Chattuarii
TheChattuarii,also spelledAttoarii,were aGermanic tribeof theFranks.[1]They lived originally north of theRhinein the area of the modern border between Germany and the Netherlands, but then moved southwards in the 4th century, as aFrankishtribe living on both sides of the Rhine.
History
[edit]According toVelleius Paterculus,in 4 AD, the emperorTiberiuscrossed the Rhine, first attacking a tribe which commentators interpret variously as theCananefatesorChamavi,both being in the area of the modernNetherlands,then the Chattuari, and then theBructeribetweenEmsandLippe,somewhere to the north of the modern Ruhr district in Germany. This implies that the Chattuari lived somewhere in the west ofWestphalia.[2]
Strabomentions the Chattuari as one of the non-nomadic northern Germanic tribes in a group along with theCherusci,theChatti,and theGamabrivii.He also contrasted them with other non-nomadic tribes supposedly near the Ocean, the Sugambri, the "Chaubi", the Bructeri, and theCimbri,"and also theCauci,the Caülci, the Campsiani ". Strabo listed them among the tribes who allied under theCherusci,and were made poor after being defeated byGermanicus.They apparently appeared at histriumphin 17 AD along with the Caülci, Campsani, Bructeri,Usipi,Cherusci, Chatti, Landi, andTubattii.
There is no consensus about any connection between the Chattuarii and either the similar-sounding Chatti or, less likely, theChasuarii,who both lived in a similar region of Germany, and are also mentioned in Roman era texts.
The Chattuari appear again in the historical record in the 4th century, living on the Rhine and one of the first tribes to be known asFranks.Ammianus Marcellinusreports thatEmperor Julian,crossed the Rhine border fromXantenand...
...entered the district belonging to a Frank tribe, called the Attuarii, men of a turbulent character, who at that very moment were licentiously plundering the districts of Gaul. He attacked them unexpectedly while they were apprehensive of no hostile measures, but were reposing in fancied security, relying on the ruggedness and difficulty of the roads which led into their country, and which no prince within their recollection had ever penetrated.[3]
Some of them were also settled in France aslaetiin thepagusattuariorum(FrenchAtuyer,comprisingOscheretat that time) south ofLangresin the 3rd century.
Under theFranks,the name of the Chattuari was used for what became two early medievalgauson either side of the Rhine, north of theRipuarian Franks,whose capital was in Cologne. On the eastern side, they were near theRuhrriver, and across the Rhine they settled near theNiersriver, between the Maas and the Rhine, where the Romans had much earlier settled the GermanicCugerni.[1]This western gau (Dutch:Hettergouw,German:Hattuarien) is mentioned in theTreaty of Meerssen,in the year 870 AD.[4]
The Chattuarii may also appear in the Old English poemBeowulfas "Hetwaras" where they appear to form a league together with the Hugas (who may be theChauci) and theFrisiansto fight against a Geatish raiding force from what is now Sweden. TheGeatsare defeated and their kingHygelacis killed. Beowulf the hero of the story is the only person to escape. According toWidsith,theHætwerawere ruled by Hun.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abEschbach, Peter (1902),"Der Stamm und Gau der Chattuarier, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der fränkischen Stämme und Gaue am Niederrhein",Beiträge zur Geschichte des Niederrheins,17:1–28
- ^Lanting; van der Plicht (2010),"De14C-chronologie van de Nederlandse Pre- en Protohistorie VI: Romeinse tijd en Merovingische periode, deel A: historische bronnen en chronologische schema's ",Palaeohistoria,51/52: 62
- ^Marcellinus, Ammianus, "XX.10.2",Roman History
- ^Nonn, Ulrich (1983),Pagus und Comitatus in Niederlothringen: Untersuchung zur politischen Raumgliederung im frühen Mittelalter,p.74ff.
