish The terms Lex Alamannorum and Pactus Alamannorum refer to two early medieval Law codes of the Alamanni.

Alemannic dialects

contemporary distribution of Alemannic dialects.
contemporary distribution of Alemannic dialects.

Alemannia lost its distinct jurisdictional identity when Charles Martel absorbed it into the Frankish empire, early in the 8th century. Charles "The Hammer" Martel (Carolus Martellus Charles "the Hammer" (ca Today, Alemannic is a linguistic term, referring to Alemannic German, encompassing the dialects of the southern two thirds of Baden-Württemberg (German State), in western Bavaria (German State), in Vorarlberg (Austrian State), Swiss German in Switzerland and the Alsatian language of the Alsace (France). Alemannic German ( Alemannisch) is a group of Dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Vorarlberg is the westernmost state ( Land) of Austria. Though it is the second smallest in terms of area ( Vienna is the smallest it borders Swiss German ( Schweizerdeutsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch) is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken Alsatian ( Elsässerditsch; Alsacien Elsässisch or Elsässerdeutsch) is a Low Alemannic German dialect spoken in most of Alsace, a region Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern

Notes

  1. ^ Johann Jacob Hofmann, Lexicon Universale, Leiden 1698, "Alamannicus"
  2. ^ Roman decem, "ten".
  3. ^ "He was, nevertheless, of some benefit to the Gauls, for he crushed the Alamanni — who then were still called Germans — and not without illustrious glory, though he never fought save in brigand-fashion"
  4. ^ Chapter 10
  5. ^ Histoire de l'Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, avec les Mémoires de Littérature tirés des Registres de cette Académie, depuis l'année MDCCXLIV jusques et compris l'année MDCCXLVI, vol. XVIII, (Paris 1753) pp. 49-71. Excerpts are on-line at ELIOHS.
  6. ^ It is cited in most etymological dictionaries, such as the American Heritage Dictionary (large edition) under the root, *man-. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ( AHD) is an American Dictionary of the English language published by
  7. ^ Ptolemy's description has some limitations. Upper Germany and Lower Germany are mentioned by name, but only as specific districts of Gallia Belgica (2. 8), the border between them was an unidentified river, the Obruncus. The region is repeated again under Germany, but this time he does not list Roman boundaries. Germania Superior, the Agri Decumates and the limes are not to be found there, even though they certainly existed at the time. "Germania Magna" is found within the Rhine, Danube, Vistula and shores of the "Oceanus Germanicus". Most of the tribes are missing or listed without name. The Main is not there, nor Lake Constance. The Danube runs from the Alps. The Rhine does not bend to the south next to Swabia. Ptolemy's Germania is like a surreal image of itself, accurate only if you follow certain known lines, but the overall shape is greatly distorted.

References

External links

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