Thumelicus (born 15 AD; died before 47 AD, probably in 30 or 31) was the only son 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 themse ...

leader

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 ...

and his wife

Thusnelda Thusnelda (; 10 BC – after AD 17) was a Germanic Cheruscan noblewoman who was captured by the Roman general Germanicus during his invasion of Germania. She was the wife of Arminius. Tacitus and Strabo cite her capture as evidence of both t ...

, daughter of the pro-Roman tribal leader

Segestes Segestes was a nobleman of the Germanic tribe of the Cherusci involved in the events surrounding the Roman attempts to conquer northern Germany during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus. Arminius, the Cheruscan noble and military leader, had m ...

. In May 15 AD, Arminius besieged Segestes at his stronghold, where Thusnelda, then pregnant, was staying. The Roman commander,

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 patr ...

, a nephew of Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

, broke through the siege and took her prisoner. Thusnelda and the infant Thumelicus were presented in Rome in the Triumph Germanicus was allowed to celebrate in May 17 AD (but

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

who may have been in Rome at the times draws attention to the fact that her husband Arminius, the victor at Teutoburg Forest, had not been captured and the war, itself, had not been won). Afterwards, the captives were spared, but were sent to exile in

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

, where Thumelicus was raised.

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

promises to recount his fate "at the proper time," i.e., when his Annals treat the year in question — but there is no further mention in the extant copy. We have only Tacitus' earlier comment that Thumelicus "ran into derision". A major gap exists for 30 and 31 AD, however, so it could be that Thumelicus died even earlier as his cousin Italicus in 47 AD became ruler of the

being the only member of the Royal House still alive.

External links

''Thusnelda''
part of the ''Encyclopædia Romana'' by James Grout. {{Authority control 15 births 1st-century deaths Cherusci warriors Roman gladiators Royalty Arminius