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Home , 58 BC, Atuatuca, Bibracte, Brennus, Coriosolites, Gauls

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Caesar Conquers , Penetrates and Britain, 59-51 B.C.

By the first century B.C., had come so thoroughly to survivors to return to their homeland to serve as a buffer against dominate the Mediterranean area that Greeks, Macedonians, other Germanic tribes. Spaniards, Egyptians, Numidians, and others who occupied Caesar perceived that the disunity of the presented territory adjacent to that great body of water bowed to the city a danger and an opportunity. The danger was that powerful on the Tiber River. Although the Romans had succeeded over Germans like the would pour across the Rhenus () the course of three centuries since Brennus and the River and either conquer or unite with the Gauls to form an tribe sacked Rome in 386 B.C. in driving the Gauls out of the even greater threat to Rome’s frontier than already existed. Padus valley, pacifying all territory south of the and orga- The opportunity was that if he moved swiftly to seal the bor- nizing it as the province of Gallia Cisalpina, and even carving der between Gaul and , he could isolate the historic out a in southern Gaul called Gallia Transalpina but disunited enemies of Rome for conquest. Thus, he wanted (or ), vast lands in wild Gaul, Germania, and to strike eastward toward Vesontio to answer the appeal of the eastward on the European continent remained unknown and to aid them against . Except for the 10th unconquered. Particularly after Germanic tribes rampaged into Legion his army balked at the unauthorized campaign until he Illyricum and Gaul in the last quarter century of the second shamed them by insisting he would attack with only one le- century B.C. and inflicted terrible losses on Roman armies be- gion if necessary and conquer or die as the gods saw fit. March- fore being overcome and destroyed, Roman commanders lis- ing unexpectedly between the eastern foothills of the Vosges tened to report of new incursions of with deadly mountains and the Rhenus, he attacked the Suebi at the wan- seriousness. Add to the mix that the proconsul in command of ing of the moon to take advantage of superstition Gallia Cisalpina, Gallia Transalpina, and Illyricum with six le- against fighting at such time. In a great rout, he drove them gions in 58 B.C. was the ambitious and ruthless Gaius Julius back across the river, killing 80,000. Caesar, aware that military victories always translated into po- Suddenly, Caesar’s legions came to believe what Caesar litical power in Rome, and the following events can better be already knew—that their military skill and tactical advantage understood. in battle made them Roman wolves among barbarian sheep. Hearing in spring 58 B.C. that the north of the Thus, he had little difficulty recruiting two more legions in his Alps, defeated in 102 B.C. by Marius and chased out of provinces over the winter and convincing his officers to plan a by Sulla, had merged with the Helveti, a larger tribe numbering new campaign north into the third of Gaul he called Gallia 300,000 people (with reputedly 190,000 fighting men), and were Belgica ostensibly to retaliate against the various tribes preparing as an advance guard of the Helveti to migrate west- for raiding into Sequani territory but actually to conquer new ward across Gaul in search of wider lands to contain their lands, treasure, and slaves for Rome. No match for the disci- growing populations, Caesar sent Legate Titus Labienus with plined legions and their cunning commander, several were one legion up the Rhodanus valley to rebuff them on the Isara swiftly defeated and the Nervi, the most powerful, lost 60,000 River. He then came up with his other five legions to block the men in battle. At once Caesar dispatched Publius Licinius Helveti near Lake Geneva and turn them back. Receiving an Crassus, the triumvir’s son, to obtain the submission of tribes appeal by the from their of that Ariovistus in the northwest of Gaul while he approached the English Chan- and the Germanic Suebi were threatening the Sequani Gauls, nel. Legions garrisoned at key sites in northeastern and cen- he continued northward toward Bibracte. The Helveti unex- tral Gaul imposed a veneer of order over Rome’s vast newly pectedly followed and offered battle. There before Bibracte, conquered territory. Caesar had to call a halt to further cam- Caesar defeated the barbarians and went on to storm their paigning to deal with the political situation at home. wagon camp in a fight that lasted until midnight. After slaugh- In April 56 B.C., Caesar journeyed to Luca in Cisalpine tering 200,000 men, women, and children, he permitted 100,000 Gaul to meet with Pompeius, Crassus, and 200 senators to

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arrange for continuation of his com- mand in Gaul, more money, and ad- ditional legions. In his absence, Publius Crassus sent envoys to collect grain from the , Esubii, and of the northwest. However, they were promptly taken prisoner, which provoked Caesar when he returned to move ruth- lessly to suppress the revolt. While Labienus kept watch on the Belgae, Legate attacked the Coriosolites, and Crassus drove south into Gallia Aquitania, Caesar marched through Veneti territory to the ocean. He

finally overcame them in a naval battle commanded by Decimus driving the Menapi out of their lands at the mouth of that great Junius Brutus Albinus in Quiberon Bay. The entire Veneti river. At first he thought it wise to conclude a truce and open population was enslaved and the leaders were executed. negotiations, but after lulling them into a false sense of secu- Just as Caesar feared, two more Germanic tribes—the rity attacked and destroyed three quarters of their people, men, and —crossed the Rhenus in spring 55 B.C., women, and children. When the remnant took refuge east of

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the Rhenus with the Sugambri, he used that as a pretext to and 80,000 of the enemy. When the barbarians took refuge in bridge the river and ravage Sugambri lands for 18 days. Al- the hilltop fortress of , he built walls of circumvellation though his political enemies in Rome, led by Marcus Porcius around the place such as his uncle Marius told him the great Cato, proposed that for violating a truce and massacring so Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus used to besiege Numantia many people without pity he should be handed over to the in 134-133 B.C., then desperately staved off attacks by a Germans, majority sentiment was approval that dangerous en- Gallic relieving force of 248,000 under Commius. emies of Rome had been punished. capitulated and was transported in chains to Rome, to lan- The Gauls apparently pacified and the Germans intimi- guish in prison for six years before walking in Caesar’s tri- dated, Caesar crossed the late in the year in a umph and being ritually strangled. hastily constructed invasion fleet, landed in Britannia, and Assembling a powerful force of seven legions, Caesar compelled the stunned submission of minor tribes. However, drove north in spring 51 B.C. against the and crushed storms destroyed his ships; under attack by more powerful all resistance in central Gaul. However, with exasperation, he tribes, he repaired the fleet and sailed back to Gaul. learned that yet another uprising had occurred at Uxellodonum Returning to Britannia in spring 54 B.C. with five legions in southwest Gaul, where Gallic survivors of the force led by and a contingent of Gallic , Caesar marched inland, won Commius were hold up. Racking his brain how to stamp out a victory near the modern site of Canterbury, returned to the once and for all rebellion and free himself to deal with the coast after another storm damaged his ships, crossed the coming political showdown with Pompeius Magnus that would Thames River, overawed the Trinovantes tribe, and defeated ignite into the Second Roman Civil War, he remembered what King Casivellaunus of the Catuvellauni tribe in battle. South- his uncle Marius once quoted the great Scipio Aemilianus as east Britannia therefore fell under his nominal sway. When he saying, that massacres are sometimes not the answer when withdrew to Gaul, however, no garrisons were left. dealing with stiff-necked barbarians because they do not fear Encouraged and supported by the Sugambri, King death. Thus, when he surrounded Uxellodonum and forced and the , as well as the and Menapi, its surrender, he did not annihilate the survivors but cut off attacked two legions garrisoned for the winter at the hands of all prisoners. This ruthless tactic had been used commanded by Sabinus and Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta while by Scipio Aemilianus at Lutia during the siege of Numantia. the surviving Nervi of 60,000 men besieged Legate Quintus After that, Gaul was truly pacified. Tullius , the orator’s brother, and a single legion in his In nearly a decade of campaigning in Gaul, Caesar killed camp. Caesar returned in time from Britannia to crush them all, one million of its three million people and captured and en- then with two legions crossed the Rhenus a second time to slaved another million. The million who remained made ac- punish the Sugambri. He now realized that he needed more commodation with the new state of affairs. men to hold his conquest. In 53 B.C., he borrowed two more legions from Pompeius and raised another in . In early 52 B.C., a massa- cre of Roman officials at touched off a gen- eral rebellion of tribes in cen- tral Gaul led by the Arvernian chieftain Vercingetorix. Caught by surprise, Caesar hastened back with a small es- cort through snow and hostile territory to reach the legions in their garrison camps. Boldly, he marched to unite disparate units and beat off Gallic forces while reducing strongholds and securing supplies. Re- uniting with Labienus, whom he had dispatched to attack the Bellovaci north of Agedincum, he clashed with Vercingetorix

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