The Name Arminius

Where the name Arminius comes from has yet to be clarified. If it is of Roman origin, it could mean that Arminius received it when he was granted Roman citizenship either from a member of the gens Arminia as a family name (which is not very likely) or the naming took place more or less arbitrarily—his brother, for example, was named Flavus (the blonde).

His unknown Germanic name might have been derived from that of his father Sigimerus. In this case, ‘Sigi-’ would be a component of his name, which would link him to the “legendary” Siegfried.

Certain is only that the name Arminius has nothing to do with the name “Hermann”. Arminius received this name only in the age of humanism.

The Family Tree of Arminius

The Life of Arminius

Circa 17 BC 	Arminius is born.
Circa 8 BC	Travels to Rome with the Cheruscan leadership in connection with agreements.
4-6 AD	Arminius accompanies the army of Tiberius as tribune (field officer) in the campaigns through Germania. In recognition of his services, he is granted Roman citizenship.
From 7 AD	He returns to his homeland Germania (possibly due to the death of his father Sigimerus). In reaction to Varus’s politics in Germany, he organizes Germanic resistance, while Flavus continued to serve in the Roman army.

9 AD 	He lures Varus and his army into an ambush in the saltus Teutoburgiensis. The Roman army is defeated in a battle that lasted several days and after which Varus “threw himself on his sword”.
After 9 AD	Arminius abducts Thusnelda, the daughter of Segestes (a prince with Roman sympathies). Other Germanic princes want to sue for peace with Rome.
		Tiberius and Germanicus continues the war against Arminius.
15 AD	Arminius’s party gains the advantage and locks Segestus in his “castle”. Germanicus frees him and at the same time takes the pregnant Thusnelda into his custody.
15-16 AD	As a result, Arminius fights bitterly against Germanicus.
19 AD	In the midst of internal rivalries among the Cheruscans, Arminius dies due to the treachery of his relatives.

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