Marcomannic War of 166-180

a war of Germanic and Sarmatian tribes against Rome, caused by the movements of these tribes on the western borders of the Roman Empire.

Crossing the Rhine-Danube border, the Marcomanni, Quadi, Hermunduri, Jazyges, and other tribes entered Italy. In A.D. 169 they began pouring into northern Italy, besieged Aquileia, and devastated the city of Opitergius. The war was waged with varying success. Only in 172-174 did Emperor Marcus Aurelius manage with great difficulty to stop the onslaught of the Marcomanni and the other tribes. According to the peace treaty signed in 175 the tribes were forced to accept a Roman protectorate. In 177 the Germanic tribes again began their advance. In 180 the Roman emperor Commodus concluded a treaty with them that restored the prewar boundaries between the Roman Empire and the tribes. The Romans had to build a new network of defensive fortifications on the Danube border.