Roman Conquest of Gaul

B.C. 58-52

Rome — versus — Gauls of Transalpine Gaul (Modern France)

Introduction : 

Vercingetorix before Caesar

Caesars's Campaign in Gaul lasted from 58 to 52 B.C., and resulted in the complete subjugation of the Gallic tribes in the entire region of modern France. By comparison, the Roman Conquest of Hispania, which was populated with similar indigenous tribes, took over one hundred years to accomplish. There were several important differences however. First, By 58 B.C. the Gallic tribes in Hispania and others who lived near Roman territories were engaged in considerable trade with Rome, and had seen some of the benefits of their more advanced civilization. The idea of submitting to Roman rule, while not desirable, was not considered by many Gauls to be a bane to be avoided at all cost. During his wars, Caesar had Gallic allies, many Gauls served in his legions, and most of his campaigns in the region began when one tribe invited him to help them conquer an enemy.

Secondly, the Germanic tribes on the other side of the Rhine, who were considerably less civilized than the Gauls, were beginning to push into Gallic territory, and were considered by the eastern Gauls to be a greater threat than Rome. Much of Caesar's early fighting was in those regions of Gaul most threatened by the Germans, and his victories there did much to convince many of the Gallic tribes to submit to him without battle. By 54 B.C. almost all of Gaul had submitted to Caesar, either by force or by treaty, and it was only the rebellion that broke out the following year, led by Vercingetorix, that caused the wars to drag on for another two years.

Most of Caesar's greatest battles in Gaul were fought in the first two years of the war, where he engaged on behalf of tribes threatened by German expansion, and during the last two years of the war, when he put down the rebellion of Vercingetorix. During the interim years, 55-54, he had enough time on his hands to raise a navy and lead an expedition to Britain. During these years he also wrote much of his great treatise on the Gallic Wars, Commentarii de Bello Gallico, a work famous not only for its history of the war itself, but also for its insights into Gallic and Roman civilization and character.

Campaigns in Eastern Gaul : 58-57 B.C.

German Women Captured by Caesar's Forces

The Gallic Wars began when Caesar was called by friendly Gallic tribes in the region of the Rhone river to prevent a planned migration of the Helvetti. The Helvetti were a Gallic tribe settled in modern Switzerland that was planning a mass migration to the West. There were several reasons for this, but one important one was that their territory bordered on the German regions, and they sought land farther away from the aggressive tribes of barbarians. Their Gallic neighbors, and Rome, preferred to have them remain were they were as a buffer against German expansion, so after negotiations failed, and the Helvetti were already en route, the Romans attacked and forced the survivors back to their abandoned territory. Caesar quickly followed up this victory by siding with a Gallic tribe against a German King, Ariovistus, who was already settled west of the Rhine. At the battle of Vosges (a.k.a. Muhlhausen), the Romans drive the Germans back, much to the delight of the surrounding Gallic tribes. Having worked his way up the Rhine Valley, the next few battles were against the Belgae and Nervii, or tribes of the Northern Rhine. Caesar speaks very favorable of the extreme bravery and resilience of these tribes in opposing him, although in the end they were all routed with great loss. The resulting victories not only gave Caesar control of all of Belgae, but they induced a great number of other Gallic tribes to submit to him without further combat. Although defeated, the Belgae were not yet pacified, as became clear a few years later.

Campaigns in Northern Gaul and Britain : 56-54

Caesar Landing in Britain.

The Romans now controlled the Rhine Valley, and were prepared to conquer Northern Gaul. The Veneti were a sea-faring tribe in the northwest that opposed submitting to Caesar, and were able to use their ships to navigate the surrounding oceans and rivers. After some provocation, Caesar set about to defeat them by destroying their fleet, and thus was fought the first naval battle in the Atlantic. The Veneti were dealt with harshly due to their stubborn resistance. Then next major engagement was another foray against Germans who had crossed into Gallic territories. This time, at Treveri an large tribe of Germans was driven back across the Rhine and massacred, neither women or children being spared. During this period there were no further rebellions in Gaul, and Caesar was free to investigate the Island that lay off the coast of Gaul, known as Britain. Two expeditions to Britain were launched, first in 55 B.C. and then on a larger scale in 54. There were a few skirmishes and hostages were taken, but before he could follow up in the invasion, he need to turn his attentions to a rebellion in the south.

Rebellion of Vercingetorix : 53-52 B.C.

Vercingetorix threw his arms at the feet of his conquerors.

In late 54 B.C., a legion encamped for the winter near the Rhine river was attacked by Ambiorix, the chief of the Eburones. The revolt at Adnatuca came as a complete surprise, and almost the entire army of 9,000 was wiped out. In was not until the following spring, that Caesar, with 10 legions was prepared to march into the rebellious territory and put down the offending tribes. By summertime he had pacified the whole region, but more trouble was brewing, this time in the south. Led by Vercingetorix, a chief of the Arverni tribe, a large number of disgruntled Celtic tribes in central Gaul were rebelling from Roman rule. Caesar immediately marched on and besieged their headquarters at Avaricum. The town fell, and the Romans massacred the entire population. The Gauls were not defeated yet however. They had had considerable success attacking the supply lines of the Romans and cutting off their food supplies. More Gallic nations joined in the rebellion, including several that Romans had considered trusty allies. The United Gauls formally elected Vercingetorix king, and continued to assert their independence from Rome, often by killing Roman citizens and traders in Gallic towns. Although not strong enough to meet the Romans in the open field, they continued their harassing tactics, and fortified the town of Gergovia. Again, the Romans besieged town, but this time they failed to make headway. Caesar was forced to retreat.

Caesar now fixed on a strategy of concentrating all of his forces, and recalled some of his legions spread out throughout Gaul. One legion, under Labienus was en route to a meeting with Caesar when they were attacked in the rear, but they quickly recovered and inflicted a severe defeat upon the Gauls. Finally, Caesar's united forces besieged Vercingetorix in Alesia. The town was one of over 80,000 and strongly fortified. This time Caesar built a wall all the way around the city and proceeded to starve the Gauls into submission. The tactic worked. Shortly after Vercingetorix saw an army of Gauls coming to relieve the town cut to pieces by the Romans, he surrendered the town to Caesar. With the loss of their leader, the rebellion subsided, and the Gauls submitted to Roman authority.

	Image Links
Caesar Landing in Britain  in Greatest Nations: Rome	Vercingetorix before Caesar  in Greatest Nations: Rome	German Women Captured by Caesar's Forces  in Greatest Nations: Rome
Vercingetorix threw his arms at the feet of his conquerors  in Story of France