Suebi

The Suevi (or Suevi, Suevi, Suawen, Suebi or Suevi Latin, Greek So ( u) ēboi Σούηβοι / Σόηβοι ) were a tribal group of Germanic peoples.

General

The name Suevi (Latin: Suebi, or Suevi Suabi ) refers to a Germanic tribal group, who once lived in the northeast of Magna Germania on the Baltic Sea to the German low mountain ranges. In Roman sources, the Baltic Sea has been designated as "Mare Suebicum " by the Suevi. The ancient geographer Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100, † 175 ) localized in its Geographike Hyphegesis at the site of today's Swine and Oder river Συήβος ( Suebos, Latin: Suevus ). Thus the tribal name Suebi can suitably interpret the original settlement area as " Or people " or the river name Suevus as " Suebenfluss ".

As historian Reinhard Wenskus has pointed out, initially dominated tradition and appearance of the Suevi the ethnographic perception and description of numerous Germanic tribes in the ancient world before this dominance was transferred to the Gothic tribes. Many Germanic tribes made ​​a point to be considered as suebisch.

Etymologically derived from the term Suebi the later tribal name of Swabia from. As suebisch designated tribes were at the time of Tacitus the Semnones, Marcomanni, Hermunduren, Quadi and Lombards, sometimes the fishing be included. Archaeological they can best be reflected in the Elbgermanen.

In the sources, the trace of the Suevi in the 2nd century loses before her name appears in later sources. They took part in the so-called Great Migration and parts of them came to the Iberian Peninsula.

Tacitus testifies in Germania, 39 that the Semnones than the ordinary people of the Suebi, vetustissimi Sueborum, were considered.

Suevi in Caesar

Caesar defeated the invading under the leadership of Ariovistus in Gaul Suebi in 58 BC in a battle on the Rhine. In his reports he sees as Sueben the east of Ubii and Sigambrer resident Germans and reported that they counted 100 districts, each with 1000 mighty men of valor, but during his crossing of the Rhine far, after the forest Bacenis ( the Central German Uplands after Caesar the Suevi of the Cherusci separated ), had withdrawn. This localization is viewed as being unsafe. They should have had no fixed residences, but be extended annually in part to military undertakings. The size of the Suebian tribal association is probably due in the majority to a self-mapping of other tribes because of war fame of the Suevi. Cassius Dio reported in any case, that " many others entitled to the designation, Suevi ' raise '.

However, there were according to the evidence of the archaeological sources on Main and north of it quite permanent settlements, even Celtic oppida were still settled in the area shortly after the Germanic immigration. These so-called Mainsueben that were subjected to BC 10/9 of Drusus, were after the find material to a mixture of elbgermanischen and the Rhine River Weser Germanic culture.

The Neckarsueben

After inscription finds lived in the area of Lopodunum (now Ladenburg ) on the 1st and 2nd century AD under Roman rule the Suebi Nicrenses that Neckarsueben. According to them, the Civitas Ulpia Sueborum Nicretum was named in the area of Ladenburg. It is likely to be residues that were left behind after the expulsion or voluntary or involuntary resettlement here and in Diersheim. In the late antique Tabula Peutingeriana, a Roman road map, between Alamannia and Burcturi ( = Bructeri ) is also the name entered Suevia (picture here ), which probably refers to the settlement area of ​​Neckarsueben.

Suevi Tacitus

According to chapter 38 of the Germania of Tacitus in the year 98 AD, included all elb and East Germanic tribes south of the Mare Suebicum (Baltic Sea) between the Elbe and the Vistula ( from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea ) to the tribal alliance of Suebi. He counted the Semnones, Lombards, Reudigner, Avionen, Anglier, Variner, Suardonen, Nuitonen, Hermunduren, Naristen, Marcomanni, Quadi, Marsigner, Burer and Lugier to them. The Hermunduren were to him as the " foremost ", the Semnones as the " finest, oldest and most prestigious " and the Lombards as the boldest among the Suebian peoples. In the introduction to his book mentioned Tacitus, that the Suevi may be directly descended from Mannus, the ancestor of all Germanic and son of the earth sprung God Tuisto.

Suevi Ptolemy

Ptolemy describes around 150 AD, the Suebi also as a collective term for many tribes in Germania Magna. The Syeboi it counts Angiler, Semnones, large Bructeri, Angrivarii and Teutonoaren ( on the lower Elbe ). In addition, he called between the Oder and jütischer peninsula a river Syebos.

Suevi in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula

On December 31, 406 crossed a strain, called Suebi, accompanied by Vandals and Alans, the Rhine at Mogontiacum (Mainz ) (see Rhine crossing of 406). They forced their way in front of 409 to Hispania. Here they were assigned by lot the province Gallaecia. The exact origin of these Suebian group that was subjected to 585 by the Visigoths, we can only speculate. Most likely, however, come the Donausueben or Quadi into consideration.

The first Suebenkönig in the Iberian peninsula was Hermerich († 440). His son Rechila ( 440-448 ) conquered the Baetica with Sevilla.

His Catholic son and successor Rechiar lost 456 the Visigoth king Theodoric II at the river Órbigo near the present-day Astorga battle and his life. Thus, most Suebian conquests were lost outside of Gallaecia. The northwestern Suevi appointed then Maldras ( 456-460 ) to be their king, while in the capital successively Aiulf Braga ( 456-457 ) and Framta ( 457-458 ) ruled in Visigothic dependence. After Frumtanes death the Nordwestsueben Maldras son draw mouth joined. Maldras successor draw mouth was forced by Eurich recognizing the supremacy of the Visigoths and was converted to Arian Christianity. King Theodemir ( 560 ) came from Arianism to Catholicism. 585 Suebian the empire was the Visigothic incorporated.

A few Suebian words were included in the Galician language and Portuguese language, such as suebisch * lawerka to Portuguese and Galician Laverca "lark ".

Donausueben

The Quadi appear since the 5th century often more general than Suebi ( archaeological designation Donausueben ) in the sources. Even with the 406 emigrated to Iberia Suevi it might well have been part of the tribe Quadi. Other parts remained in Pannonia, were after King Hunimunds defeat in the Battle of the Bolia ( 469 ) allied with the Alemanni, wandered in the settlement area and went in this order finally to 480. One speaks here of a second ethnogenesis of Alemanni, because these since the beginning of the 6th century, were called Suevi. However, residues remained back on the middle Danube, which were subjected to 540 by the Lombards under Wacho and then disappeared as a tribe under its own name. Jordanes still differed by 550 Suevi and Alemanni, he gives localized the Suevi in the actual Alamannia, the Alamanni in the Alps. In the Alemanni, the name of Suevi has held up to modern times: it survived in later Swabia. Suebisieren was " make Swabia pranks " an expression of the 19th century. Perhaps the Suevi, the south of the river Bode settled from about 570 instead of the migrated with the Lombards to Italy Saxons, Alemanni were.

Culture

The Cult of Nerthus was distributed according to Tacitus especially in the northern Suevi. In addition, Tacitus tells of a sacred grove in the land of Semnones. Well known is the peculiar hairstyle, the Suebian knot that distinguished the free from the slave and the other Germanic tribes. But it may be doubted that only the Suevi wore this hairstyle. In Martial's epigrams 3.9 states: "With braided hair to knot the Sugambri came ".

Suebian kings

• Ermenrich ( 409-438 )
• Rechila ( 438-448 )
• Rechiar ( 448-456 )
• Aiulf ( 456-457 )
• Maldras ( 456-460 )
• Framta (457)
• Rechimund ( 460-464 )
• Frumar ( 460-464 )
• Draw mouth ( 464-469 )
• Hermenerich ( about 485 )
• ...
• Veremund (approx. 535)
• Theodemund ( 6th century )
• Chara Rich ( 550-558/559 )
• Ariamir ( 558/559-561/566 )
• Theodemir ( 561/566-570 )
• Miro ( 570-583 )
• Eborich ( 583-584 )
• Andeca ( 584-585 )
• Mala Rich ( 585 )

Suebenstämme

• Lombards
• Hermunduren
• Marcomanni
• Semnones
• Vanniadische Suevi
• Alamanni
• Warn ( Varini, Verini, Warni, Guernica ) also called Nordsuaven

Swell

• Gaius Iulius Caesar: De Bello Gallico.
• Claudius Ptolemy: Geographike Hyphegesis.
• Tacitus: Germania. Chapter 38
• Isidore of Seville: Historia de Regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum et Sueborum.