Chapters
During his consulate and governorship, Julius Caesar systematically sought to expand the territory of the Roman Empire in the north. To this end, he waged constant wars with the various Celtic tribes inhabiting Gaul (territories north and west of Italy and the Alps, roughly equal to today’s France).
Gaul before Caesar
Gaul, inhabited by Celtic tribes, has long been the territory of Rome’s economic and political expansion. It was mainly facilitated by the political relations in this area, because despite ethnic and cultural unity, the Celts did not manage to create a larger political organism. The mass of the population, devoted mainly to agriculture, depended on the tribal aristocracy to wage fierce wars among themselves. As a result, two more important tribal centers were established in Gaul. The first was centred around the Sequans, the second around the Aeduii who were allied with Rome.
Gaul in Caesar’s time was divided into 3 parts. The Belgians settled in the territories of what is now northern France and western Belgium, among which the largest and strongest were the tribes of Nervii, Menapias, Treveri and Eburons. The Aquitans lived south of the Garonne River as far as the Pyrenees. However, the central part of Gaul was taken over by the Celts. The Celts, or rather the Protocelts, who dominated the other Gallic peoples, came to these areas in the middle of the first millennium BCE.
The Gauls grouped into larger groups only when the territory had to be conquered, then individual tribes occupied their territory to bleed out in fratricidal wars with other Celtic tribes. Their reluctance to unite into a single state was also equal to their reluctance to introduce royal power in the tribes. The chiefs were elected by the tribal elders and could not exercise their power absolutely, nor was it hereditary. Constant, incessant fratricidal wars bled and weakened individual Celtic tribes in Gaul to such an extent that they became easy prey for the neighbours of the Germanic tribes and ancient Rome.
The Eduans and the Sequans, who lived in the area of today’s central-eastern France, who waged constant wars with each other to control the banks of the Saone River, was called Arar in antiquity. One of such wars, fought in the 1st century BCE, was won by the Edu, but the Sequans could not come to terms with it, they decided to ally themselves with another tribe hostile to the Edu – the Arverni. Another war broke out, which also ended with a victory for the Edu. To save themselves from a complete defeat, the Sequans asked for help from the Germanic Suebi who lived across the Rhine.
King of Suebii Ariovist agreed to help, he had long struggled with the problem of the growth of his tribe’s population, not all of them had enough land. In 70 BCE he entered Gaul and defeated the Edu in a battle near Saone. The grateful Sequans were going to pay Ariovistus for help, hoping for his swift withdrawal across the Rhine. The latter, however, not only did not intend to return but also demanded land in today’s Alsace and began to bring the rest of his tribe to Gaul. The Sequans did not have the strength to fight him, so they agreed.
Ariovistov was not enough. Knowing that he had the largest army in Gaul, he decided to become the lord of the Gauls. He taxed not only the defeated Aeduii, but also other Gallic tribes, including the Seine. In 65 BCE, the Eduans, allied with the Seine, could no longer bear the tyranny of the Ariovistus, and revolted. At the Battle of Magetobryga, the entire tribe of the Aeduii was nearly destroyed. Ariovista became the undisputed lord of all Gaul, there was no longer a military force in Gaul to resist him, except for one unification of the tribes in the face of a common enemy, but the Gauls were not ready for this.
Two parties began to form with completely different ideas for liberation. The first, represented by aristocrats and supported by druids, stood in the position of seeking help against the Suebi outside among other peoples and states, mainly in Rome. To this end, in 61 BCE, druid Divitiac went to Rome, who tried to convince the Romans of the need to help the Gauls. Despite the support of Cicero, he did not get anything.
Rome then lived with internal affairs – Catiline’s conspiracy or Italy’s economic problems, as well as the war against King Pontus Mithridates VI and did not want to get involved in Gaul. The second was the people’s party, whose representatives came from nouveau riche Gallic families and sought to take power away from the aristocracy. They argued that one should not look back on allies, because after defeating the Germans, the former allies could turn into enemies, so you should fight back Ariovista with your own strength.
Orgetorix was one of the powerful Helvetian tribe in what is now Switzerland and secretly sought to gain royal power for himself in the tribe. To achieve this goal, he began to build his popularity, calling for the Helvetians to leave their homes and to look for new fertile areas for further expansion. To this end, he began negotiating with the Eduans and the Seine, officially to secure the area of a possible route, in fact seeking help from these tribes to make themselves king. The plot was uncovered, however, and Orgetorix was sentenced to death for his pursuit of royal power. But the Helvetians did not abandon their plans to march west of Gaul, and by about 58 BCE they began preparing for the trek.
Caesar in Gaul. Campaign of the year 58 BCE. Destruction of the Helvetians, Ariovistus’ exile beyond the Rhine
In 60 BCE there was a 1st triumvirate between Gaius Julius Caesar striving for consul dignity, Pompey, who