Thusnelda

Biography

Thusnelda was the daughter of Segestes and the wife of Arminius — caught between her husband and her father in the most consequential conflict in early Germanic history. Arminius had abducted her from her father's house and married her against Segestes's wishes; their union was the personal dimension of the political rift between the pro-Roman and anti-Roman factions of the Cherusci. She was captured by Germanicus in 15 AD when his troops relieved the siege of Segestes's camp. She was pregnant at the time. According to Tacitus, she showed no emotion, shed no tears, and met her captivity with a dignity that impressed even the Romans who had taken her. Her son — named Thumelicus — was born in Roman captivity in Ravenna. Both mother and son were taken to Rome for Germanicus's triumph in 17 AD, where the Roman public marveled at the composed Germanic queen walking through the streets of the city that had destroyed her husband's world. What became of Thusnelda after the triumph is unknown. Her son Thumelicus was apparently trained as a gladiator and died in the arena in unknown circumstances. Tacitus called it a fate unworthy of his lineage.