Marcomannic Wars
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| Marcomannic Wars | |||||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||||
| Roman Empire | Marcomanni, Quadi, other Germanic peoples along the Danube | ||||||||
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| Marcus Aurelius | |||||||||
The Marcomannic Wars were a series of wars lasting over thirty years during the reign of Marcus Aurelius from about AD 166 until 180, which pitted the Roman Empire against the Marcomanni, Quadi and other Germanic peoples along the Danube. The war began in 166, when Marcus Aurelius' co-emperor returned from Rome's eastern territories after the defeat of the Parthians, bringing back loot and plague. This plague killed an estimated 20 million people in the Empire; sensing Roman weakness, Germanic tribes then invaded.
The Germans crossed the Danube, reached the Italian peninsula and besieged Aquileia. This was the first time hostile forces had entered Italy since 101 BC, when Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones. Marcus drove the Germans out of the Italian peninsula and followed a plan of divide and conquer, fighting each tribe in turn. The war involved unheard-of defeats for the Romans, including the death of two Praetorian Guard commanders.
The 2000 film Gladiator starts with a fictional account of a final battle of the Marcomannic Wars. In reality, when Marcus died in 180, his son and successor Commodus refused to carry on the war. Thus the war ended in the victory of Rome, for the Germanic people of the Danube were so depleted in resources and men they were ripe for the taking. Rome, however, lacked enough men and resources to occupy the conquered areas permanently. Marcus Aurelius, during his campaigns, did enter the present Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary for short periods of time, setting up forts, but there was no establishment of new provinces there.
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