Who was Germanicus Caesar?
Q: Who was Germanicus Caesar?
A: Germanicus Caesar was a Roman general who lived from 24 May 15 BC to 10 October 19 AD. He was the son of the general Nero Claudius Drusus and nephew of Emperor Tiberius.
Q: What military campaign did he lead in 14/16 AD?
A: Germanicus commanded the Roman forces in their campaign of 14/16 AD against the Germanic tribes.
Q: What happened in 9 AD that led to this campaign?
A: In 9 AD, three whole Roman legions were wiped out in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which was the greatest disaster in Roman military history. This event prompted plans for revenge by Emperor Augustus and put into effect by his successor Tiberius.
Q: How many legions did Germanicus have command over?
A: Germanicus had command of eight legions, which is one-third of the entire Roman Army.
Q: What did he accomplish during this campaign?
A: During his campaign, he destroyed opposing German tribes and recovered two of three symbolic legionary eagles that had been lost.
Q: Why was he called back after crossing the Rhine River?
A: He was called back by Tiberius after crossing the Rhine River because Augustus had set it as a limit for Rome's ambitions in Germany.
Q: How did people commemorate his accomplishments? A:Germanicus was given an official triumph and coins issued under his son Gaius (Caligula) depicted him on a triumphal chariot with "Standards Recovered" and "Germans Defeated" written on them as reverse reading text.
