Hermann the Cheruscan

For the later half my childhood, I grew up in a suburb near St. Louis, Missouri. I remember one day in the summer when my mom told us kids that we were going to go to a place called Hermann, Missouri. I'm not sure why we were going, but my older brother wasn't excited at all and complained and complained about going to "Hermann German-ville". Come to think of it, I don't think we ever went. Perhaps his complaining payed off.

Well, now that I'm older and wiser, and actually care about German history, I realize the importance of this small historic town in the middle of the United States and the role it plays as a prime example of German settlement and heritage. The town was established in 1837 by the German Settlement Society of Pennsylvania. The society had a utopian mindset in erecting the town where German culture, language, and traditions could flourish and a new colony could be established. The town is named after Hermann the Cheruscan, a Germanic tribal leader who defeated the Romans in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in the year 9 AD. In 2009, the town erected a bronze statue to honor the 2000th anniversary of the battle. The statue represents strength and unity in defending freedom.

Hermann the Cheruscan is considered Germany's liberator and his successes have been used as a model for freedom from oppression ever since his great victory over the Romans. His story is one that has been told, and retold for generations. What actually happened those many years ago may never be known, but what we do know we draw from Roman records. The Germanic people did not have a written language at the time. In fact, the Germanic people weren't even one single people. They were many Germanic speaking tribes scattered across Northern Germany from the edge of the Roman Empire and beyond. The boarder between the Roman Empire and the land of the Germanic tribes was along the Rhein river. Few Roman generals ever crossed the border. The Germanic people were nearly impossible to conquer the Roman way. There was no singular castle to siege, no singular leader to capture. There was no unity among the tribes. If Roman wiped out one tribe, the other tribes wouldn't flinch or be affected.

Rome's relationship with the Germanic tribes ranged greatly around the time of Christ's birth. With some tribes, Rome opened up trade which helped maintain the borders. With other tribes, Rome would enslave the people, tax them heavily and take many captives. The later relationship was experienced by a tribe known to the Romans as the Cherusci. In 12 BC, a Roman military campaign wiped out the Cherusci and other tribes' defenses subjecting them to Roman rule and taxation.

One of the tactics used by the Romans to control the Germanic tribes was to take the sons of the tribe leaders as punishment. Arminius was the son of the Cheruscan chief, Segimerus. He was taken captive by the Romans and raised in Rome where he received a military education, became a Roman citizen, and was made a Roman military commander. Whether Arminius planned on taking his revenge all along or thought of the idea after seeing the treatment of his people, we may never know.

In secret, Arminius organized many Germanic tribes into a rebellion which must have been a feat in itself as the tribes were not prone to unite with their neighboring tribesmen. Suspicions and rumors ran high about Arminius being at the head of the rebellion, but Varus, a high-ranking military official appointed by Emperor Augustus himself, did put his trust in Arminius.

In 9AD, Arminius set up an ambush for his own Roman forces which then drew Varus and three legions into the Teutoburg Forest. Romans were deathly afraid of the forests. They were completely foreign to the city-dwellers and nearly impossible to traverse with wagons and horses and military equipment. The legions were not prepared for what came next. The cavalry flanking Varus' men turned on Varus and Arminius' tribesmen ambushed the legions from all sides. The battle went on for a few days and in the end, Varus fell on his own sword and the three legions were completely defeated resulting in one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The standards for the three legions were destroyed and their numbers were never used again in the Roman military.

Here is an excellent documentary which gives more details surrounding the great story of Arminius or Hermann the Cheruscan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpOAcaIDuNo .

It wasn't till the Reformation that Arminius was given the Germanic version of the name, Hermann, meaning soldier or warrior. He was rechristened by Martin Luther with this name according to some theories. Ever since then Hermann has been a very popular German name as it signified the man who had united Germany and freed its people.

The Cherusci appear to have lived along the Werre river right where our Holzgräfe ancestors are from. As of right now, our ancestors are known to come from as far back as 1200 AD in Schweicheln. Before that, we don't know where they lived or who they were. Perhaps they were a part of the ancient Cherusci tribe or another tribe which fought alongside Hermann the Cheruscan in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest.

As you research your German ancestry, you will now know why so many of your ancestors were named Hermann. Perhaps I'll go visit the town of Hermann next time I visit Missouri to learn more about the impact this war hero has left on German society.