Publius Quintilius Varus (v. 46 av. J. - C. - 9 a. J. - C.), general Roman.

Born in an equestrian family, he is the son of Sextus Quinctilius Varus, related to the Republican party. In the year 7, Auguste charges it with organizing the Germanie already conquered on Right Bank of the the Rhine. Its attempt to substitute the Roman law to the Germanic right exasperates the populations.

Arminius, chief of the Chérusques, was made accept little by little by Varus. The German ones seemed to want to accept the Roman domination, while requiring more and more often, for example, in Varus to judge their disagreements.

With the autumn of the year 9 a. J. - C., Arminius informed Varus that a rising had taken place in the grounds inside the Germanie. At once, the Roman general started himself at the head of three legions (the XVII, XVIII and XIX) and of the troops of the Germain Arminius. This last knew well the Roman army, in which it had formerly been useful, and its tactical wheels. Once arrived in an area of marsh and wood, the German auxiliary troops left the Romans to join other tribes: the Bataille of Teutoburg (or massacres it) lasted several days. The place of the battle, place sought by many German historians during years, discovered and was authenticated in an unquestionable way in 1989. The battle took place with Kalkriese, 15 km in the North of Osnabrück. The Roman troops were massacred, Varus committed suicide while being thrown on its sword. Its head was cut, its mutilated body. Its head arrived then at the Auguste emperor who had this sentence: " Varus, return to me my légions".

It is following this disaster, most serious since the Bataille of Cannes, that the Romans reorganized their border into Germanic, on the edges of the Rhine, while being protected behind the Limes, the strengthened border.