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The Juthungi (, ) were a Germanic peoples in the region north of the rivers Danube and Altmühl in what is now the modern German state of Bavaria.
The tribe was mentioned by a few Roman Empire historians, including Publius Herennius Dexippus and Ammianus Marcellinus, stretching from the 3rd to the 5th century CE.
Their name appears together with that of the Semnones, leading some people to believe that they might have been one and the same. This, however, there is no etymological or historical proofs to prove or even indicate, they most likely just raided together a few times since the Semnoni is said to have become a part of the Alemanni by the 3rd century whom the Juthungi were almost constantly associated with. Their name is likely related to that of the "Jutes", with the classical Germanic "-Ungi" suffix added. Meaning "Jute-Ungi/Juthungi", the Jutings. Like the danish "Scyldings", which in Danish is pronounced "Skjoldunger" ("Skjold" meaning = Shield, and "-Unger" meaning = "-Ings").
The Juthungi invaded Italy again in 271, defeating the Romans at the Battle of Placentia, but they were repulsed by Aurelian after the Battle of Fano and Battle of Pavia. Around this time, during the reign of Aurelian (270-75), Dexippus reports that Aurelian prepared a show of Roman force as part of diplomatic negotiations with the tribe.
Between 356 and 358 the Juthungi and the Alamanni invaded the province of Raetia, and destroyed Regensburg, which was the Roman capital of the province, and one of the biggest Roman military camps in south Germany, with massive stone walls and a village.
A second invasion of Raetia in 383 was repelled by an army of Alans and Huns. Between 429 and 431 the Roman general Aëtius also fought against the Juthungi in Raetia. He was unsuccessful, however, and so the Romans never tried or got the chance to fight them again.
No leader of the tribe was ever recorded, but it is likely that they were ruled under one king in the beginning, whereas they later might have split off into several groups all being led by different leaders set in different places.
Fate of the Juthungi
The Roman historians often generalized multiple Germanic tribes with terms like Alamanni, Franks or Bavarians, so it is difficult to determine the precise fate of the Juthungi after their defeats and into the 4th and 5th centuries CE. It is likely that the Juthungi integrated into one of the Germanic tribal federations—perhaps the Alemanni, since they were mentioned together in multiple histories.
Historical mentions of the Juthungi
See also
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