Gallic Wars

  • The Gallic Wars (58-51 BCE) were a series of Battles conducted by Julius Caesar against the Celtic Tribes in Gaul, ending in their complete defeat at the Battle of Alesia in 52 BCE.
  • Gaul then became a Roman Province for the next 400 years. The main sources for the Gallic Wars is De Bello Gallico, written by Julius Caesar himself.

The 8 Books of De Bello Gallico (58-51 BCE)

The Gallic Tribes

  • Gaul was divided into different regions, each controlled by a separate Gallic Tribe with their own Capital city.

The Reason for Julius Caesar’s Invasion of Gaul

  1. Rome already occupied southern Gaul (123 BCE)
  2. The Rise of the Cimbri and the Cimbrian War (113-101 BCE)
    • Rome faced its most difficult threat since the Punic Wars, when the Cimbri moved into Gaul.
    • 109 BCE The Gallic Tribes invaded Italia and were only repulsed with great difficulty.
    • 105 BCE Battle of Arausio (Orange) where the Cimbri and Teutoni massacred a Roman Army of 80,000 Legionaries, but didn’t follow it up with an invasion of Italy but moved south to the Pyrenees.
    • As a result of this Emergency, the Roman Senate then made Marius Dictator for five years.
    • By changing the structure of the Legions, through the Marian Reforms, the new Army was able to defeat the Cimbri.
    • 102 BCE Battle of Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) Where Gaius Marius massacred 90,000 Teutones and Ambrones, capturing 20,000, saving Italy from the threat of further invasion.
  3. The Rise of Ariovistus and the Suebi (79-59 BCE)
    • In 71 BCE Ariovistus, Head of the Suebi and King of the Germans, started to migrate across the Rhine,
    • In 63 BCE Battle of Magetobriga, in alliance with the Arverni, a Roman Client Kingdom, and the Sequani, Ariovistus attacked and defeated the Aedui, a Roman Ally.
    • In 62 BCE Rome ignored the defeat of one Roman Ally by another.
    • In 61 BCE The Sequani rewarded Ariovistus with land, on which he settled 120,000 of his own Tribe. When another 24,000 of the Harudes Tribe joined him, he demanded more land from the Sequani.
    • Rome realised he was now in a powerful enough position to take over the rest of Gaul.
    • It was clear the Germanic Tribes were massing in a repetition of the Cimbrian War, when the German tribes had massed and invaded Roman territory in 113-101 BCE.
  4. The Gallic Tribes were about to unite
    • The Romans realised that the Gallic Tribes would unite and push the Romans out of their possessions in southern Gaul. This would then place them in a position to invade Italy.
    • It was now up to Julius Caesar to prevent this.

The Rise of Julius Caesar‘s Political and Military Career

  • In 61 BCE he was elected Quaestor, and sent to Lusitania, part of Hispania Ulterior under the Governor Antistius Vetus.
  • In 61 BCE he was elected Propraetor Governor of Hispania Ulterior.
    • Based at Scallabis (Santarem), Caesar pursued and attacked the Lusitani between the Tagus and the Douro. He also commanded a naval force into Gallaecia.
  • In 60 BCE Julius Caesar won a series of victories over the Gallaecians and the Lusitanians. His army hailed him as ‘Imperator’ making him eligible for a Roman Triumph.
  • In 59 BCE he formed part the First Triumvirate with Marcus Licinius Crassus and Pompey.
  • In 59 BCE he was made Proconsul of the following Provinces:
  • The Proconsulships were all extended to a five year term:

The Legions Julius Caesar used in the Gallic Wars

The Adversaries and their Commanders

  • versus
  • Gallic Tribes including the German and British Tribes
    • Vercingetorix (Gallic)
    • Ambiorix (Gallic)
    • Ariovistus (German)
    • Commius (Briton)
    • Cassivellaunus (Briton)

The Winner

  • Julius Caesar and the Roman Republic.
    • 300 Gallic Tribes were defeated and 800 Gallic Cities destroyed. One million Gauls were killed and approximately the same number enslaved. After the Gallic Wars, the population of 3-6 million was reduced to one third of that number.

The Result

  • Gaul became a Roman Province for the next 400 years.
  • The Rhine became the Roman Frontier, with eight Legions concentrated around four permanent bridges, poised to attack the Tribes of Germania, and prevent any attempt by the Germanic Tribes to mass and invade Gaul.
  • The creation of Roman Client Kingdoms in Britannia, which led to the eventual invasion of Britannia in 43 CE.

Key Strengths of the Gauls

  • Home Territory
    • The Gauls were fighting on their home territory and they knew the terrain well and had supplies and reserves nearby.
  • Alliances
    • The Gauls could quickly raise huge armies through Alliances with other Tribes.
  • Shield Wall
    • The Gauls’ Tactics involved the use of the Shield wall (similar to the Phalanx System), and a combination of massed frontal attack and individual combat.

Key strengths of the Romans

  • Strong discipline
    • The penalties for disobediance were severe.
  • Clear chain of command
    • Under the Cohort System each officer was empowered to make his own decisions in the heat of battle, without having to wait for orders. Orders were read out before the start of battle, so that every soldier had a clear idea of what he had to do.
  • Cohort based tactics
    • These proved very difficult for an adversary to overcome. The soldiers were rotated from the front line of the Cohort to the back, so that every ten minutes the enemy was facing a line of fresh soldiers.
  • Alliances
    • Alliances with Roman Client Tribes, both Germanic and Gallic, who provided Cavalry (the Aedui) and Supplies.
  • Large Cavalry Forces
    • Mainly Auxiliaries from Allied Tribes, in particular the Aedui and the Germanic Tribes.
  • Caesar’s Tactics
    • These involved the use of Peltasts, Slingers and Archers from other Roman Provinces.
    • These were used to destroy the Gauls’ tactics which were, the shield wall, massed frontal attack and individual combat.
  • Mobility
    • The ability to quickly move a huge army across unfamiliar territory, with its supplies.
  • Superior Engineering Technology
    • Siege Engines: The ability to crush city defenses with Siege Towers and Ballistae. 800 Gallic cities were destroyed.
    • Bridges: The ability to quickly assemble and dismantle a wooden bridge that could carry entire Legions over the River Rhine (twice) and the river Saone.

Brief Synopsis of De Bello Gallico (The Gallic Wars 58-51 BCE)

Book I (58 BCE)

The War against the Helvetii

  • Caesar forbad the Swiss Helvetii Tribe from migrating into Gaul, but three quarters of the Tribe succeeded in entering Gallic Territory. Caesar defeated the Helvetii and forced them to return to their territories.
  • Afterwards he moved north, and defeated the Suebi who had themselves invaded northern Gaul over the previous years, and forced them to return to Germany.

Book II (57 BCE)

The War against the Belgae

  • A growing coalition of Belgae Tribes, commanded by the Spartan-like Nervii, were confronted and eliminated before they could unite into a huge army.

Book III (56 BCE)

The War against the Veneti

  • The War against the Sea faring Veneti Tribe in Brittany. The Veneti resisted all attempts to occupy them, and operated from coastal fortresses that could be evacuated by their fleet of ships. The Veneti were the sea power in Gaul.
  • The result was the first Roman naval battle in the Atlantic which the Romans won. This paved the way for Caesar to later invade Britannia.

Book IV (55 BCE)

The Invasion of Germania and the Bridge

  • Caesar invaded Germania to prevent the Suebi from growing as a dangerous power again. Although there was no battle, he sent his Legions to disperse the Suebi across a bridge over the Rhine.
  • This was a impressive example of Roman engineering, which Caesar constructed in ten days and dismantled after the Legions had returned.

First Invasion of Britannia

Book V (54 BCE)

Caesar’s Second Invasion of Britannia

Book VI (53 BCE)

The War against the Eburones

  • The Gallic Tribes changed their tactics and planned to attack the Roman Legions whilst they were in their winter quarters. The Eburones annihilated 6,000 Roman soldiers. As a result, Caesar set out and annihilated the entire Tribe, inviting another Tribe to occupy its former territory.

Book VII (52 BCE)

Vercingetorix and the end of the Gallic Resistance

  • In late 53 BCE Vercingetorix, arose as a new Leader. He had a new strategy to unite all the Gallic Tribes and persuade the Roman Client Tribes to change sides, avoid set Battles, harass the Romans, and deprive them of Supplies by burning all their villages, small towns, crops and stores.
  • He proposed they then retire to hilltop fortresses where sieges would fail as the Romans wouldn’t be able to last without supplies. It almost worked, but Caesar managed to finally outmanoeuvre Vercingetorix at the Battle of Alesia.

Book VIII (51 BCE)

Caesar suppressed the Dissident Gallic Tribes

  • This was the last attempt by the Gallic Tribes to get rid of the Romans, aware that Caesar’s term as Governor was about to expire. Their strategy was based on a simultaneous revolt by all the Tribes, knowing that the Legions could not be everywhere at the same time.
  • Caesar, however, decided on a dual policy of treating loyal Gallic Allies with great respect and suppressing Gallic Tribes that took arms against him with great brutality. Eventually, all the Gallic Tribes submitted to Caesar, and gave up Hostages.

The Outcome

  • The Gallic Tribes no longer posed a threat of invasion to Italy.
  • Caesar could now concentrate on eliminating his opponents in the Great Roman Civil War (49-45 BCE), which led to the eventual creation of the Roman Empire from 27 BCE-476 CE.

Sources

  • De Bello Gallico by Julius Caesar
    • Meaning the ‘Commentaries on the Gallic War’.
    • It is the main historical source for the Wars and is written in eight books, each covering one year of the Gallic Wars.

 

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