thumb|300px|The approximate positions of some [[Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the first century.]]

thumb|right|Lower Ems

The Ampsivarii, sometimes referenced by modern writers as Ampsivari (a simplification not warranted by the sources), were a Germanic tribe mentioned by ancient authors.

Their homeland was originally around the middle of the river Ems, which flows into the North Sea at the Dutch-German border. Most likely they lived between the Bructeri minores (located at the delta of the river IJssel) and the Bructeri maiores, who were living south of them on the upper Ems. It is supposed that their name is a Latin rendering of the Germanic "Ems-werer", meaning "men of the Ems". Reconstruction of the location of other tribes in the area places the Ampsivarii on the lower Ems. The names of least two modern towns reflect that of the river and tribe: Emden (in Germany) and Emmen (in the Netherlands).

Subsequently, the Chauci attacked them (the year 58) and drove them from their lands on the Ems. They became refugees, hosted by various tribes in the west of Germany. Meanwhile, the Roman army had cleared out the lower Rhine, which they were using as a no-man's land between Germany and Roman Gaul. The principate had resolved to stop imperial expansion at the Rhine.

The Ampsivarii now made a bid for the land, petitioning the Roman commander in the region. Their chief Boiocalus reminding them of his 50 years of loyalty. The petition went sour, but Tacitus does not clarify the reason. The Romans were insisting on the meliorum imperia, the "authority of betters", which seems to imply that the Ampsivarii were being invited to throw in their lot with the Romans. In one quote the Ampsivarii appear again some few hundred years after their loss in Tacitus. In the quote, a Roman general of Frankish family, Arbogastes (died 394), attacked the Franks across the Rhine and works some devastation. A force of Chatti and Ampsivarii under Marcomer was seen on a distant hill, but the two did not engage. The circumstances imply that some Ampsivarii had found refuge among the Chatti and still held a tribal identity.

Notitia Dignitatum

thumb|200px|Shield pattern of the Ampsivarii. According to [[Notitia Dignitatum, there was an auxilia palatina, under the command of the magister peditum.]]

Not long after the death of Arbogastes the emperor, Honorius, had little time to spend on the Franks, as Italy was being overrun by Goths. Honorius was the emperor who replied to the British request for help against Anglo-Saxon invaders that they should defend themselves as best they could. The Notitia Dignitatum, which lists Roman units and their heraldry, indicates that the Franks were taken as auxiliaries into the Roman army. A unit of Ampsivarii appears there.

See also

  • List of ancient Germanic peoples
  • Barbarian invasions

References

  • Book XIII Chapter 55: Events in the North. The Ampsivarii(AD 58)
  • The Annals by P. Cornelius Tacitus