Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix (82-46 BCE) was the last Gallic King to oppose Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars (58-51 BCE).
He fought two main battles against the Roman Army, the Battle of Gergovia (52 BCE) and the Battle of Alesia (52 BCE), where he was defeated and captured.

Vercingetorix’ Father was Celtillus, who was executed by the Gauls when he tried to become King of all the Gauls.
Vercingtorix was Chieftain of the Arverni Tribe, who’s capital lay at Gergovia (Gergovie).
In 52 BCE, he was voted King of a Gallic Alliance against Julius Caesar, but also in 52 BCE he was defeated at the Battle of Alesia.

The Carnutes, whose Capital was Chartres (Carnutes or Auticum), occupied the area around the River Loire.
The Annual Assembly of the all the Gallic Druids congregated in a sacred oak grove once a year, to meet and debate issues. They always met in Carnutes territory, either in Orleans, Blois or Chartres (Chartres Cathedral is built on the site of the oak grove).
One of the Gallic Oppida of the Carnutes was Cenabum (Orleans). It was a port city with a bridge across the Loire. In 52 BCE, during the Gallic Wars, the Carnutes leaders, Cotuatus and Conetodunus, decided to attack the Roman Garrison wintering in Cenabum and slaughtered them.
Julius Caesar swiftly returned and razed the city to the ground.

After attempting to raise an alliance to join the Carnutes, Vercingetorix was ejected from Gergovia by the Gallic Elders, including his uncle Gobanitio, as they considered attacking the Romans too risky.
Instead, Vercingetorix raised an army and took Gergovia by force, where he was declared King of the Gauls.
He then made Alliances with other Gallic Tribes, took Hostages from them, and was made Commander of their Armies.
His strategy was to burn the lands the Romans occupied, deprive them of supplies and retreat to fortresses that were very difficult to attack.
The Romans countered by capturing Avaricum (Bourges), capital of the Bituriges, where they slaughtered the population of 120,000.

Vercingetorix strategy was to fortify Gergovia for a prolonged siege and hold out until the Romans gave up.
After realising that Gergovia would withstand his siege, Julius Caesar lined up his six legions in front of the city and marched away to unite with Labienus and his four legions, and prepare for another day.
Meanwhile. hearing of the Roman defeat, the other Gallic Tribes joined Vercingetorix.

After attempting to attack Julius Caesar’s 10 Legions near Dijon, Vercingetorix fell back to the fortified city of Alesia where he again prepared for a long siege.
This time however, Julius Caesar built two walls around Alesia, the Circumvallation and the Contravallation, with the intention of starving the Gauls into submission and preventing reinforcements reaching him.
When the Relief Force arrived they attacked the outer wall at the same time as Vercingetorix attacked the inner wall, but both atempts were routed by the Romans, and the Relief Force was eventually defeated.
Unable to feed the population or his armies, Vercingetorix rode out from Alesia and surrendered to Julius Caesar.

Vercingetorix spent the next five years in the Mamertine Prison in Rome.
He was finally paraded by Julius Caesar in his Roman Triumph of 46 BCE, after which he was executed, probably by strangulation.

Gergovie