Arminius

Arminius (c. 18 BCE–21 CE), also known as Erminatz, was a Germanic chieftain of the Cherusci tribe who famously led an alliance of Germanic tribes to victory against three Roman legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. This defeat marked a turning point, halting Roman expansion into Germania and securing the Rhine as Rome's frontier. Arminius, once trained by the Romans as a military commander, used his knowledge of Roman tactics to outmaneuver them. Though celebrated as a hero in German nationalism, his later life was marked by tribal conflicts, and he was assassinated by rivals. His legacy endures as a symbol of resistance to imperial domination.