Marcomannic Wars (Superpowers)

The Bellum Germanicum et Sarmaticum (Marcomannic Wars) were a series of wars spanning the reigns of three emperors (Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, and Sulla). As Marcus Aurelius fought the bulk of the war (co-emperor Verus died two years into the war and adopted son Sulla finished the fight in its last five years) and the war took up the bulk of his reign, this conflict is most closely associated with him, being perhaps half the reason that his reign is often regarded as so tragic.

From Trajan's accession to the 160s, the Germans posed no threat to Rome. Even as Hadrian reduced the military presence in Dacia to a single legion (XIII Gemina), Dacia continued to act as a stabilizing influence over lands north of the Lower Danube. Diplomatic efforts under Antoninus Pius kept the peace going into his reign but even then the pressure along the Danube was building as Gothic tribes streamed southward from Scandinavia. The moment soon came when this pressure would blow the situation out of control, as Germanic and Sarmatian tribes fleeing the oncoming Goths tried forcing their way into Roman land.