In today's episode we deal with the years leading up to one of the worst decades in the history of the Roman Empire and introduce two of the important players of the upcoming decade; Alaric and Stilicho.
We wrap up the end of the Goth war after the death of Valen with another disaster. Though this time the disaster is the sources as very little survived to provide us with a coherent story. So join in for this brief discussion of what we do know about the end of this one of many Goth wars.
378 was suppose to be the Roman's year and it started out that way. But follow along as we see how 378 went from Rome's turn to glory to a nightmare.
Follow along as we continue with the Goth War as all of Thrace is thrown into chaos with rebellions suddenly sparking as slaves and soldiers abandon the Roman Empire and join ranks with Fritigern and Avivus. While his own capitol grows nervous, Emperor Valens sets up a plan to trap the Goths. Will it work? |
Goths show up on the Danube and the Eastern Roman Empire has only one one question. Why? Well find out in this episode what brought these Goth tribes to the Romans begging for sanctuary and how Rome's abuse leads to the disastrous Goth Wars and the death of Emperor Valens.
For the first episode of the show of 2020 we have a short overview of the 26 years before the arrival of the Goths at the Danube begging to be let in. In this episode we discuss how the Romans developed a system for dealing with the Germans who were a source of pesky annoyances and unlimited manpower and will help us answer the question of what the Romans will do with the Goths in 376.
In the 2nd half of the special episode with the Cult of Domesticity we deal with Jacob's story from his hometown of Memphis Tennessee. Here from the 1920s-1950s a single woman would change the United State's relationship with adoptions forever and leave over 5,000 victims in her wake alive or dead. Join in as we look into the story of Georgia Tan a woman who saw the misfortunes of children as her ticket to a life of luxury.
Hey everyone! Happy New Year! To start off 2020 we have 2 special episodes with Cult of Domesticity. In Episode 1 Courtney presents the fate of Sophie Scholl, a 21 year old who decided to stand against the Nazi government at the height of their power.
Hey everyone! Welcome to the last episode of 2019! Last episode we looked at the physical evidence and the frontier of Rome and Germania for the 1st century AD to the 3rd century. Today's episode is discussing the actual written history and what we have to build off of it. Which is not much. Despite the lack of evidence we do get a picture that the northern frontier, the border that should be easily secured, is breaking apart. Along with the failure of the Roman Empire we get to meet some new pl...
Hey everyone! New episode is out and we are breaking away from our written sources to study the frontier that is built to separate the northern boundaries of the Roman Empire and the barbarous Germans. Is this a solid wall of defenses to keep the ever dangerous horde back or a second rate line? What, if any, is the interaction between the two neighbors now that things have settled? And why are we covering several centuries worth of history in this one episode?! Listen to find out!
Hello everyone! Despite the title of the episode we will wrap up the lives of Germanicus, Maroboduus, and Arminius. Three important characters who played a significant role in the reestablishment of the Roman Northern border and only one of them will live 10 years afterwards. We will be discussing the price paid by these three and the immediate aftermath within Germania after the Roman threat is no more.
Hello so we are doing a special episode with this week in honor of Armistice day in which myself and Chris from the Number 10 Podcast discuss the British and German reactions to the day, what led to November 11th, and how the countries both view the event today. We also love to get side tracked a little and discuss other topics but with so many fascinating subjects, can you blame us?
Hello everyone! In today's episode join in as we look at the series of campaigns that are launched by Tiberius and Germanicus in revenge for the 3 lost legions. Covering the span of 6 years we will discuss one of the most devastating series of campaigns ever launched by the Romans which will leave Germania depopulated and war weary. The Roman's goals are to punish the tribes that dared to attack the empire, restore Roman authority within the territory, and bring the most hated man within the Emp...
Join in as we discuss the immediate aftereffects of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. From the German tribes' reactions deep in the heart of Germania all the way to Rome where an unsuspecting Augustus will reach the breaking point. In this episode we cover Arminius campaign to conquer all of Germany and how for the first time, since the arrival of Drusus, the Germans are able to release their rage upon the Roman soldiers and citizens alike.
Hey guys! In today's episode we look at the very first Oktoberfest and how a wedding became an event celebrated throughout the world! So grab a stein full of beer and join me in the year 1810 during the height of the Napoleonic Wars.
Join in as we discuss how Arminius enacts a daring plan to bring Varus and 3 Roman legions into the Teutoburg Forest in order to deliver such a blow that it convinces Rome that Germania is just not worth the trouble.
In today's episode we discuss what Varus did in the 3 years that he was a governor of Germania. As governor he figures that if this is suppose to be a province of the empire then Germany needs to get to it! Varus decides to launch an aggressive campaign of Romanization within the province. A process that takes decades Varus was trying to fit within a few years and was causing the region to turn against the Roman Empire. Within all of this turmoil steps Arminius who spends the next few years buil...
Chaos abounds for the Romans as the Marcomanni gather a massive army in Bohemia and the once peaceful realm of Illyricum is caught in the flames of rebellion. In this time of crisis Augustus turns to Publius Quinctilius Varus to rule as governor of Germania. Was this a choice based on careful thought or rashful acts? What will this new governor do within the realm and what will he do with the dashing war hero Arminius who has just returned from the fighting in Illyricum?
Today we step away from the timeline focus of the podcast so far to look at the Romans who would have been involved in the conquest and pacification of Germany. As part of our discussion we look at the Roman's construction of roads and the forts within the province and what role they could have played in the transformation of the Germany into perfect Roman provinces.
Drusus dies in 9 BCE and now it is up to his brother Tiberius to finish the job and pacify Germany. However the mission is by no means easy as we discuss the 3 years that Tiberius spent to bring the region to heel. Now that peace has been established we have the arrival of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who for the next 6 years will rule Germania. The question is how will this man with a wealth of experience, but a personality rivaling the world's worst tyrants, handles the newest addition to the ...
Drusus lies dead after 30 days of pain and misery in the forests of Germany. Tiberius, his brother, stands looking over his beloved brother's body and mourns his loss. However Tiberius can not grieve for too long because he is in a crisis. He needs to get his brother safely back to Rome so he can be given a proper funeral. However he is deep in the heart of Germany, surrounded on all sides by hostile tribes, and is relying on an army who is on the verge of breaking down completely. Things have n...
In today's episode we look at Drusus's fourth and final campaign into Germania. This campaign has the typical battles and setbacks that the Romans are use to but it comes with an extra twist. This time Drusus has gone too far and spirits have intervened. Ghosts walk through the camps delivering omens, wolves howl and women scream throughout the night on all sides in the dark forest, and the sky itself is streaked with the stars racing towards the earth. Meanwhile the Roman army sit in their tent...
We have our new logo! Send us a message if you would like a t-shirt with the logo on it! For this week's episode we look at Drusus's third campaign and how it was slowed to a crawl thanks to the efforts of the Sugambri and their allies/former enemies the Chatti. However life is not all that bad for Drusus as he receives word that he is going to be made consul and heads home to celebrate with his family. While celebrating the gods send a reminder that Drusus should stop invading Germania. Will he...
In today's episode we explore Rome's reaction to Drusus returning from his first exploration into Germany and how Augustus seems to believe that Germany could be the future. Despite his popularity, Drusus is not done with Germany and has plans for a 2nd campaign the following year. Listen in as we discuss the radically different second trip through Germany where Drusus will have to face some large and hostile Germanic tribes and a foreboding message from the gods' own winged messengers; the bees...
Drusus goes out on his first cruise of Germany and explores the mysterious land. For Drusus this is an adventure of a life time. The question is will this be the adventure to end his life? In this campaign he will make allies, fend off enemies and will be ambushed by trees! So much is at stake for Drusus because if he fails or is halted, Augustus may not give him a second chance. Join in as we ride along with this young warrior and see the surprises that await him in Germania.
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed last week's episode! If you would like more send me a message on Facebook, Twitter or email podcastongermany@gmail.com ! Today we are back on to our timeline as we discuss Drusus and everything that stands between him and a cruise of a lifetime! So join in and find out how Drusus deals with pesky Gaullic rebels, crushes Sugambri raiders, and figures out where exactly he wants to go on his sightseeing adventure into Germany. Make sure to bring your swim trunks, fl...
Hello everyone! Welcome back to the Podcast on Germany. This week we took a break from our discussion of Rome's invasion of Germany and instead discussed Ludwig II of Bavaria with Skye from Histories, Mysteries, and Conspiracies. Ludwig is known for a few things. 1. Creating the most beautiful castles in Europe and one of the largest tourist attractions in Germany. 2. Possibly being crazy. 3. Found dead in a lake just the day after he was forced off the throne by a coup d'etat. In this episode w...
In this episode we look at Augustus's indecision on crossing the Rhine. While Marcus rectified his mistake by pushing the Sicambri back across the Rhine, Augustus starts to build up Gaul. For the next 3 years he will stay in Gaul and the Rhine stays on his mind. While Augustus pauses before making the leap, his stepsons Tiberius and Drusus make a name for themselves clearing the Alps of enemy tribes. Drusus (young, dashing, and highly charismatic) sees Germany as his Gallic campaign to prove him...
Covering from the end of the Gallic Wars 50 BC to 16 BC, this episode explores the silence of the German frontier and what we can glean from the few mentions we have during a period of crisis for Rome involving 3 different civil wars. As we explore the few sources we have, it is clear that the Germans are still a threat to Rome and its newly acquired provinces in Gaul. Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome and grandnephew to Julius Caesar, turns his eyes north and ponders if he should maintain the...
Today we wrap up Caesar's campaigns in Gaul and discuss the aftermath of the Rhine expedition. This episode first deals with the failure of Caesar's punitive campaign across the Rhine and his eventual decision to try again. Will Caesar's campaign across the Rhine begin the establishment of Roman control in the region? Will the dreaded Suevi be brought to their knees and cower before the all powerful Caesar? Or are we going to see a repeat of the previous expedition? During the second half of the...
