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From the Margins to the Mainstream: Dutch History to 1384 - The Roman Netherlands - The Establishment of Roman Power

6 important questions on From the Margins to the Mainstream: Dutch History to 1384 - The Roman Netherlands - The Establishment of Roman Power

Who were the two antagonists of Caesar?

Caesar's own histories identified two of his chief antagonists, who may have inhabited the southern parts of the present-day Netherlands: the Menapii in the west and the Eburones in the east. For the next several years, they were at war against Rome.

How did the Romans made use of the Batavians?

They made use of the Batavians by exempting them from tribute in exchange for the use of their troops. In an effective show of force in 12 BC they easily subdued the Frisians in the north and west of the current Netherlands and moved far east of the Rhine.

What happened in the Rhine in AD 69? Who was at the center of it?

The Rhine was not always a stable boundary, and the occasion for its breach in AD 69 was, as it had been with the Frisians, a revolt against Roman injustice.
The Batavians, who provided Rome with large numbers of auxiliary soldiers, some of whom had helped to conquer Britain, were at the center of the revolt.

What led to the Batavian revolt?

One of Nero's fleeting successors demanded that the Batavians be conscripted into the Roman army instead of volunteering as they had always done.
This led to a full-scale revolt by the Batavians, aided by other Germanic tribes on the far side of the Rhine.

What did emperor Vespasian do?

The end of the civil war enabled its winner, the new Emperor Vespasian, to send a large Roman force to retake the lost provinces.
By the end of AD 70, as Rome made use of its superior military power, he forced a negotiated peace on his opponents.

What did the Batavian revolt lead to?

The Batavians were restored in their role as auxiliary soldiers for the empire. The revolt achieved little, though it became the basis of a later popular myth that the Dutch were descendants of the freedom-loving Batavians (a myth made highly questionable by the probability that the Batavians eventually migrated out of the Netherlands).

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

A Concise History of the Netherlands | 9780521699174 | James C Kennedy

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