The Chattuarii: A Name between Chatti and Franks

The Chattuarii (Attuarii) were a Germanic tribe on the Lower Rhine, whose name points to a kinship with the mighty Chatti.

On the Rhine and beyond

Over time the Chattuarii shifted towards the Rhine. They appear in Roman sources as opponents and neighbours and belonged to the smaller peoples who shaped the restless Rhine region.

In the Frankish league

Like the Chamavi, the Chattuarii merged into the Frankish league. Their name lived on in the Frankish district of Hattuaria (Hetter, on the Lower Rhine) – near our region.

"Between Rhine and Weser dwelt Chatti, Chattuarii and many more."freely after ancient tradition (public domain, own translation)

Kin of the Chatti

The Chattuarii (Attuarii) were a Germanic tribe whose name points to a close connection with the powerful Chatti in Hesse. Over time their centre of gravity shifted to the Lower Rhine – into the landscape north-west of our home.

On the Lower Rhine

Their settlement area lay around the lower Rhine, in the region around today's Kleve and Xanten. Thus the Chattuarii belonged to the Rhine Germani who lived for centuries on the border between free Germania and the Roman Empire – now as enemies, now as allies of Rome.

Against Rome and with Rome

Like many Rhine tribes the Chattuarii were caught up in the campaigns of the early imperial period. Roman generals like Drusus and Germanicus operated in their vicinity. Later Germani of this region also supplied soldiers for the Roman army.

In the Frankish confederation

In the Migration Period the Chattuarii merged into the great confederation of the Franks. As a Frankish subgroup they took part in the rise of the kingdom that would finally shape the whole Rhineland.

The district of Hattuaria

Their name outlasted them in the landscape: the medieval district of Hattuaria (Hetter) around Xanten and Kleve recalls the Chattuarii to this day. Thus a part of their name survived on the Lower Rhine, long after the tribe itself had vanished.

Neighbours of our home

The Lower Rhine lies right next to us – the Chattuarii thus belong to the Germanic-Frankish heritage of our wider home. At GLANZ & GRAVUR we like to tell such regional stories, because they show how deeply the past is rooted in our landscape.

The Chattuarii belong to the Rhine peoples of the Franks' emergence. Continue with the Chatti and Franks.

Read more with us

The Chatti · The Franks · The Chamavi · The Bructeri · The Sugambri.

Sources & literature

• Image credit (header image): “Auenlandschaft am Niederrhein”, Bislich, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
Velleius Paterculus; Strabo; Frankish sources; quote public domain (own translation).

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