tribal confederation · Germany and Central Europe

Angrivarii

1 CE – 300 CE (approx.)

A Germanic people of the middle Weser whose earthen boundary wall became the site of a major battle between Germanicus and Arminius in 16 CE.

Origins

The Angrivarii lived on both banks of the middle Weser, north of the Cherusci, in what is now Lower Saxony and eastern Westphalia. They appear in Roman sources around the time of Drusus' campaigns, and were at times allies, at times enemies of Rome.

Rule and society

Little is known of their government. Tacitus mentions a broad earthwork they had built to mark their boundary with the Cherusci; in 16 CE Germanicus fought the Battle of the Angrivarian Wall there after his victory at Idistaviso. After a revolt against Rome they submitted and returned Roman captives bought from other tribes.

Decline and legacy

Around 98 Tacitus reports that the Angrivarii and Chamavi had moved into the lands of the defeated Bructeri. They were later absorbed into the Saxons; their name survives in Engern (Angria), one of the three provinces of Old Saxony, alongside Westphalia and Eastphalia.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

AngrivariiSaxons 280 CE – 804 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Angrivarii. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/angrivarii
MLA
“Angrivarii.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/angrivarii. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Angrivarii.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/angrivarii.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Angrivarii’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/angrivarii (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻