History
The major stages of the country's history at a glance
A few milestones to place the major stages in the country's formation and transformation — not an exhaustive summary of its history.
Antiquity
The present-day territory was inhabited by Germanic peoples, partly facing the Roman Empire along the limes, before the rise of the Frankish kingdom.
Milestones
AD 9
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
A Roman defeat at the hands of a Germanic coalition, which helped fix the Roman frontier on the Rhine.