The Marcomanni were a Germanic people who lived near the border of the Roman Empire, north of the River Danube. Roman records mention them from about 60 BC until around 400 AD. They were an important part of a group of allied Suebian peoples in this area, which included the Hermunduri, Varisti, Quadi, Semnones, and Langobardi. Julius Caesar first wrote about them in 58 BC, when they were trying to settle in Gaul under the leader Ariovistus. However, he did not say where their homeland was. Archaeologists believe they originally lived in what is now Germany, likely near the Elbe and Saale rivers or in Franconia to the southwest. After a major defeat by the Romans around 9 BC, the Marcomanni chose a new king named Maroboduus, who had grown up in Rome. He led his people and others to a forested and mountainous area in what is now the Czech Republic, which they called "Boiohaemum." This name later became "Bohemia" because the land had once been home to the Boii people.
From this new location, Maroboduus built an empire that supported Rome. However, the Langobardi and Semnones left when he did not help the rebellion led by Arminius against Rome. This caused problems for both the Germanic peoples and the Romans. Maroboduus’s reputation suffered, and he was eventually removed from power. He died in exile in Ravenna. This suited the Romans, as they saw the Marcomanni as a potential threat close to Italy. Over time, the Romans tried to control Marcomanni leaders and disrupt their relationships with nearby groups. While there were long periods of peace and prosperity, there were also times of intense warfare, often caused by actions of groups farther from the Roman border.
During the second half of the second century AD, under Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his co-rulers, the Romans fought a series of long and bloody wars against the Marcomanni and their allies, known as the Marcomannic Wars. At one point, the Marcomanni and their allies invaded Italy. Eventually, the Marcomanni were defeated and weakened, and many were moved into the Roman Empire. However, tensions remained, and groups like the Quadi continued to fight Rome. This conflict ended only when large groups of Goths, Alans, and Huns from the east took control of the Middle Danubian region in the late 4th century. The Marcomanni and their neighbors had to choose between staying in the Roman-centered civilization or adopting the mobile and militarized lifestyle of the newcomers.
One of the last clear mentions of the Marcomanni was in 395 AD, when they joined the Quadi, Huns, Goths, and Alans in a large raid across the Danube into the Roman Balkans. Roman writers claimed the raid left the area empty. Many Suebi, likely including Marcomanni, later moved west into Roman Gaul and eventually founded the Kingdom of the Suebi in what is now northern Portugal and northeastern Spain. Others joined the "Hunnic Alternative" to Rome, as described by historian Herwig Wolfram, and became part of Attila’s empire. After Attila’s death in 453 AD, a small Suebian group remained. However, the area once ruled by the Marcomanni was now home to the Rugians and Heruli. Many Marcomanni had crossed the Danube and lived in Roman Pannonia, with some converting to Christianity. One group of Suebi, possibly including Marcomanni, settled between the Sava and Drava rivers in what is now Slovenia and northern Croatia. In the 6th century, many Suebian communities from the Elbe and Danube regions joined the Langobardi (Lombards) as they moved into Italy, driven by the arrival of the Avars from the east. Others likely joined the Alemanni and Bavarians to the west or merged with the newcomers.
Name
The name Marcomanni is thought to come from a Germanic language. The first part of the name is believed to come from an ancient Germanic word, *markō, which meant "border" or "boundary." This is also where the English words "march" and "mark" get their meaning, as they both relate to "frontier" or "border," such as in the term "Welsh marches." Because of this, the Marcomanni were called "border men." The Marcomanni already had this name before meeting the Romans in Gaul in 58 BC. At that time, both the Romans and the Marcomanni were outsiders in the region. The place where the Marcomanni lived before this, and the border or frontier they originally lived near, is not known.
The time of Caesar and Ariovistus (58 BC)
The Marcomanni first appear in historical records as part of a group led by Ariovistus, who fought against Julius Caesar in Gaul. Ariovistus led a large group of Germani people who moved from what is now Germany to what is now France. Caesar’s writings mention the Marcomanni only once, during his account of a battle in 58 BC. He described how he approached the Germanic camp and forced them to arrange their forces by tribe, including the Harudes, Marcomanni, Tribocci, Vangiones, Nemetes, Sedusii, and Suebi. The warriors surrounded their army with chariots and wagons, placing their women on top. These women begged the Roman soldiers not to capture them as slaves. Caesar noted that the Tribocci, Vangiones, and Nemetes came from lands near the Rhine, while the others likely came from farther east.
At this time, the exact location of the Marcomanni’s homeland east of the Rhine is unknown. Many scholars suggest they lived in the Mainfranken region of northwestern Bavaria. It is widely accepted that they lived near or among the Suebi, as later Roman writers connected the two groups, and archaeological evidence shows Elbe Germanic people moving into central Germany and later into the Bohemian area at a time that matches the Marcomanni’s movements. Caesar described the Suebi as the largest and most warlike Germanic people, divided into 100 districts (pagi) that each provided 1,000 soldiers during war. Some historians suggest the Marcomanni may have been one of these districts. The Suebi also relied on other groups for additional soldiers.
A later Roman historian, Cassius Dio, wrote that the Hermunduri settled part of the land where the Marcomanni had lived in 7 BC, with Roman approval. This area was likely west of the Elbe. However, the Hermunduri were later pushed east of the Elbe by the time of Strabo, who wrote around 20 AD. Later, during the time of Tacitus around 100 AD, the Hermunduri were again friendly with Rome and lived west of the Elbe, near the Danube in modern-day Regensburg and Passau. However, it is unclear if this was the same area they settled in 7 BC.
Archaeological evidence links the Marcomanni and their Suebian neighbors to the Grossromstedter culture in the Middle Elbe and Saale river regions. This culture spread southwest between the Rhine and Werra before the Roman Empire entered the area and later expanded southeast into the Bohemian region. It was influenced by the older Jastorf culture and the Przeworsk culture from present-day Poland. A later version of this culture in the old Boii lands, called the Plaňany-Group, shows influences from the earlier Celtic La Tène culture, associated with groups like the Boii and Volcae Tectosages. The Czech region had already been influenced by the Przeworsk culture before Germanic people arrived. The name "Marcomanni," meaning "frontier people," may reflect an earlier boundary between Germanic and Celtic cultures.
The Marcomanni are difficult to distinguish from other Suebian groups, such as the Quadi and Hermunduri, who spread the Grossromstedter culture southward and westward. This culture began influencing the Bohemian area before the Marcomanni’s defeat in 9 BC, even before Caesar’s victories in Gaul.
Near extermination by the Romans (9 BC)
During the time of Augustus (reigned 27 BC – 14 AD), the Romans launched major invasions of Germania, gaining control over the area between the Rhine and Elbe rivers. This control continued until the rebellion of Arminius in 9 AD. During this period, the Marcomanni suffered at least one major defeat and later moved to a more remote region surrounded by mountains and forests.
In the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a document that honors Augustus’s reign, it is stated that a king of the Marcomanni Suebi sought refuge with Augustus. The name of this king is no longer visible on the Monumentum Ancyranum, but it ended with the letters "-rus."
Roman historians Florus and Orosius wrote that Drusus the Elder nearly destroyed the Marcomanni during a violent and challenging campaign. He then built a mound of captured Marcomanni items. This occurred during his campaigns from 12–9 BC, after he defeated the Tencteri and Chatti, and before he faced an alliance of the Cherusci, Suevi, and Sicambri. Another Roman writer, Cassius Dio, described the events differently but did not mention the Marcomanni by name.
There are questions about the exact order of events and the locations of the battles. Scholars disagree about whether the victory over the Marcomanni happened in 9 BC, the same year as the victory over the Cherusci, Suebi, and Sugambri, and the year Drusus died after reaching the Elbe. The battle involving the Marcomanni is often thought to have taken place in Franconia, but some believe it occurred closer to the Cherusci, in northeastern Hesse and western Thuringia. Some scholars also suggest that the Suebi defeated in the 9 BC campaign were the same people as the Marcomanni.
The move to "Bohemia"
In 7 BC, a Roman historian named Cassius Dio suggested that the Romans settled the Hermunduri in an area where the Marcomanni had once lived. This implies that the Marcomanni had left their original homeland between 9 and 7 BC. According to writings by Tacitus, Velleius Paterculus, and Strabo, the Marcomanni moved into a region called Baiohaemum, which had previously been occupied by the Boii. This area was home to the Quadi, who were allies of the Marcomanni and part of the Suevi group. Scholars believe the name Baiohaemum shows early use of a Germanic language. The word "Haemum" is similar to the English word "home" and the German word "Heim" (from Proto-Germanic *haimaz). The change from "boi-" to "bai-" in the name matches normal changes in Germanic languages. This ancient name is the source of the modern name Bohemia, though the region's boundaries likely differed from later versions. Classical writers placed the Marcomanni's new settlement within the Hercynian Forest, near present-day Bohemia. By 6 BC, their king, Maroboduus, had created a strong kingdom there, which the Roman leader Augustus saw as a threat. Archaeological findings from this time, such as cremation and inhumation burials, suggest a society with different classes, where warriors were especially important.
Strabo, writing around 23 AD, described the Quadi, who lived near the Marcomanni. He noted a mountain range north of the Danube, similar to the Alps, and within it the Hercynian Forest. Inside the forest were Suebi tribes, including the Marcomanni. Strabo wrote that Maroboduus led several groups, including the Marcomanni, into this forested area. He had lived in Rome and was supported by Augustus, which helped him rule over Suebi tribes in the forest and others near the Dacians (whom Strabo called Getae). Some scholars question whether Strabo's spelling of "Quadi" with an "L" matches later records and whether Maroboduus truly lived in Quadi territory. He also described the Hercynian Forest as being north of the Suebi and the Gabreta Forest as being south, near Roman lands.
Velleius Paterculus, a contemporary of Strabo, also wrote about "Boiohaemum," where Maroboduus and the Marcomanni lived. He noted that the Romans did not control this area of Germania before their defeat at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. Velleius said Maroboduus made his neighbors submit through war or treaties, and many scholars believe the Quadi were also under his rule. He trained his Bohemian soldiers to fight almost as well as the Romans and avoided conflict with Rome. However, the Romans worried he might attack Italy. They saw him as a place of safety for people who opposed Rome. The closest Roman access to Bohemia was through Carnuntum, a city near present-day Vienna and Bratislava, close to the Quadi's territory where the Morava River meets the Danube.
Around 100 AD, Tacitus wrote about the Marcomanni, noting they were the strongest and most famous people in their region. He said their land, where the Boii had once lived, was won through bravery. He also mentioned that both the Marcomanni and the Quadi had kings from noble families descended from Maroboduus and Tudrus. However, Tacitus observed that these groups relied on Roman support, whether through military aid or financial help.
The empire of Maroboduus
Maroboduus created an empire that was friendly with Rome. According to Strabo, this empire included the Lugii, Semnones, and Hermunduri. He also mentioned other groups that were not previously known: Zumi, Butones (perhaps the Gutones), Mugilones, and Sibini. Velleius and Tacitus noted that by 5 AD, the Langobardi were also part of this empire. Velleius wrote that Maroboduus could command 70,000 trained soldiers on foot and 4,000 horse riders, though these numbers likely included more than just the Marcomanni.
In 6 AD, Augustus aimed to remove the last major power in Germania. He sent two Roman military groups, led by Sentius Saturninus and Tiberius, to attack the Marcomanni using a surrounding attack strategy. This plan began from Roman camps or bases near present-day Marktbreit to the west and Carnuntum on the Danube. The attack did not happen because a major rebellion started in Pannonia, south of the Danube, which had recently been conquered by Rome. Maroboduus did not take sides in this conflict.
In 9 AD, Arminius of the Cherusci led a major rebellion against the Romans. He sent the head of the defeated Roman general Publius Quinctilius Varus to Maroboduus, but Maroboduus sent it to Rome. The Langobardi and Semnones, Suebian groups living near the Cherusci on the Elbe, left Maroboduus’s kingdom, claiming freedom. This happened because Maroboduus did not support the rebellion and because he ruled as a king.
In 17 AD, war began between two groups of Germanic people, led by Arminius and Maroboduus. Maroboduus asked for help from Rome, but the Romans refused. Tacitus wrote that the Romans claimed Maroboduus had no right to ask for Roman aid against the Cherusci because he had not helped Rome during its earlier conflict with the same enemy. After an unclear battle, Maroboduus retreated to the forested hills of Bohemia in 18 AD. Tacitus noted that the Romans then intentionally caused disagreements among the Germani, encouraging them to finish destroying Maroboduus’s weakened power. This action followed the new foreign policy of Emperor Tiberius.
By 19 AD, Maroboduus was removed from power and exiled by Catualda, a prince who had lived in exile among the Gutones near the Baltic coast, now northern Poland. Maroboduus fled to Rome and spent the next 18 years living in Ravenna.
The Vannius regime
Catualda's rule was brief. He was removed from power by Vibilius of the Hermunduri in the same year he took control, 19 AD. The people who lived under Maroboduus and Catualda, likely the Marcomanni, were relocated by the Romans to an area near the Danube, between the Morava and "Cusus" rivers. They were placed under the leadership of the Quadian king Vannius. Some scholars suggest the Romans may have intentionally created a buffer zone with this settlement, but there is no agreement on this. The region where Vannius ruled the Marcomanni exiles is generally thought to have been a separate area from the original Quadi kingdom. However, the exact location of the Cusus river remains uncertain. Slovak archaeological research suggests the heart of Vannius’s kingdom was likely in the fertile southwestern Slovakian lowlands around Trnava, east of the Little Carpathians. At the same time, similar activity increased west of the Little Carpathians near the Morava.
Vannius personally gained wealth from the new situation but became unpopular. He was later removed from power by Vibilius and the Hermunduri, who worked with the Lugii from the north, in 50/51 AD. During this conflict, Vannius’s soldiers were described as infantry, but he also requested cavalry from his Sarmatian allies, the Iazyges, who lived in what is now Hungary. This revolt was coordinated with Vannius’s nephews, Vangio and Sido, who later divided his lands and ruled as Roman allies. Vannius was defeated and fled across the Danube, where he and his followers were given land in Roman Pannonia. This settlement is linked to Germanic artifacts from the 1st century AD found in Burgenland, west of Lake Neusiedl.
The Marcomanni are not often mentioned in later records, possibly because they were now part of the Vannius regime, which was centered near the Danube. Evidence suggests the Marcomanni population also moved or became more active near the Morava river, while the Quadi and Vannius’s kingdom expanded eastward toward modern-day Hungary. After Vannius’s defeat, archaeological findings show increased Germanic presence just north of the Danube in present-day Lower Austria, Moravia, and western Slovakia. This region also received more goods from the Roman Empire. The organization of the Marcomanni and Quadi into separate kingdoms is unclear, but it is believed the Marcomanni’s territory now extended into the Danubian area, possibly including parts of Moravia and Lower Austria west of the Little Carpathians.
In 69 AD, during the "Year of the Four Emperors," two kings, Sido and Italicus (possibly Vangio’s son), fought for Vespasian in a Roman civil war. Tacitus described them as Suebian kings loyal to Rome. They were present at the second battle of Bedriacum near Cremona in 69 AD.
The Quadi and Marcomanni generally had a stable relationship with the Romans, but this changed under Emperor Domitian between 89–97 AD. The Quadi and Marcomanni refused to help the Romans in a conflict against the Dacians. In 89 AD, Domitian entered Pannonia to fight, killed peace envoys sent to him, and was defeated by the Marcomanni. This campaign was called the war against the Suebi, or the Suebi and Sarmatians, or the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians. Relations improved again during Emperor Nerva’s reign (96–98 AD).
Marcomannic Wars
The relationship between the Romans and the Quadi and their neighbors became more serious and lasting during the long series of conflicts called the Marcomannic or Germanic wars. These wars happened mostly during the rule of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who led Rome from 161 to 180 AD.
In the 150s or 160s AD, 6,000 Langobardi (Lombards from present-day northern Germany) and Obii (a group whose identity is unclear) crossed the Lower Danube into Roman lands. They were quickly defeated by Roman forces. Dio Cassius, a Roman historian, wrote that these events worried other barbarian groups. Some of these groups chose Ballomarius, king of the Marcomanni, and ten other leaders to send a peace mission to the Roman governor of Pannonia. Oaths were made, and the envoys returned home. Some scholars believe the Quadi may have been involved in this attack or allowed it to happen. At the same time, the Quadi and their neighbors faced their own problems with raiders from the north and had been trying to get more help from the Roman Empire. The Romans were planning a campaign in Germania and knew Italy was under pressure, but they focused on diplomacy while dealing with the Parthian campaign in the Middle East and the Antonine plague. The Historia Augusta, a historical text, especially blamed the Marcomanni and Victohali for causing confusion while other tribes were pushed by distant barbarians.
A Roman offensive could not begin in 167 AD, but two new legions were created. In 168 AD, the two emperors, Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius, started traveling across the Alps. Either before the Romans moved in 167 AD or after the Romans stopped in 169 AD (when Verus died), the Marcomanni and Quadi led an attack across the Danube and invaded Italy. They destroyed the town of Opitergium (now Oderzo) and attacked Aquileia, an important city. The Historia Augusta says that when the Romans acted, several barbarian kings withdrew, and some barbarians executed anti-Roman leaders. Specifically, the Quadi, after losing their king, said they would not choose a new leader without the emperors’ approval.
Marcus Aurelius returned to Rome but went north again in the autumn of 169 AD. He set up a headquarters in Carnuntum, located between present-day Vienna and Bratislava. From there, he received messages from groups north of the Danube. Some groups were allowed to settle in the empire, while others were recruited to fight for Rome. The Quadi were calmed, and in 171 AD, they left their alliance, returned deserters, and gave back 13,000 prisoners. They also provided horses and cattle as war payments and promised not to let Marcomanni or Iazyges pass through their land. By 173 AD, the Quadi rebelled again and replaced their Roman-approved king, Furtius, with Ariogaisos. In a major battle between 172 and 174 AD, a Roman force nearly lost until a sudden rainstorm helped them defeat the Quadi. This event is well-known because of Dio Cassius’s account and the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. By 175 AD, cavalry from the Marcomanni, Naristae, and Quadi were forced to move to the Middle East. In 176 AD, Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus celebrated a victory over Germania and Sarmatia.
The situation remained unstable in later years. Rome declared a new war in 177 AD and launched an attack in 178 AD, naming the Marcomanni, Hermunduri, Sarmatians, and Quadi as enemies. In 179 AD, the Romans won a major battle against them at Laugaricio (now Trenčín in Slovakia) under the command of Marcus Valerius Maximianus. By 180 AD, the Quadi and Marcomanni were under Roman control, with 20,000 Roman soldiers stationed in both their lands. The Romans blocked mountain passes to stop them from moving north to live with the Semnones. Marcus Aurelius was considering creating a new province called Marcomannia when he died in 180 AD.
After Marcus Aurelius’s death in 180 AD, his son Commodus made peace but did not create the new province. Some Marcomanni were settled in Italy and other parts of the empire, while others were forced to serve in the Roman army.
Third century
Around 214/215 AD, Dio Cassius wrote that because of attacks on Pannonia, Emperor Caracalla invited the Quadi king Gaiobomarus to meet him and then had him killed. According to this report, Caracalla said he used trickery to overcome the carelessness, greed, and dishonesty of the Germans, as these traits could not be defeated by force. He was proud of his hostility with the Vandili and Marcomanni, who had once been allies, and of killing Gaiobomarus.
During the third century, the center of the Suebians’ activity along the Danube moved east, near the modern border of Slovakia and Hungary. This likely shows the growing influence of the Quadi and the declining influence of the Marcomanni.
During the reign of Emperor Philip the Arab (244–249 AD), who stopped giving gifts to the Goths in Ukraine under Ostrogotha, the 6th-century writer Jordanes believed the Marcomanni also paid tribute to this same Gothic king. The princes of the Quadi were effectively slaves to the Goths.
During the reign of Emperor Valerian (253–260 AD), the historian Zosimus reported that the Marcomanni traveled with Scythians (which included Goths and other groups from Ukraine), attacking areas near the Roman Empire and destroying Thessalonica. Valerian’s son, Gallienus (253–268 AD), moved the Marcomanni into the Roman province of Pannonia Superior, south of the Danube. He also took Pipa, the daughter of the Marcomanni king Attalus, as a concubine.
Although details are unclear, Emperor Diocletian claimed a victory over the Marcomanni in 299 AD.
Fourth century and later
The Quadi and other groups were still mentioned by historians in the 400s, but not much was known about the Marcomanni until after the death of Emperor Valentinian I in 375 AD and the Roman loss to the Goths, Alans, and Huns at the Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD. It appears the Rugii and Heruli may have moved into the Marcomanni’s traditional lands during this time. The Laterculus Veronensis, a list from around 314, shows the Heruli and Rugii were already in western Europe. Later lists, such as the Cosmographia of Julius Honorius and the Liber Generationis, also mention the Heruli, Marcomanni, and Quadi in the same region where the Herule kingdom later appeared.
The Battle of Adrianople had a major effect on the Middle Danubian region, both inside and outside the Roman Empire. Though details are unclear, the Romans quickly tried new ways to settle large groups of newcomers. One group, led by Alatheus and Saphrax, was placed in the Roman-controlled Pannonian area south of the Marcomanni and expected to serve in the Roman army. Rome lost control of lands beyond the Danube and even parts of Pannonia itself. The Goths, Alans, and Huns gained control over areas in Southeast Europe, including parts still within the empire, and many of these groups joined the Roman military.
After Emperor Theodosius I died in 395, Saint Jerome listed the Marcomanni, Quadi, Vandals, and Sarmatians, along with other groups causing problems in Roman provinces from Constantinople to the Julian Alps, including Dalmatia and Pannonia. Claudian wrote about these groups crossing the frozen Danube with wagons and arranging them like a wall when facing the Roman commander Stilicho. He described the lands between the Black Sea and Adriatic as deserts, including Dalmatia and Pannonia. Around the same time, the Gothic general Alaric I, who had fought for the Romans under Theodosius, began a rebellion that led to the creation of the Visigoths. Alaric was motivated by Roman conflicts after Theodosius’s death. Claudian claimed both Alaric’s group and others crossing the Danube were influenced by Rufinus, an Eastern Roman official.
Soon after, Bishop Ambrose of Milan (374–397) wrote to a Christian Marcomanni queen named Fritigil, helping negotiate peace between the Marcomanni and the Roman leader Stilicho. The Notitia Dignitatum, a list from around 420 AD, mentions a Marcomanni tribune who answered to Roman officials in northern Noricum and Pannonia, now part of Austria. These are the last clear records of the Marcomanni having a group or kingdom, likely on the Roman or southern side of the Danube. The Romans may have assigned the Marcomanni to defend Roman lands, and Marcomanni soldiers were spread across the empire. The Notitia Dignitatum also lists Marcomanni soldiers in Italy and North Africa.
The Roman population in Noricum remained until about 500, as noted by Eugippius, but Pannonia to the east was taken over by newcomers. In 406, a large group led by a Goth named Radagaisus invaded Italy and was defeated by Roman and allied forces. Other groups from the Danubian region left permanently and moved into Roman Gaul. In 409, Saint Jerome wrote that people from Roman Pannonia had joined non-Roman neighbors like the Quadi, Vandals, and Sarmatians and traveled west to settle in Gaul. The Marcomanni may have been among these groups, as well as the Suebi who later settled in the Roman province of Gallaecia.
In the Danubian area, Attila became a leader, and Suebi were part of his forces. Though ancient records did not specifically name the Marcomanni or Quadi, later sources like Paulus Diaconus listed groups Attila could call on, including the Marcomanni, Suebi, Quadi, Heruli, Thuringi, and Rugii. This suggests the Marcomanni may have been present at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451. Scholars debate whether the Marcomanni or Quadi were still distinct from other Suebi at this time.
After Attila’s death in 453, a Suebian kingdom led by Hunimund and Alaric appeared in or near northeastern Pannonia. Later records, like the Ravenna Cosmography, mention the Marcomanni (Marconnorum gens) holding Pannonia Valeria, likely a mix of Suebi and Quadi. After being defeated by the Ostrogoths, some Suebi joined the Alemanni. This is also the first mention of the early Bavarians (Baiuvarii), who lived south of the Danube near the Alemanni in former Roman territory. Scholars believe the Baiuvarii may have included Marcomanni.
In the Sava region of Pannonia, Suebi continued to exist during the Ostrogothic rule of Italy. These Suebi were legally separated from native populations as "old barbarians" and allowed to marry locals, becoming landowners. Some scholars think these Suebi were descendants of the Christian Marcomanni under Queen Fritigil. During Theoderic the Great’s reign, Alemanni crossed the Alps to join these Suebi. In 537, the Ostrogoths used Suebi soldiers to attack Eastern Roman territories. By 540, Ostrogothic control of the Sava region ended, and the Suebi came under Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian’s rule.
In the 530s, the Langobardi (Lombards), who had moved south over generations, entered the Sava area. By the 540s, the Eastern Roman Empire gave control of this region to the Lombards.
Other
There is a runic alphabet known as the Marcomannic runes, but they are not thought to be connected to the Marcomanni.
Classical sources
- Caesar's De Bello Gallico, available at The Latin Library
- Tacitus's Germania, available at The Latin Library
- Tacitus's Annales, available at The Latin Library