Everything about The Chauci totally explained
The
Chauci were a populous
Germanic tribe that inhabited the extreme northwestern shore of
Germany between
Frisia in the west and the
Elbe estuary in the east.
The Chauci, like the Frisii, inhabited
terpen, artificial mounds raised above the large floodplains of their region, which served to protect their farms from the floods of the
North Sea. Their way of life was unfamiliar to the Romans, who found it mystifying. A lively, first hand account is delivered by
Pliny the Elder, who writes that the Chauci lived by fishing and hunting. Archeological evidence, however, shows that Pliny isn't quite accurate, since the Chauci also raised cattle and supported cavalry-troops.
The Chauci, according to Tacitus, were highly respected among Germanic tribes. He also describes them as peaceful, calm, and levelheaded, despite the reports in the
Annales of piracy.
History
The political position of the Chauci, early in the
1st century, was essentially a pro-Roman one. They provided, for instance, auxiliaries during the second campaign of
Germanicus against the
Cherusci. The evidence for this isn't just the description of
Tacitus, but also finds of typical equestrian paraphernalia near the Praetorium on the Kops-plateau near
Oppidum Batavorum (
Nijmegen), which served as the Roman headquarters in
Germania Inferior.
The first known map of Ireland, made by the Greek geographer Ptolemy shows that the Chauci had colonized the eastern part of Ireland during the first or second century AD.
In
47 the Chauci, with the
Frisii raided
Germania Inferior, led by
Gannascus a
Canninefat and a deserter from the legions. They used small boats to raid the coast of Gaul (Probably
Belgica) but were defeated by Corbulo. Corbulo in turn started plotting against Gannascus, who was ultimately killed. This however, led to great unrest amongst the Chauci and the situation was about to escalate when Corbulo was ordered by Claudius to retreat behind the
Rhine River, which was subsequently declared the border of the Roman Empire.
During the
Batavian Rebellion in
69, detachments of Frisii and Chauci fought on the side of
Julius Civilis.
By the end of the
3rd century CE, they'd merged with the
Saxons. Whether this conjunction was amicable or forced isn't clear.
The Chauci also appear in the poem
Beowulf as "Hugas" where they form a lieger together with the
Frankish Chattuarii (Hetwaras) and the
Frisians to fight against a
Geatish raiding force. The
Geats are defeated and their king
Hygelac is killed, Beowulf alone escaping.
Bibliography
P. Cornelius Tacitus,
de situ et origine germanorum. XXXV.
P. Cornelius Tacitus,
annales, XI 18-19, XIII 55.
P. Cornelius Tacitus,
historiae IV 79, V 19.
Gaius Plinius Secundus,
Naturalis Historia, XVI, 2-4.
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