[Suebi] Children of The Forest: A Radious Mod AAR

[Chirurgeon]

The Children of The Forest

A History of The Germanic Peoples

By: Chirurgeon

Introduction

It is not clear of the history of the Germanic peoples in their early times. Lack of a written language and major city centers have frustrated archaeologists for some time. What is known is the path and influence they had on the civilizations around them. Sometimes these relationships were peaceful and other times were quite violent. As a general rule the Germanic peoples tended to be of a violent and xenophobic stereotype. However this is not always the case. For example they adapted other cultures ideas into their own and incorporated it into their society.


The early years of the Germanic peoples were fraught with internal struggles. They continuously waged an endless parade of raids and conflicts with each other. This was considered the norm for those lands as the harsh winters would drive tribes to fight each other for hunting grounds or to raid each other’s supplies. This continued for as far back as the tribes themselves. Most historians agree that early Germanic tribes did not have any cities or solid bases of support. Raids and warfare were conducted by charismatic chieftains that could raise a force large enough to go against a neighboring tribe. They would start in the spring during the thaw and conclude before the autumn harvest.


Winters were brutal and the Germanic tribes would hunker down in small villages and await the break in the seasons with great anticipation. Large quantities of stored mead and dried meats would be consumed as the snows raged outside. Stories would be told next to fires and some training went on in some of the larger buildings or outside if the weather was not too bad.


Religion was a large part of Germanic culture as it was with all ancient peoples. The faith in the gods and their sacred shrines were very important to the Germanic peoples. In general religious sites and sacred groves were left unharmed or even visited by other tribes. The spirits of the forest, sky, and earth played a role in everyday life.


It is in these circumstances that we learn about two young men around the time of 270 BC. Chlodochar and Baldovin were the son’s of a chieftain of the Suebii tribe that lived along the Elbe river. Their father had died and Chlodochar had inherited the honor of chieftain. At about the age of 26 the man ruled over the Suebian people. The Suebi were characterized by the men wearing a particular hair style with a characteristic knot on the side of the head. Chieftains were allowed to have a much more elaborate knot which separated them from the common folk.






The word Suebi is supposedly referred to as “our own people” and was one of many tribes that occupied an area east of the Elbe. To the north were the Rugii that had a port on the Baltic in which they traded rye with other tribes and were aptly named “rye people”. They were generally peaceful but if their harvest did not go well they would raid into other tribal areas. They were often victims of other tribes raiding them and stealing their harvest.


To the west of the Suebi were the Cherusci. In one Germanic tongue is was translated as “deer”. The Cherusci themselves fought against each other and other tribes would take advantage of the infighting and exploit the overall weakened tribe. The Cheruscii would occasionally mount raids and attacks against others in their area.


North and east of the Suebi were the Gutones. These were warlike but also the most isolated. They almost never traded with their neighbors and would almost always raid what they needed instead of trade. Stealthy men that would seem to come out of the darkness of the forest they were feared by many.


To the east of the Suebi were a powerful tribe the Lugii. They had united their peoples under one powerful chieftain and were generally not involved with the raiding that other tribes participated in. They instead focused on conquest. They had united their various independent tribes under one banner and were more powerful as a result. They had built a walled city called Budorgis that was a permanent center and acted as mustering ground.




It was the Lugiian model that likely inspired Chlodochar and his brother to go after the most vile of the tribes that all the Germanic tribes seemed to hate equally. In fact the Lugii had already started battling the Boii tribes to their south.



It was in this environment that Chlodochar and his younger brother Baldovin decided to end the conflict between themselves and their Celtic neighbors. Fear of the Boii, and their Celtic ways, had already stoked fear into the hearts of the Suebian people. Desecration of a shrine near the border of the Boii territory and the Suebian territory gave added incentive to their cause.

[Chirurgeon]

Part One: Unification
Chapter 1: Lupfordum

Chlodochar or his brother had visited the Lugii city of Budorgis and likely found inspiration from what they found. On a hill in the middle of a plain they began the construction of a city. It would be complete with walls and everything. Built on a hill meant that the wastes of the city would drain away although it would be some time before a truly efficient way of removing waste was discovered. The people were motivated by the ferocity of some of the Boiian attacks in recent years. The construction of the city attracted many people from the countryside and it is this source that he and his brother were able to muster two armies that they planned to use to march south and attack the city of Casurgis. Casurgis was the likely capitol of the Boiian peoples and was built on a hill.


Celtic peoples had long built cities and historians would argue that the Lugii got their ideas for a city from the Celtic Boii tribe. The were known as “the herding people” for their large herds of cattle and sometimes horses that they had. They traded these animals for what they needed but also had gold in their lands. The mountains just north of the Danube contained gold deposits that the Celtic tribes exploited. They would trade this with their German neighbors to the north for things like amber.
As the city of Lupfordum began to rise from the earth the two men worked to muster armies great enough to attack the city of Casurgis. The Boii would no doubt have known about these two armies and because of the continual state of war between the Germanic and Celtic peoples of the area it would no doubt keep the Boii on their toes.


The types of men to flock to the banners of their chieftain would have wielded spears, small axes, or clubs. Some of the men would have been specialized in using javelins. Others, including hunters, would have come with their bows. Chlodochar likely inspired the men to follow him with the reputed riches that the city of Casurgis contained.


A year or so after first constructing the city of Lupfordum, Chlodochar and his brother Baldovin marched south towards the territory of the Boii. The Boii knew that the Suebi were coming with a substantial army and had mustered their own. Moving their own army north it was only a matter of time before the two forces collided.
The battle would determine the balance of power in the region. The reputations of the two brothers would hinge on how their men performed against the Celts. The Boii, as well as many other Celtic tribes, preferred using swords to spears and had a large number of warriors that preferred the sword to the spear. The Celts also used spears but their particular fondness of the sword was renowned in ancient times.



Military historians tend to feel that one on one a sword is superior to a spear mainly because of its cutting power and being able to cut off spear heads. The Suebi were quite used to spears for hunting as well as fighting so the debate about which weapon is better is subject to debate. It would likely come down to how the weapons were used, the material they are made of, and the proficiency of the user.

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 2: Casurgis

The Boii had mobilized a large army to defend their lands. As the line of Suebian spearmen, axemen, swordmen, and others snaked their way south through the primitive roads and trails the Boii were building a defensive fort just on the east side of the Elbe. Building a fort there would be like a blocking force and make the attackers go through the fort to get to Casurgis itself. Defensively it was a sound strategy but the Boii had a major flaw going into the fight. Three different chieftains were present and no single plan was truly hatched.

As the warm winds began to make the snow recede and the Suebian horde descended through Boii territory they helped themselves to the booty of the villages along the way. Historians disagree about the motive for the conflict but the religious desecration is expected to be the main reason. The three chieftains gambled everything on their defenses on the fort and vowed to fight the Suebians to the man.

The Celts had a distinct advantage in that the openings to the fort would have been narrow and with their superior swordsmen they could best a spearman one on one. Celtic sword proficiency is known throughout the world at this time and the Celts were betting on it.

The Suebians carry with them a group of men from the forest that have a great proficiency with the bow. They are mercenaries, and expensive, but well worth the investment. The Celts have missle troops also. Mainly they had slingers but the slings are not very effective at shooting over walls. More importantly the bows have a greater range.

The youngest members of the Suebians would likely throw a specialized spear that was designed to kill from a distance but could be used like a regular spear. Each of the young Suebian tribe members would likely carry a clutch of six.

The weather on the day of the battle was likely dry and the reason for that was the evidence that one wall of the fort was burned. Discovered in the 1850s the fort was an important find in that it gave an account of the battle.

The Suebians would have likely used their archers and other skirmishers and approached the fort before any main engagement happened. The sheer number of Suebian spearmen present would have likely given pause to the Celtic cavalry. The Suebians did not use cavalry as much because of the dense forests they are used to.




Evidence from the site shows many arrow heads and javelins protruding from the outside of the wall. Although they were burned in the fire and only the metal heads are left behind, microscopic evidence indicates the arrows were stuck into the wall before the fire burned the wall down. Flammable pitch was found with the wood and it would have been extremely unlikely that the Boii would have covered their fort walls in pitch.


A likely scenario is that after it was discovered the Boii were hiding behind the walls and the arrows and javelins were not having an effect a decision must have been made to burn the walls down. The Suebians likely had pitch with them and used it to ignite the fires. The wood of the fort seemed to be scavenged from older buildings in the city of Casurgis and would have not been green or wet.


The fire would have been ferocious and the Suebians likely took advantage of the chaos and disorder. At this point the fort would have been packed with men and would not have seen arrows flying through the smoke filled environment.
Over 4000 arrow heads and javelins were found at the site with many of them still in the skeletons of the dead. Even if one in four hit their target it would have had a devastating effect on the Boii.








At some point the Suebians rushed the fort and with one wall burned down the advantage of having a narrow gap to fight your enemy would have been lost for sure. Bodies found at another entrance show a distinct lack of spears and more equipment like clubs, axes, and swords. The fighting at the second gate included cavalry as well, as evidenced by dead horses. The scene must have been horrible as a large press of men from both sides were cutting each other down in a desperate bid for supremacy.










There was a third entrance to the fort but it does not show any fighting at that location. It is unclear but perhaps the Celts left it unguarded as a means of escape. The true story is lost to history but there is no reason why the Suebians could not have stormed that gate as well. The Celts may have withdrawn back into the fort. Regardless with almost 25 percent of their forces wiped out from the initial skirmish the Celts would have been overwhelmed by numbers. Historians have several ideas about why the Boii did not inflict missile wounds on the Suebians. The dominant theory is that the slingers may not have had room to operate effectively as their stones needed line of site to the enemy. What was found were small bags full of uniform stones indicating that the Celts had brought ammo but that they simply could not use it.


Warriors did flee but would have likely been cut down by the light cavalry that accompanied the Suebians. The small bridge that ran over the Elbe would have fallen into the hands of the Suebians and prevented the escape of most Boii.






The aftermath of Casurgis would have been the wiping out of over half the Boii in just a few days. The city was believed sacked and burned for the most part and the Suebians simply built overtop the ruins. The destruction of the Boii armies changed the balance of power in the region and both the Lugii and the Suebians had their eyes on the last refuge of the Boii.

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 3: Hercynia

Chlodocar and Baldovin likely moved to the last stronghold of Istros. This area was renowned for its gold and the Suebi were not the only ones after it. The Lugii had mustered an army but did not arrive fast enough to take the last stronghold of the Boii. The city’s small garrison was quickly over run or perhaps surrendered. Regardless the capture of the city and the booty it provided his men made all the Suebian people proud.


The city of Istros allowed for the Suebian people and Chlodocar to solidify his hold on the area. Almost immediately people began to move to the fertile lands and rich mines. The Suebians did not have the best farmland and Hercynia would have provided that. The migration of Germanic peoples into what was considered Celtic meant that North of Danubis there would have been many less Celts than before the Boii War. To the West were the Marcomanni another German Tribe. However to the East there were many other Celtic nations including the Biephi, Getae, and Bastarnae. All of these tribes would be peering at their new neighbors with a great interest or perhaps disdain.



The Gutones to the North and east of Lupfordum was going to be the next target of Chlodocar and his brother. The reason was not necessarily conquest but rather to beat the Lugii to the goal. The Lugii had been at war with both the Boii to their south and the Gutones to their north. It is likely that the new found power of the Suebi meant that they would go looking for more tribes to bring into the fold. Its not clear when but at some point the Suebi and the Lugii began a competition to consolidate the various Germanic tribes under one banner.


This divided the forces of the Lugii who would like very much to absorb the Gutones and the Boii. It isn’t confirmed but something stopped the Lugii in their tracts sometime the following year. While Chlodocar and his brother dealt with a rebellion in Hercynia the Lugii never left their lands. Rumors of mischief by agents on behalf of the Suebi had foiled the plans of the Lugii.




By the late summer the Boii region was largely calm and a cousin of the chieftain was put in charge and was tasked with raising a force to deal with any possible insurrection as well as to protect their lands against any Celtic incursions to their south. The tribes south of the Danube likely would not have looked kindly upon the Suebi for their brutal treatment of the Boii during the war.


Finally Chlodocar and his brother were able to leave the Boii lands and head back north again. The men would likely leave their booty with their families in the ever growing city of Lupfordum. Autumn was fast approaching and the chieftain would need to get a winter camp set up. The best estimates would have been along the Oder river. Here they could trap fish and move any grain they would have taken from the Boii to an area with plenty of freshwater so that they could have a safe camp.

[Barune]

Yay a new Chirurgeon epic. Time to pass out more rep

[Chirurgeon]

Yay a new Chirurgeon epic. Time to pass out more rep

haha thank you friend. It looks like this one will actually work. I was bummed about my Epirus AAR but I seem to have found a softspot for the Suebi Hopefully CA wont release another patch that prevents me from continuing "fingers crossed".

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 4: Rugii

It is likely that the Suebi moved from their camp into the Gutone territory the next year. Evidence of a major battle or otherwise is not present. What is known is that statuary buried with men show the characteristic Suebian knot on the right side of the head. The city of Auscularis is also founded at about the same time that the invasion would have occurred. The Gutones are not known for having any cities and after 270 BC the Gutones disappear from the archaeological record. They could have been exterminated, incorporated, or migrated elsewhere. Their fate is not known.


What is known is that the Suebi have rapidly expanded their territory and under the charismatic leadership of Baldovin and Chlodochar it is apparent their soldiers are following them without question. Sometime during the 260s a large battle takes place in a city far to the north of the Suebian stronghold of Lupfurdom. The city of Rhougian is attacked and a great fire ensues. The city was rebuilt on top of the remains but evidence of the Rugii, or rye people, leaving the area and moving into Cimbri territory to the west is evidenced by several of their ships being unearthed near Alabu. The evidence is not definitive but could be a trade ship or the like.
Whatever the fate of the Rye Peoples does not take away from the major battle at Rhougian. Here the Rugii fight a well-organized invader. Just as in Casurgis we find arrowheads and javelins embedded in wooden beams and structures used for roofs. Metallurgical tests identify the arrowheads as being identical to the ones found at Casurgis in the Boii territory several years earlier.


It is likely that Chlodochar and his brother attacked the main port of the Rugii and some were able to escape. A stone monolith found in the city has inscribed figures fighting a battle of sorts. The attackers in the pictures clearly have the same Suebian knot that the Suebi sported. Again a mass grave near the city showed skull wounds that would be characteristic of spear injuries as well as spear tips that are a metallurgical match to the ones in Casurgis. The monolith shows men pushing other men into the town center while other men lay on the ground with arrows and javelins protruding from their bodies. The fire is also shown and may have been started either from the attack or the Rugii may have burned their own city down.














The fighting looked ferocious but it also shows a large horde leaving the city without weapons. This could represent warriors that threw down their weapons and fled. It is likely that the Rugii tried to deny the Suebi entrance to the town but lacked the discipline and experience of Chlodochar’s men. Evidence of a slaughter has not been found as all the skeletons found in the mass grave were those of men not women.



Almost all the men have wounds on the front of the body and many of the skeletons show skeletal injuries of multiple injuries indicating that the men were actively fighting when they died. There is an argument that these injuries that would not have been fatal could have accumulated over the life of the individual. As of today that is a plausible theory. Over a thousand skeletons were found, with weapons and other items, in the grave, clear indication that the city was not looted and that the fire was an unfortunate aside to the battle itself.




The Rhougian Monolith as it is called now provided important information about the fate of the “Rye People”.

[Barune]

I Definitely like this style. I've been considering starting my own venture into AARdom. but i prefer to play DeI so I've been holding off until it stabilizes a bit more. Don't want an update to ruin my campaign.

[Chirurgeon]

I am using Radious Mod. It is simply epic with all the unit variety. Thank you very much. Hope to have several more updates this weekend

[Barune]

Yea, i used to use Radious but then i tried DeI, I got tired of the crazy replenishment in radious.

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 5: Aesetii

A complex picture of what happened next is shown by the arrival of a new tribe into Suebian lands. Amber found in Auscularis indicates that the Aesetii tribe captured the city either from the Suebi or the Gutonii. Whatever the result the presence of the Aesetii in Suebia would draw the attention of the two brothers. Chlodochar would have been in his mid thirties and Baldovin in his 20s. The Aesetii nobles wore amber jewelry as amber was plentiful around their homeland and port city of Mons Regalius. The tribe was able occupy the lands long enough to build some of their own structures. A workshop found in Auscularis with amber shards found in the ruins would indicate that the city of Auscalaris fell to the Aesetii. However the presence was not a permanent one and we know that from other archaeological finds that the Aesetii were pushed out of the region altogether.





A fort not unlike the one constructed in Casurgis during the Boii conflict was found along a streambed about 100 km east of the Oder river. The Suebi apparently had no interest in amber as the bodies of the slain were found with some of their amber jewelry still intact. Based on this and their weapons and shields we can assume it was them. Another factor is that there were no other tribes in this area that would have been hostile to the Suebi.


Unlike the last fort found in Casurgis there was no fire damage. Not nearly as many arrow heads and javelins were found with the bodies indicating less missle troops, or they never had a chance to use them. The fact that evidence of fire is lacking and given the great success it had with the Boii, the likely conclusion among historians and archeologists is that the weather was wet or the wood was quite green.


What is known is that the Suebii took many more casualties this time as the number of their bodies is much higher in proportion to other battles. Again evidence of a ferocious fight at the gates is indicated by the amount of weapons and other material objects concentrated in the gate area. Two gates were assaulted likely and like the last time the defenders in the fort seemed to be routed. Weapons found around the site indicate a flight of sorts as no bodies were found with them.

















The results of this battle clearly indicate a victory for the Suebi. However they did not pursue them. Instead perhaps is was late in the campaign season or their casualties were high. Another possible explanation comes from a mass grave near the winter quarters of the Suebi. Scores of bodies found in mass graves with no injuries to the skeletons. Many are found with no weapons which is unusual. The men in the graves are mostly in their teens and 20s and largely look healthy. Another mass grave outside Rhougian and Lupfordum dating back to the same time might indicate a plague of sorts had swept through the region. The various contacts with different tribes and occupation of new lands may have had the consequence of spreading disease.








At some point the city of Aucularis falls back into the hands of the Suebi. The exact reason is unknown but no evidence of a battle exists. However the Suebi pursue the Aesetii towards the Aesetii homeland where at last they turn to face their pursuers. Much of this evidence comes from the monolith erected at Mons Regius indicating the battle of the Green Plains.




According to translation of images from the monolith it shows two lines of men facing each other in fairly equal numbers. Historians estimate the lines may have been a mile long each. The superior bowmen of the Suebi begins to take its toll on the Aesetii. One portion of the monolith shows a man with an amber necklace and elaborate sword on the ground clutching an arrow. Perhaps this was a chieftain.






Another scene depicts Wodanaz spears, an honor unit that would often protect a chieftain representing the will of the god Wodan, charging into a mass of highly embroidered cavalry. A picture of a man unhorsed and another man spearing him through might indicate Chlodochar killing the rival chieftain. It was not unusual for the chieftains of different tribes to fight each other and their bodyguards. We know Baldovin was likely more reserved and more of a strategist, his older brother tended to be more bold.






The death of the Aesetii chieftains would have dealt a huge blow to the morale of the men. Its at this point the men likely fled as the last scene is that of the Suebian horsemen running down a group of soldiers. The Suebii typically only used cavalry in a scouting role especially early in their history. They relied on their infantry and particularly spear infantry to negate cavalry advantages of the enemy.








The monolith indicates that the pursuit of the broken army lasted two weeks. This is indicated by the change of the moon from ½ to full as inscribed on the monolith. Whether this is true or not is not validated but nonetheless the utter destruction of the Aesetii army would have crushed all hopes of expanding their territory. Instead of eyeing new lands the Aesetii people would be fighting for their survival. Their chance of expansion broken like a spear littered on the battlefield of their defeat.

[Chirurgeon]

Yea, i used to use Radious but then i tried DeI, I got tired of the crazy replenishment in radious.

What do you mean by crazy replenishment?

[Barune]

What do you mean by crazy replenishment?

When last i played Radious (a while ago like late dec/early jan), You could attack a stack with your stack, and if you did not decimate the enemy stack before it routed to the point it would disband from lack of men, by the next turn it would be almost 100% replenished, Same with a garrison, and my troops. This may have changed since then.

Personally i prefer "plausible realism" Ie. it doesn't have to 100% real but at least realistically possible imo. I also play with a House rule of once you get the End battle screen not continuing to chase down routers as the AI doesn't do it to you.

With lower replenishment rates a war of attrition becomes a possibility, where you might not out right beat them in the first battle, but after two or three battles their army may disband/ be wiped out, kinda like in history. But of course this is personal taste.


Now, on to your AAR. Yet another awesome update, I quite like the style you are using of looking at ruins from the "present time." Adding in that sense of this could have actually happened. Keep up the great work.

[Observato]

Yeah, DeI got borked for me recently, it just iced my AAR entirely. Fun times were not had.

The Suebi are continually one of my favorite factions, despite their roster in vanilla being... lacking. Interesting that Casurgis fell first; I have a long-seated loathing of the Boii for their utter refusal to let Casurgis and Istros go quietly. I like the "modern day" style, though I'm not sure I'll like it every day. No fault of your own, it's just some days call for different things.

[Chirurgeon]

When last i played Radious (a while ago like late dec/early jan), You could attack a stack with your stack, and if you did not decimate the enemy stack before it routed to the point it would disband from lack of men, by the next turn it would be almost 100% replenished, Same with a garrison, and my troops. This may have changed since then.

Personally i prefer "plausible realism" Ie. it doesn't have to 100% real but at least realistically possible imo. I also play with a House rule of once you get the End battle screen not continuing to chase down routers as the AI doesn't do it to you.

With lower replenishment rates a war of attrition becomes a possibility, where you might not out right beat them in the first battle, but after two or three battles their army may disband/ be wiped out, kinda like in history. But of course this is personal taste.


Now, on to your AAR. Yet another awesome update, I quite like the style you are using of looking at ruins from the "present time." Adding in that sense of this could have actually happened. Keep up the great work.

I don't think you will have the same problems now. Destroying an enemies armies takes years for them to recover from. Thank you for the continued support

Yeah, DeI got borked for me recently, it just iced my AAR entirely. Fun times were not had.

The Suebi are continually one of my favorite factions, despite their roster in vanilla being... lacking. Interesting that Casurgis fell first; I have a long-seated loathing of the Boii for their utter refusal to let Casurgis and Istros go quietly. I like the "modern day" style, though I'm not sure I'll like it every day. No fault of your own, it's just some days call for different things.

Thank you for supporting me in this endeavor. I had really good AAR going with Epirus and it died because of Patch nine. but I am hopeful we can get a few months of peace without more patches. I will continue to approach this AAR in this fashion mainly because the Germanic cultures at this time tended to pass their history on orally. If they expand enough and come into contact with more advanced civilizations then that could change. Thanks again for following me on here

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 6: Mons Regius

The destruction of the Aesetii armies would have certainly caused great panic. We have evidence of a large battle that occurred at the same time as the battle of Green Plain. Again this comes from the monolith that still resides in Mons Regius. There is a debate among scholars as to whether the Aesetii were Celtic or Germanic. It seems that they were nomadic of sorts but weaponry found on the monolith would indicate that they preferred swords and had cavalry. This is indicative of Celtic styles at the time.


The battle was similar to the battle of Green Field. The exception is that the battle of Mons Regius was much less evenly matched. The best troops would have been destroyed in the earlier battle. This is assuming that the battle of Green Field occurred before that of Mons Regius.


The nobles of the city apparently gathered every able man as depicted on the monolith as farmers and others dropping their farm tools and taking up weapons. It is likely the situation was very dire as the inhabitants knew their very existence hinged on thwarting the Suebii attack.


It seems the archers of the Suebii had great success early on and it provoked the Aesetii to attack the lines. There are scenes on the monolith of horses rearing and men being impaled. There is no depiction of an enemy General death, but it can be assumed that it happened.









On its face value this battle does not appear as evenly matched as the previous one and it was likely over fairly quickly. Because the Aesetii culture disappears after this point it is assumed that the people were likely killed after this loss. The wealth of the city in amber alone would have been beneficial. It also gave the Suebii their second port city.


The aftermath of the battle and subsequent destruction meant that the Suebi now controlled a large area from the Elbe and past the Daugala River in modern day Latvia. A swath of coastline over a thousand km long would have given the Suebi a unique edge on finding the valuable amber that could be transported south. The fishing grounds in those times of the Baltic would have yielded a rich supply of fish for the people along the coast as well.




This could explain the population boom that was likely occurring at this time and the fact that many Suebii seemed to migrating to recently conquered lands. Expansions of cities and other structures all simultaneously seem to support the notion that the Suebii were beginning to enjoy their prosperity.


The armies that Chlodochar and Baldovin were leading might have begun to unravel. The reasoning for this is not evident but perhaps the men wanted to go home to their families. All the booty had been taken and there was no need for large armies since all the enemies had been conquered. The armies after this point show a much more religious influence.

[Scottish King]

Read the introduction and I am extremely interested in reading the rest.

[Chirurgeon]

Read the introduction and I am extremely interested in reading the rest.

Thank you sir. Working on another installment

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 7 Wodan

Sometime after the incorporation of Mons Regius into the Suebian fold a large statue and surrounding grove dedicated to Wodan was erected. As stated earlier religion has always played a large part in ancient cultures. A new breed of warrior shows up in the ranks of the Suebian battle lines. These were religious warriors essentially working for the honor of Wodan. Wodan spearmen had always been present especially as a body guard unit but for the first time we see them in the regular ranks as well. This grove was likely in Lupfordum and would have attracted Germanic peoples from all over.


A rather interesting development occurs in the several years of peace after the war with the Aesetii. Chlodochar was likely trying to get tribes to join the Suebians for protection and to unite the people under one banner. Its at this time that all signs of the Marcomanni tribe disappears. The Raitii from the alps had apparently wiped them out. We know this because the Marcomanni were essentially replaced with a Celtic culture. Suddenly the Celtic threat beyond the Danube and the Rhine began to become a reality. Perhaps Chlodochar was trying to convince tribes that he could keep them from facing the same fate. What we do know is that the fighting amongst the tribes continued even though a fellow Germanic tribe had been wiped out. Not even the loss of another tribe to a Celtic enemy could stop the Germanic infighting.




During the Celtic incursion in the south the Frisii tribe with their main city of Flevum were feeling the dual threat of the Cherusci and the Cimbri. Shortly after the onset of this war Suebian artifacts including a small gold statue of Wodan with amber in it, was found in the city of Flevum. An old tablet found near the city showed a series of transactions or inventory of amber and yet unlike the other items on the tablet there was no price listed for the items. If the amber was a gift to the Frissii from the Suebi what would be the motivation?


Theories about the Flevum and Suebian connection seem to point to an agreement. Perhaps the Suebians would help the Frisii with their struggles if they agreed to join the Suebi in the future. If this were the case the gifts would have insured cooperation especially if they were free. The Flevum Tablet as it has been called only states the amber was free. However from this we can surmise that perhaps it was part of an alliance.


Regardless we know that at the same time as gifts show up in Flevum a battle occurs in Cimbria. Archaeologist are calling it the battle of Alubu Wood for the small wooded hill where at the base many bodies were found buried in graves.




We know the battle likely was between the Suebi and the resident Cimbrii tribe. This is evidenced by the Suebian knot found in the graves and the burial of some of the Wodanz spear warriors that the Suebii had begun employing. The location of their burial and the location of the burial of the Cimbrii were relatively far away from each other. However the Wodan spearmen were buried quite close to the regular spear and sword warriors that the Suebii employed.


Each Wodan warrior was buried with a small statue of the god and they would have worn this as a pendant or kept safe somewhere. These small statues have been the key to tracking the spread of Wodan worship around Suebian lands.


The battle itself seems to be the first conflict between the Cimbrii and the Suebii. It was a smaller battle than that of previous ones indicating that one of the chieftains, Baldovin or Chlodochar, were not present with his men. The result, based on the number of discovered bodies, seems to indicate a rather one sided victory for the Suebii. It is interesting that the Cimbrii chose to offer battle so close to Suebian lands when they could have withdrawn far away to their city near modern day Frederiksavn in Denmark. It would have taken years of marching for the Suebii to march into battle and meet them.












Perhaps the Cheruscii joined the fight against the Suebians as well. If this were the case the Cimbrii may have thought themselves more confident and should they lose they would have the Cherusci warriors to aid them in the future.
What we do know for sure is that the conflict between the allied Cheruscii and Cimbrii and the Suebians would dominate for some time. Suebian domination now was being challenged by allied tribes and this meant the Suebians were going to have make a greater commitment to the war effort than they had previously done.

[Chirurgeon]

Chapter 8: Cimbri

At some point the armies of the Suebi march north. They eventually make it to the tip of the Jutland peninsula. We cannot be sure of the environmental conditions but what we do know is that a large battle took place. The city of Alabu was the home port and trade hub for the Cimbri. This battle appears to be much different than that of previous ones. For one it seemed to take place in the winter as evidenced by the swaths of white paint found on a large totem in a sanctuary dedicated to Wodan. Here a group of the Suebi erected a grove commemorating their victory apparently to the god. It gives an account of the battle and in addition to the multitude of spears found at the site it also shows axes for the first time. These were of a decent quality which indicated that the Suebi were increasing their proficiency of metalworking.


Iron would have been a hard commodity to come by and many of the spear points were made of bronze. Historians disagree over the exact reason but apparently the battle in the winter may not have been a choice. A plague had hit the city around this time as evidenced by a mass grave found accidently during the 1960s. Men, women, and children were all stricken it would seem. If a plague broke out in the city it is plausible to think it could spread to the besieging army. Regardless a battle in a snowstorm is not the ideal situation. However it would appear desperation drove them to this.




The battle was apparently brutal due to the rather extreme depiction on the totem as well as the crimson dots painted on the white background likely indicating blood on the battlefield. One of the sides may have been close to starving or freezing to death which in some cases might cause men to fight harder. What is known is the graves after this battle were much larger and had more bodies. Both sides suffered high casualties and coupled with the deaths from the elements likely disabled Chodochar and Baldovin for some time.














In fact it was likely several years before an attack was waged on the Cheruscii. We know that during this time the Suebian army was rebuilding the Suebi region east of the Elbe was going through a phase of redevelopment and expansion.


We now know the southern extent of the Suebian lands due to their new neighbor to the south the Daorsi. Illyrians from the south had taken over Pannonia and were in a process of Hellenizing the region. They did have a language that was written and in their Greek they record the extent of the Suebian lands north of the Danube.
The beginning of this interaction would have a profound effect on both cultures. The xenophobic Suebi would slowly be exposed to wonders of the Greeks and the Daorsi would be exposed to the savagery of the Suebi.





Its at this point where another culture notes the extent of the Suebian influence but as of yet has not documented specific events. What is known is that the Daorsi coveted amber and were expanding their domain as quick if not quicker than that of the Suebi.

At this point in history , likely the 260s, the Suebi rule the entire east side of the Elbe from the Jutland peninsula south toward the Danube. Taking a step over the Elbe river will begin a new chapter into their history.