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The 'Gallic Wars' were a series of military campaigns by several invading Roman legions under the command of Julius Caesar into Gaul, and the subsequent uprisings of the Gallic tribes. The Romans would also raid Britannia and Germania, but these expeditions never developed into full-scale invasions. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic over the whole of Gaul.
Although Caesar portrayed this invasion as being a defensive pre-emptive action, most historians agree that the wars were fought primarily to boost Caesar's political career and to pay off his massive debts. Still, one can not lightly discard the military importance of Gaul for the Romans themselves, who had been attacked several times by barbarian tribes both indigenous to Gaul and further to the north. Conquering Gaul allowed Rome to secure the natural border of the river Rhine.
This military campaign is painstakingly described by Julius Caesar himself in his book ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'', which still is the most important historical source. This book is also a masterwork of political propaganda, as Caesar was keenly interested in manipulating his readers in Rome.

Contents

Political background

Course

Campaign against the Helvetii - beginning of the war

The war against the Suebi

Punitive expeditions

Consolidation and rebellions

Strategic analysis

The Gallic Wars in literature and culture

Notes

References

Online Sources

Political background

In 58 BC, Julius Caesar ended his consulship in Rome, and was heavily indebted. However, being a member of the First Triumvirate — the political alliance composed of himself, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Pompey — he had secured for himself the governorship of two provinces, Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum. As Metellus Celer, governor of Transalpine Gaul, died unexpectedly, this province was also awarded to Caesar. Caesar's governorships were extended to an outstanding five-year period.
Under his direct command Caesar had initially four veteran legions: Legio VII, Legio VIII, Legio IX Hispana, and Legio X. Caesar knew personally most (perhaps even all) of these legions, as he had been governor of Hispania Ulterior in 61 BC and had campaigned successfully with them against the Lusitanians. Caesar also had the legal authority to levy additional legions and auxiliary units as he saw fit.
His ambition was clearly to conquer and to plunder some territories but it is likely that Gaul was not his initial target. It is very likely that he was planning a campaign into the Balkans against the kingdom of Dacia^[1].
The Gallic tribes on the other hand were quite civilized, wealthy, and totally divided. Many of them had traded with Roman merchants, and had been already influenced by Roman culture. Some of them had even changed their political systems from tribal monarchies into Rome-inspired republics.
The Romans respected and feared the Gallic and the Germanic tribes. In 109 BC, only fifty years before, Italy had been invaded, and saved only after several bloody and costly battles by Gaius Marius. Very recently the Germanic Suebi tribe had migrated into Gaul with their leader Ariovistus. It seemed that the tribes were beginning to move again.

Course

Campaign against the Helvetii - beginning of the war

By 61 BC, the Helvetii began to plan and to organize a mass migration, instigated by Orgetorix. On the whole, the Helvetii were rather dissatisfied with the extent of their territory, hemmed by the Germanic tribes, the Celtic Sequani, and by the Romans in Gallia Narbonensis. As a diplomat Orgetorix negotiated with the Sequani and the Aeduians. Orgetorix also made personal contacts and an alliance with Casticus and Dumnorix. He would even marry his daughter to the latter. Caesar accused all three men of having royal ambitions. For three whole years the Helvetii planned and prepared themselves. Emissaries were sent out to various Gallic tribes seeking safe passages and alliances.
In 58 BC Orgetorix's ambition was revealed to his tribesmen, and he was put to trial. He escaped, but was only to die later and not without the suspicion that it was by his own hand. Nevertheless, this whole affair did not discourage the Helvetii from their efforts. They were a warhardy tribe due to their constant fighting and their distance from what were seen to be more civilized cultures, and were also very numerous. As they departed, which Caesar dated to the 28th of March, they burned all their towns and their villages so as to discourage the thought of retreat, and were joined by neighbouring tribes: the Rauraci, the Tulingi, the Latovici, and the Boii. There were two available routes for them: the first one was the difficult and dangerous Pas de l'Ecluse, located between the Jura mountains and the Rhône River. The second one, which was much easier, would lead them to the town of Geneva, where the Lake Geneva flows into the Rhône River. There a bridge allowed passage over the river. These lands belonged to the Allobroges, a tribe which had been subdued by Rome, and as such these lands were under the influence of the Roman republic.
Meanwhile, Caesar was in Rome, and only a single legion was in Transalpine Gaul, the endangered province. As he was informed of these developments, he immediately hurried to Geneva, and besides ordering a levy of several auxiliary units, ordered the destruction of the bridge. The Helvetii sent an embassy under the leadership of Nammeius and Verucloetius, to negotiate a peaceful passage, promising to do no harm. Caesar, gaining valuable time, stalled the negotiations as his troops fortified their positions behind the river through a sixteen feet high rampart and a parallel running trench.

As the embassy returned, Caesar officially refused their request and warned them that any forceful attempt to cross the river would be opposed. Several attempts were quickly beaten off. The Helvetii turned back and entered negotiations with the Sequani to let them pass in a peaceful manner. Leaving his single legion under the command of his second-in-command Titus Labienus, Caesar quickly hurried to Cisalpine Gaul. Upon arrival, he took command of the three legions which were in Aquileia and also enrolled two new legions, the Legio XI and the Legio XII. At the head of these five legions, he went the quickest way through the Alps, crossing territories of several hostile tribes and fighting several skirmishes en route.
Meanwhile, the Helvetii had already crossed the territories of the Sequani, and were busy pillaging the lands of the Aedui, Ambarri, and Allobroges. These tribes were unable to oppose them, and as Roman allies asked for Caesar's help. Caesar obliged them and surprised the Helvetii as they were crossing the river Arar (modern Saône River). Three quarters of the Helvetii had already crossed, but one quarter, the Tigurine (a Helvetian clan), was still on the east bank. Three legions, under Caesar's command, surprised and defeated the Tigurine in the Battle of the Arar, inflicting great losses. The remaining Tigurini fled to neighbouring woods.
After the battle, the Romans built a bridge over the Saône to pursue the remaining Helvetii. The Helvetii sent an embassy led by Divico, but the negotiations failed. For a fortnight, the Romans maintained their pursuit until they ran into supply troubles. Apparently Dumnorix was doing everything in his power to delay the supplies. Accordingly, the Romans stopped their pursuit and headed for the Aeduian town of Bibracte. The tables were turned, and the Helvetii began to pursue the Romans, harassing their rear guard. Caesar chose a nearby hill to offer battle and the Roman legions stood to face their enemies.
In the ensuing Battle of Bibracte the legions smashed their opponents, and the defeated Helvetii offered their surrender which Caesar accepted. However, 6,000 men of the Helvetian clan of the Verbigeni fled to avoid capture. Upon Caesar's orders, other Gallic tribes captured and returned these fugitives, who were executed. Those who had surrendered were ordered back to their homeland to rebuild it, and the necessary supplies were organized to feed them, as they were far too useful as a buffer between the Romans and other northern tribes to let them migrate elsewhere. In the captured Helvetian camp a census written in Greek was found and studied: of a grand total of 368,000 Helvetii, of which 92,000 were able-bodied men, only 110,000 survivors were left to return home.

The war against the Suebi

Following this campaign, several Gallic aristocrats of almost every tribe arrived and congratulated Caesar for his victory. They called a Pan-Gallic meeting to discuss certain matters and invited Caesar to it.
In this meeting the deputies complained that because of the struggle between the Aedui and the Arverni, that a large number of Germanic mercenaries had been hired by the latter. These mercenaries who were led by Ariovistus, had betrayed their employers and taken the children of several Gallic aristocrats as hostages. They had won several battles, been heavily reinforced and the whole situation was getting out of control. Caesar intervened in the conflict and soundly defeated Ariovistus at the Battle of Vosges, driving the remaining Germanic forces back across the Rhine.
In 57 BC Caesar once again intervened in an intra-Gallic conflict, marching against the Belgae, who inhabited the area roughly bounded by modern-day Belgium and had recently attacked a tribe allied with Rome. His army suffered a surprise attack while it was making camp near the river Sambre and came close to being defeated, but was saved by its greater discipline and Caesar's own personal intervention in the fighting. The Belgae suffered heavy losses and eventually surrendered when faced with the destruction of their towns.

Punitive expeditions

The following year, 56 BC, Caesar turned his attention to the tribes of the Atlantic seaboard, notably the Veneti tribe in Armorica (modern Brittany), who had assembled a confederacy of anti-Roman tribes. The Veneti were a seafaring people and had built a sailing fleet in the Gulf of Morbihan, requiring the Romans to build galleys and undertake an unconventional land and sea campaign. Again, Caesar successfully defeated the Gauls, destroying their tribes.
Caesar took his forces across the Rhine in 55 BC in a punitive expedition against the Germans, though the Suebi, against whom the expedition was mounted, were never engaged in battle. He then crossed the English Channel with two legions to mount a similar expedition against the Britons. The British adventure nearly ended in disaster when bad weather wrecked much of his fleet and the unfamiliar sight of massed chariots caused confusion among his forces. Caesar did manage to secure a promise of hostages, though only two of them were actually sent. He withdrew but returned the following year with a much larger force that successfully defeated the powerful Catuvellauni and forced them to pay tribute to Rome. The expeditions had little lasting effect, but were great propaganda victories for Caesar, keeping him in the public eye at home.
The campaigns of 55 BC and early 56 BC have caused controversy for many centuries. They were controversial even at the time among Caesar's contemporaries, and especially among his political opponents, who decried them as a costly exercise in personal aggrandizement. In modern times, commentators have been sharply divided between critics of Caesar's nakedly imperialist agenda and defenders of the benefits that the expansion of Roman power subsequently wrought in Gaul.

Consolidation and rebellions

Discontent among the subjugated Gauls prompted a major uprising in the winter of 54–53 BC, when the Eburones of north-eastern Gaul rose in rebellion under their leader Ambiorix. Fifteen Roman cohorts were wiped out at Atuatuca Tungrorum (modern Tongeren in Belgium) and a garrison commanded by Quintus Tullius Cicero narrowly survived after being relieved by Caesar in the nick of time. The rest of 53 BC was occupied with a punitive campaign against the Eburones and their allies, who were said to have been all but exterminated by the Romans.
The uprising was, however, merely the prelude to a much bigger insurrection led by Vercingetorix, chief of the Arverni tribe of central Gaul, who successfully united the Gauls against the Romans. Recognizing that the Romans had an upper hand on the battlefield, due largely to the fact that Gaul had spent the twenty years preceding the Gallic wars fighting various enemies within and outside their domains, he declined to give battle against them and instead fought a "scorched earth" campaign to deprive them of supplies. Caesar hurriedly returned from Italy to take charge of the campaign, pursuing the Gauls and capturing the town of Avaricum (modern city of Bourges) but suffering a costly defeat at Gergovia. He finally cornered and defeated Vercingetorix at Alesia (see Battle of Alesia). This effectively marked the end of the Gallic Wars, although mopping-up actions took place throughout 51 BC. A number of lesser rebellions took place subsequently, but Roman control of Gaul wasn't seriously challenged again until the 2nd century AD.

Strategic analysis

The Roman success in the Gallic Wars was due to a combination of clever politics, effective campaigning and greater military capability than their Gallic opponents. Caesar pursued a policy of "divide and conquer" to pick off his enemies, siding with individual tribes in disputes with their local rivals. He systematically gathered intelligence on the Gallic tribes to identify their characteristics, weaknesses, and divisions, thereby being able to dispose of them in turn.
Many of Caesar's troops were themselves Gallic, so the conflict was not simply a war between Romans and Gauls. Indeed, his army was an extremely cosmopolitan entity. Its core consisted of six (later ten) legions of heavy infantry, supported by the equivalent of two more in later campaigns. He relied on foreign allies for his cavalry and light infantry, recruiting from the Numidians, Cretan, Spanish, Germanics, and Gaulish tribes. Caesar made very effective use of these forces, exploiting individual units' pride to spur them to greater efforts.
Caesar's Gallic opponents were considerably less capable militarily than the Romans. They could field large armies but suffered from a lack of flexibility and discipline. Gallic warriors were ferocious opponents and were much admired for this by the Romans (see the ''Dying Gaul''), but they lacked discipline in the field. Their tactics were effectively confined to charging their opponents ''en masse'', and their lack of cohesion made them incapable of any sophistication in battle. They also lacked any logistical support and were unable to stay in the field for as long as the Romans.
Conversely it could have also been possible that Gallic defeat was the result of generations of warfare against German invaders who were subdued at great cost of manpower.

The Gallic Wars in literature and culture

The primary historical source for the Gallic Wars is Caesar's ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' in Latin, which is one of the best surviving examples of unadorned Latin prose. It has consequently been a subject of intense study for Latinists, and was traditionally used as a standard teaching text in modern Latin education until fairly recent times.
The Gallic Wars have become a popular setting in modern historical fiction, especially that of France and Italy. Claude Cueni wrote a semi-historical novel "The Caesar's Druid" about a fictional Celtic druid, servant of Caesar and recorder of Caesar's campaigns. In addition, the comic ''Astérix'' is set shortly after the Gallic Wars.

Notes

1. That the Balkans were Caesar's original target is argued by several scholars. Amongst them: Penguin Classics The conquest of Gaul: "Introduction" chapter 3 "The course of the war". Also Adrian Goldsworthy in his book ''In the Name of Rome'' Chapter 8 "Caesar in Gaul" at the very end of subchapter "Early life and career up to 58 BC" shares that view. He also provides a source: Meier (1995) pp 204-223. It is certainly suggested by the provinces Caesar initially wanted for himself: Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum and supported by the initial placement of the legions. Three legions were in Aquileia, and only a single one was in Transalpine Gaul.

References

★ ''The conquest of Gaul'', ISBN 0-14-044433-5, by Caius Julius Caesar, translated by S. A. Handford and revised by Jane F. Gardner

★ Gilliver, Kate. ''Caesar's Gallic Wars 58-50 BC.'' London: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 0-415-96858-5

★ Goldsworthy, Adrian. ''In the name of Rome.'' ISBN 0-75381-789-6

★ Holland, Tom. ''Rubicon.'' ISBN 0-385-50313-X

★ Matyszak, Philip. ''The enemies of Rome.'' ISBN 0-500-25124-X

Online Sources

★ "De Bello Gallico" and Other Commentaries at Project Gutenberg.