Ubii
TheUbiiwere aGermanic tribe[1][2]first encountered dwelling on the east bank of theRhinein the time ofJulius Caesar,who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river. They were transported in 39 BC byMarcus Vipsanius Agrippato the west bank, apparently at their own request, as they feared the incursions of their neighbors, theChatti.[3]
A colony for Roman veterans was founded in 50 AD under the patronage of Agrippa's granddaughter,Agrippina the Younger,[4]who had been born at Ara Ubiorum, the capital of the Ubii. The colony derived its title from the names of Agrippina and her husband, the emperorClaudius,and received the nameColonia Claudia Ara Augusta Agrippinensium,which is the origin of the city's modern name,Cologne.Alongside the allotment of land to veterans, the existing town of Ara Ubiorum was elevated to the status of acolonia,which would have conferred many privileges on the inhabitants.[5]The Ubii were also at Bonna (Bonn) of theEburones.
The Ubii remained loyal allies of Rome; they were instrumental in crushing theBatavian rebellionin 70 AD and, although some of them made part of the invasion ofPannoniain 166 AD, they becomefoederatisupporting Roman troops in theMarcomannic Warsin 166–67 AD.
They seem to have been so thoroughlyRomanizedthat they adopted the nameAgrippinensesin honour of their "founder",[6]and their later history is submerged with otherFranksin that of easternGaulas a whole.
Roman interactions
[edit]In 55 BC, Julius Caesar was preparing for an invasion ofBritain,when several Germanic tribes, including the Ubii,[7]crossed the Rhine river. This movement included theUsipetesandTencteritribes, who wished to relocate to avoid contact with theSuevi.Caesar, concerned that fighting might break out in the region and draw troops away from his planned invasion, marched toward the Rhine. He met with ambassadors from the Germanic tribe and offered them land with the Ubii and an alliance against the Suevi; however, Caesar soon became worried that the tribes were delaying until their cavalry could return.
Together with theBatavi,the Ubii furnished soldiers for theGermanic bodyguard,the personal bodyguard of the early Roman emperors.
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^Brogan, Olwen Phillis Frances;Drinkwater, John Frederick(2012)."Ubii".InHornblower, Simon;Spawforth, Antony;Eidinow, Esther(eds.).The Oxford Classical Dictionary(4 ed.).Oxford University Press.ISBN9780191735257.Retrieved26 January2020.
Ubii, a German tribe just east of the Rhine
- ^"De Gruyter".
- ^William Smith,A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geographys.v."Colonia Agrippina".
- ^Tacitus,Annales12.27.1–2.
- ^Barrett, Anthony A. (1996).Agrippina: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Early Empire,New Haven and London: Yale.
- ^Tacitus,Germaniac.28 andHistories,iv.28 (as noted in Smith,loc. cit.).
- ^Cassius Dio,Book 39, discussing Caesar's actions in 55 BCE, offderrs slightly different motivation and sequence of events: "the Ubii, whose land was coterminal with theSugambriand who were at variance with them, invoked his aid "(on-line text) and Caesar crossed the Rhine; this is Dio's single mention of the Ubii.
External links
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