Gaius Varus

Gaius Varus (b. c. 17 BC) son of General Publius Quinctilius Varus, was studying in Athens at the time of his father's governorship of Germany. Varus missed his son and found a substitute in the Cherusci chieftain Arminius. Varus' emotions in this matter blinded him to signs that Arminius was not as trustworthy as he seemed, leading to utter disaster.

Literary comment
Harry Turtledove seems to have overstated this character's historical basis in the Historical Note of Give Me Back My Legions!. He states that Varus had a son but that this son's personal name is not known, so he came up with Gaius himself. In fact, a son of Varus is well attested in historical records: Publius Quinctilius Varus (AD 4-27), who was only five years old at his father's death. Certain copies of Josephus' Antiquities contain a reference to an older son, who served alongside Varus in Syria, but this particular manuscript is considered questionable by scholars, and the older son is not acknowledged by most historians. Turtledove's description of the character is wholly speculative.