Segestes was a nobleman of the Germanic tribe of the

Cherusci The Cherusci were a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the plains and forests of northwestern Germany in the area of the Weser River and present-day Hanover during the first centuries BC and AD. Roman sources reported they considered themsel ...

involved in the events surrounding the Roman attempts to conquer northern Germany during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus.

Arminius Arminius ( 18/17 BC – 21 AD) was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, in which three Roman legions under the command of ge ...

, the Cheruscan noble and military leader, had married Thusnelda, Segestes' daughter, against her father's will. As a result, Segestes, who favoured Roman overlordship, bore an ongoing grudge against Arminius. In 9 AD he warned the Roman governor

Publius Quinctilius Varus Publius Quinctilius Varus (Cremona, 46 BC – Teutoburg Forest, AD 9) was a Roman general and politician under the first Roman emperor Augustus. Varus is generally remembered for having lost three Roman legions when ambushed by Germanic tribes l ...

of the impending uprising of his countrymen, but he was not believed. Varus and his three legions subsequently perished in the three-day Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where several allied German tribes under the command of Arminius ambushed them. Segestes openly turned against Arminius when

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the Patric ...

invaded northern Germany in 15 AD in a renewed attempt to establish Roman rule in the area. Besieged in his stronghold by his own countrymen, Segestes appealed for help to Germanicus whose forces relieved the siege, and Segestes then handed over his pregnant daughter Thusnelda, Arminius' wife, to Germanicus as a prisoner. Thusnelda was taken to Rome and, together with her brother

Segimundus Julius Segimundus was a nobleman of the Germanic peoples, Germanic Cherusci. Segimundus was a son of Segestes. His father was a close ally of the Roman Empire and were therefore followers of the Imperial cult of ancient Rome, imperial cult of Au ...

, displayed in Germanicus' victory parade in 17 AD, with her father as an honoured spectator. Thusnelda never returned to her homeland. Arminius' only son, Thumelicus, whom she bore while in captivity, was trained as a

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

in Ravenna and is considered to have died in a gladiator fight before reaching the age of 20. In 21 AD, Segestes and other members of his family killed Arminius. Segestes was eventually given a residence by Germanicus in a Roman province west of the Rhine.

Etymology

Segestes' name is believed to derive from Germanic roots meaning "master of victory;" Germanic *''segaz'' ("victory") and

Old Frankish Frankish ( reconstructed endonym: *), also known as Old Franconian or Old Frankish, was the West Germanic language spoken by the Franks from the 5th to 9th century. After the Salian Franks settled in Roman Gaul, its speakers in Picardy an ...

''gastes'' ("master").

References

The most important historical source about Segestes is Tacitus, '' Annals'', 1, 55-59. The Roman historians Velleius Paterculus, Florus, and Cassius Dio also mention him.

Notes

Websites

Varusschlacht - Clades Variana - Aliso
in German

part of the ''Encyclopædia Romana'' by James Grout. {{Authority control 1st-century BC births 1st-century deaths Cherusci warriors