Germania inferior

Germania inferior ( " Lower Germany ") was a Roman province. It included the west of the Rhine parts of the modern Netherlands and Germany as well as parts of Belgium. Originally, since Augustus, this area was a military district, which belonged administratively to Gaul. The province was set to 85 to 90 AD. Their capital city was Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, today's Cologne.

The Roman Army in the province called Exercitus Germaniae inferioris (such as " Armed Forces Lower Germania " and abbreviated inscriptions to EXGERINF ) and consisted of several ( up to four) legions and auxiliary troops.

Germania Inferior was the northern neighboring province of Germania Superior ( Upper Germania ), and Belgica.

History

At first encounters between Roman troops and Gallic or Germanic tribes in the area of ​​the later province it came to 50 BC during the Gallipoli campaign of Gaius Julius Caesar.

A permanent Roman military presence began with the campaigns of Drusus from 12 BC After the campaigns were in the right bank Germania, most recently under the leadership of Germanicus, adjusted, remained four legions in fixed bearings stationed: two legions in Xanten / Vetera and one each Legion in Neuss and Bonn.

In the later 69 Germania Inferior was shaken by the revolt of the Batavians. Among other things, the legion camp Vetera was destroyed in the vicinity of today's Xanten. Also in the following years there were raids of Germanic tribes to Roman military camp and civilian settlements in Germania Inferior. Thus the time the second most important city of the province, the settlement Colonia Ulpia Traiana ( also near the modern Xanten ), destroyed in 275 by Germanic tribes to a large extent, as also the fort Vetera II, which was built to replace the destroyed Vetera I was, was destroyed. Around 400 the province collapsed under the onslaught of Germanic tribes together in the wake of the Great Migration.