Gallic Wars
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Image:Map Gallia Tribes Towns.png Template:Campaign Template:Campaignbox Wars between Rome and the Gauls The Gallic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Romans and the people of Gaul during the mid-first century BC, culminating in the Battle of Alesia in 52 BC which resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic across Gaul. They were famously described in Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
Although Caesar portrayed the wars as being a defensive measure against an external threat, most modern historians agree that the wars were fought essentially to bolster Caesar's political position and to recoup his massive debts. On several occasions he went to war with Gallic tribes that were not threatening Roman interests.
The Gallic Wars can be divided roughly into three phases, characterised by repeated Roman interventions in intra-Gallic conflicts (58 BC-57 BC); punitive expeditions against anti-Roman forces (56 BC-55 BC); and consolidation (54 BC-51 BC), when the Romans fought repeated Gallic uprisings and rebellions.
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Interventions
The wars began in 58 BC with the large-scale migration of the Helvetii west from what is now Switzerland, which threatened to pass through the Roman province of Transalpine Gaul. Caesar attacked, driving the Helvetii back to their lands (see Helvetian War). Later that year, the Gallic Aedui tribe asked for Roman assistance against their rivals, the Sequani, who had launched an invasion led by the German war leader Ariovistus. Caesar intervened in the conflict and soundly defeated Ariovistus, driving his forces back across the Rhine.
In 57 BC he 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
Image:Caesar campaigns gaul.gif 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 BC/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 rising was, however, merely the prelude to a much bigger insurrection led by Vercingetorix, chief of the Arverni tribe of central Gaul. He successfully united the Gauls against the Romans. Recognizing the Romans' superiority in battle, 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 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 was never again seriously challenged.
Factors for Roman success
The Roman success in the Gallic Wars was due to a combination of clever politics, effective campaigning and greater military capability than their Gaulish opponents. Caesar pursued a policy of "divide and rule" 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 and so 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 was 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, Germans and Gauls. 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.
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 the Caesar's campagins. The comic Astérix, for example, is set during the Gallic Wars.de:Gallischer Krieg es:Guerra de las Galias fa:جنگهای گالی fr:Guerre des Gaules ko:갈리아 전쟁 la:Bellum Gallicum ja:ガリア戦記 no:Gallerkrigene nl:Gallische oorlog pt:Guerras da Gália sv:Galliska kriget