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The Gauls were one of Rome’s oldest and
most bitter enemies. They had sacked Rome

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and throughout the centuries fought alongside
the Republic’s most dangerous adversaries,

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including Pyrrhus and Hannibal. By the end
of the 2nd century BC Southern Gaul was largely

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subdued, however, there was still tension
in Northern Gaul, particularly along the Rhine.

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These tensions would ultimately climax in
the Gallic Wars: the conflict that would shape

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the future of Western Europe for centuries
to come, giving rise to the Holy Roman Empire

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and modern-day France, the conflict that would
forever etch the name Gaius Julius Caesar

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in the annals of history.
Rome had been rocked by almost half a century

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of Civil Wars and the Republic was in decline.
Both Marius and Sulla had marched on Rome,

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highlighting the ineffectiveness of the system
for maintaining a large Empire and the fact

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that the legionaries were more loyal to their
generals than to the state. Following this

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chaotic period, three men had established
an unofficial alliance to effectively control

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the Republic. This was the First Triumvirate
consisting of the famous general Pompey the

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Great, the richest man in Rome Crassus, and
Julius Caesar.

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Caesar had been consul the year before, in
59 BC, but his political campaigning had left

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him in debt and made him many enemies in Rome;
he needed to make money fast and gain enough

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military success to keep his political adversaries
at bay. When the time came for distributing

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provinces for Caesar to govern as proconsul,
he was able to use his political allies to

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secure Cisalpine Gaul, Illyricum and Transalpine
Gaul for an unprecedented 5 years. This put

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Caesar in control of four veteran Legions,
the VII, VIII, IX and X, all of whom had fought

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with Caesar before in Hispania and were loyal
to him. They had a total of roughly 22,000

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Legionaries plus auxiliaries. Caesar now had
the men he needed; all he needed was an excuse

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for war.
Fortunately for Caesar, a Celtic tribe, the

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Helvetii, was planning a migration into Gaul
in 58 BC. Their leader, Orgetorix, had formed

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a confederation with a number of neighbouring
tribes, the Tulingi, Latobrigi, Rauraci and

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Boii, and they now numbered 368,000 men, women
and children. Orgetorix had even convinced

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them all to burn their homes in order to leave
no option of failure. However, soon he was

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accused of being a tyrant, was forced to commit
suicide.

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Command passed to Divico. Divico was determined
to stick to the plan and began amassing supplies

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in order to start pouring into Gaul. To do
this they would have to either pass through

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the land of the Roman ally Aedui, and the
province of Transalpine Gaul, or take the

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longer route through the mountain passes in
the North.

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The Romans had built up a healthy fear of
migrating tribes following the Cimbrian War

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in 113-101 BC and so Caesar, hearing of this,
was only too willing to come to the rescue

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of the Aedui. He took the only available legion
in the area and force marched them up to Geneva,

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destroying the bridge on the Rhone that provided
access into Transalpine Gaul.

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The Helvetii appealed to Caesar asking for
military access through Roman lands and promising

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they would not attack. Caesar played for time,
pretending to consider this offer for almost

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15 days. Using this time, his legion was able
to construct a fortified embankment almost

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5 metres high stretching 20 miles along the
river bank. With the legion manning the embankment

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and now in a stronger position, Caesar denied
the Helvetii access and refused to allow them

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to cross. Some of the Helvetii ignored this
and attempted to cross nonetheless in small

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boats but were prevented from doing so by
the legionaries throwing javelins and shooting

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arrows into them.
With the southern route thus blocked, the

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Helvetii decided to take the longer northern
route through the mountains into Gaul. Leaving

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his top lieutenant, Labienus, in command,
Caesar returned to Italy to levy a further

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two legions and to pull the other 3 veteran
legions out of their winter quarters in Aquileia,

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bringing his total to approximately 33,000
legionaries plus auxiliaries.

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Despite Labienus being in a position to easily
block the mountain pass, the Helvetii managed

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to push into Gallic territories and began
ravaging the land. The Gauls pleaded with

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Caesar to intervene and chase the Helvetii
out and Caesar, yet again, was only too willing

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to help, marching his legions into the Gallic
territories. The decision of Labienus to not

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hold the Helvetii in the mountains was likely
an order received from Caesar; the Celts were

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now in open terrain, which better suited the
Roman legions, and their pillaging of Gaul

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gave Caesar an excuse to intervene.
Word reached Caesar that the Helvetii were

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currently attempting a crossing at the Arar
River. They had been crossing in four large

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groups using many rafts and boats, but due
to the size of the horde and their lack of

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organisation, the crossing had already taken
them days and one group was still yet to cross.

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Caesar took 3 of his legions and swiftly marched
to the river.

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Quickly forming his legions into battle formation,
Caesar fell upon the Celts waiting to cross.

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Caught unaware, unprepared, and encumbered
by their baggage, the Helvetii did not even

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have enough time to form a proper battle line.
The fighting was over quickly, with the whole

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stranded group being killed or fleeing into
the nearby woods whilst the other three groups

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could do nothing but watch helplessly from
the other side of the river. The main Helvetii

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force began to move on and, not wanting to
lose the initiative, Caesar quickly built

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a bridge across the river and moved all of
his six legions across. The crossing that

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had taken the Celts 20 days had taken the
Romans just 1.

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Caesar began tailing the Helvetii, waiting
for the right time to strike. There were a

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few minor cavalry skirmishes, but nothing
decisive. Caesar did once manage to find a

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battlefield that was advantageous and even
had Labienus in position behind the enemy,

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however, due to poor communication from his
scouts, Caesar was forced to pull back from

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the battlefield. This caused a delay in Caesar’s
plan and he was being to run low on rations.

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He decided to head to the nearby town of Bibracte
to resupply his army before continuing the

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pursuit. As he began to march off however,
Divico gave chase, harassing the rear of the

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Roman army.
Caesar sent his cavalry and light infantry

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to fight a delaying action in order to buy
time to deploy his main force on a nearby

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hill. The four veteran legions formed three
lines at the front with the two newly levied

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Legions, along with the auxiliaries, positioned
further up the hill. These men were not tested

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in battle and so were not expected to do any
of the fighting, instead they were to guard

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the baggage and were spread thin across the
hill to seemingly increase the size of Caesar’s

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army. The Helvetii, numbering somewhere between
60,000-90,000 warriors, had successfully fought

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off the Roman cavalry and light infantry,
forcing them to retreat. They now formed their

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infantry into a tightly packed shield wall
and advanced on the Romans.

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The front two lines of legionaries opened
the battle with a volley of javelins. These

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hampered the Helvetii by becoming stuck in
their shields, forcing them to drop them and

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to break into a looser formation. With the
shield wall in disarray, the Roman front lines

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charged into melee. The fighting was intense
and tough but the Romans’ discipline and

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experience gave them the edge. Slowly, they
began to get the upper hand, with the Helvetii

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being forced back to a nearby mountain. However,
as the Romans pressed up the mountain, a portion

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of the Helvetii allies composed of Boii and
Tulingi, roughly 15,000 warriors, entered

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the battle. These men had been acting as a
rear-guard, protecting the camp, and now they

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fell on the Roman flank, threatening to encircle
them.

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The Helvetii, bolstered by the arrival of
their allies, began pushing back with renewed

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vigour. With the two front lines of legionaries
already engaging the Helvetii on the mountain,

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Caesar committed his final line of veterans,
which had been acting as a reserve. After

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hours of hard fighting, the Helvetii on the
mountain were eventually broken and forced

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from the battle. However, the Boii and Tulingi
fell back to the camp to make a last stand.

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Using their baggage wagons they formed a makeshift
rampart and continued the fight, hurling missiles

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down into the Roman ranks. This is where the
fighting was the most difficult as the Boii

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were famed warriors and fought desperately.
Finally, after fighting long into the night,

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the third line was able to break into the
camp, ending the battle.

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The battle had lasted almost 12 hours. Caesar
had lost perhaps 5,000 men, whilst the Helvetii

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had lost around 40,000 to 60,000. Of the 368,000
people who began the migration, only 130,000

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were now left. Caesar, with no cavalry left
to speak off, was not able to give chase immediately

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and gave his men three days in order to recover
from the battle before starting the pursuit.

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The Helvetii, seeing the Romans chasing them
once more, surrendered completely and were

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forced to return to their homeland and made
a vassal of Rome, acting as a buffer between

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Roman and Germanic lands.
Caesar had achieved his aim of gaining a swift

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military victory and, for now, he would be
able to hold off his political enemies in

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Rome. Furthermore, the Romans had now shown
themselves to be a powerful force in the Gallic

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theatre. After his victory, Caesar rested
in Bibracte for a short time before moving

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on. Rumour had already reached him of a Germanic
tribe that had crossed the Rhine and was terrorising

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Gaul.
The Suebi, led by their king Ariovistus, had

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first arrived in Gaul in 63 BC as the mercenaries
for Sequani and Arverni in their war against

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the Aedui, a Roman ally. The 15,000 warriors
that Ariovistus initially proved decisive,

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helping to secure a crucial victory over the
Aedui at the Battle of Magetobriga, which

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forced the Aedui to become a tributary to
the Sequani. In response to this, the Aedui

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sent an envoy, Diviciacus, to ask Rome for
help, but the Republic was still recovering

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from the political shock of the Cataline Conspiracy
and was distracted by an Allobroges revolt.

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The governor of Transalpine Gaul was order
to help Rome’s Gallic allies when possible

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and in 59 BC the Senate named Ariovistus a
Friend of the People of Rome to pacify him

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and keep in check.
Ariovistus used that time to consolidate his

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position. After helping the Sequani, he demanded
a third of their lands as a payment. The Sequani

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gave in and Ariovistus began moving more of
his people across the Rhine to settle in this

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new land. By 58 BC, the as many as 120,000
Suebi had now crossed the Rhine and made their

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home in Gaul. Furthermore, Ariovistus was
demanding more Sequani territory in order

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to settle an extra 24,000 Germans and had
been taking hostages in order to keep the

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Sequani and Aedui obedient. Something had
to be done.

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Following his victory over the Helvetii, Caesar
had taken some time to rest in Bibracte. Whilst

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encamped there, he was visited by a council
of Gallic leaders and diplomats, led by Diviciacus.

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They complimented Caesar on his victory, and
implored him to intervene in the situation,

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pointing out that if Germans continued his
conquests, soon the Suebi would be directly

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bordering Roman territory. Caesar, again,
was happy to oblige.

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As Ariovistus was a “Friend of Rome” however,
Caesar could not immediately go to war. Instead,

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Caesar’s first invited Ariovistus to meet
him, which was declined. He then sent a diplomat

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to Ariovistus asking him to return the Gallic
hostages he had taken and to stop any hostilities.

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Caesar reminded him that if he were to comply,
the Romans would still consider a “Friend

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of Rome” and not take any action against
him. This was a good deal for Ariovistus;

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he’d be allowed to keep the lands that he
had already taken from the Sequani without

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a fight.
Instead of accepting the terms, Ariovistus

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doubled down and sent a message back to Caesar
saying that if the Romans could conquer where

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and how they liked, so could he. At the same
time, the 24,000 new Germans who had crossed

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the Rhine were allowed to raze and pillage
the Gallic lands as they pleased, with more

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Germans preparing to cross the river to join
Ariovistus.

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Caesar now had his justification, as he had
a legal decree from the Senate to protect

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Rome’s Gallic allies, and could justify
that the Suebi were threatening Rome’s borders

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and Ariovistus had forfeited his status as
a “Friend of Rome” by continuing to pillage

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the land of Rome’s allies. Yet again, Caesar
had the chance to show himself as the saviour

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of Gaul. Gathering his six legions, roughly,
30,000 men, Caesar set out on the warpath.

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Both Ariovistus and Caesar recognised the
importance of Vesontio, the largest town in

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the Sequani territories; well-fortified and
well supplied it would be crucial to the war

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effort. Both forces began marching to the
town, however the Romans, marching day and

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night, were able to get there first. Caesar
rested here briefly while supplying the legions.

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But as they rested, rumours began reaching
the men of the strength and ferocity of the

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Germans. Even some of Caesar’s officers
began having their doubts and it almost seemed

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as if Caesar would have a mutiny on his hands.
Casear was, however, able to restore order

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by insisting that he would face Ariovistus
with just the his most trusted X Legion, if

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none others would follow. This inspired a
fanatical loyalty in the X Legion whilst the

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others, motivated by shame at being thought
of as cowards rallied, and the legions began

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to march out to meet the Suebi.
Ariovistus, impressed with the speed at which

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the Roman’s had been able to move and take
Vesontio, sent messages to Caesar asking for

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a meeting with only some cavalry allowed as
the bodyguards at the place called Vosges,

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in modern day Alsace.
Caesar agreed, but the meeting did not go

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well, with both generals reiterating their
positions. Ariovistus even went so far as

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to say that if he were to kill Caesar there
would be many in Rome that would be grateful,

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showing that he knows what the political situation
in Rome is. Negotiations broke down after

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this and the cavalry on both sides had a minor
skirmish before retreating back to their respective

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camps.
A few days later Ariovistus asked for another

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meeting. Caesar, sensing a trap, sent his
translators. This was just as well, as Ariovistus

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promptly captured the two and even considered
burning them alive. With his plan to capture

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Caesar having failed, Ariovistus instead moved
to battle. His army composed of 6,000 cavalry,

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16,000 light infantry and the rest heavier
infantry for a total of around 30,000-40,000

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men. Taking Caesar by surprise, Ariovistus
marched this force quickly behind Caesar’s

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position and set up camp, cutting off the
Romans from their supply lines.

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For five days, Caesar drew out his army in
battle formation willing to give battle, but

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Ariovistus was content to wait and strangle
Caesar’s supply line, only engaging in cavalry

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skirmishes. The Suebi cavalry fought in a
unique fashion, for every horsemen there was

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an infantryman mixed into their formation.
These men were lightly armed in order to keep

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up with the cavalry and together provided
a flexible and difficult force to handle and

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the Roman cavalry got the worse of the fighting.
Caesar, knowing that he would have to do something

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to break the stalemate or else risk being
starved out, formed his legions into three

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lines. He marched this force past the Suebi
position and ordered the third line to begin

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construction of a second camp whilst the first
two lines formed up to defend them. Ariovistus

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sent all of his light infantry and cavalry
to harass the legionaries but seemed reluctant

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to commit his entire force and so they were
easily held off by the Romans. With the second

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camp complete, Caesar left two Legions and
part of his auxiliaries to defend it, whilst

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his other four legions returned to the main
camp.

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Realising that Caesar would now be able to
use this second camp to reconnect with this

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supply line, Ariovistus sent part of his army
to attack this second camp. The fighting was

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tough, lasting from midday into the evening
but, eventually, the Romans were able to repel

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the attack, and even took some prisoners.
Upon questioning these Suebi, Caesar learnt

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that Ariovistus had apparently been told by
his priests not to commit his army until after

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the new moon, which was why he had not used
his whole army to prevent the legions constructing

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their second camp.
Having learnt this Caesar decided to go on

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the offensive. Leaving a small garrison in
each camp, Caesar formed his 6 legions into

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a triple axis formation with his cavalry in
reserve and marched on the Suebi camp. The

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Germans came out to meet him, forming their
wagons and baggage train in a semi-circle

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behind them, their women standing on them
urging the men on. Noticing that the German

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left flank was slightly weaker, Caesar positioned
himself opposite on the Roman right and gave

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the order for his men to charge. But as he
did, the Suebi also charged. Their assault

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was so fast and surprising that the Romans
had to drop their pila before they could even

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throw them, drawing their swords and fighting
in hand to hand combat. The Germans managed

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to form a shield wall and neither side seemed
able to gain an upper hand. Having been unable

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to throw their javelins before charging, the
Romans struggled to break the shield wall

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as easily as they had at the Battle of Bibracte
and took drastic measures attempting to wrench

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away the German shields with their hands and
even throwing themselves against the wall

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to try and break it. After some hard fighting,
the Roman right, led by Caesar, started to

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push back the German left. However, the Suebi
on the right outnumbered their Roman opposition

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and were started to get the upper hand. The
Roman cavalry, led by the son of the Triumvir

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Marcus Licinius Crassus - Publius, had not
yet engaged in the battle and from his position

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he could see the Roman left starting to crumble.
Using his own initiative, Crassus led the

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third line which had been kept in reserve,
to support the flank, arriving just in time

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to avoid a disaster. With their left flank
broken and their right now under severe pressure,

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the Suebi army broke and ran. It is not known
how many people died in this battle, but the

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Germans, attempting to retreat through their
wagons, were said to have been packed so tightly

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that the dead could not even fall over.
The entire Suebi force, including Ariovistus,

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fled back across the Rhine, pursued by the
Roman cavalry. Caesar had won two important

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campaigns in one season. For now, he left
Labienus to winter with the legions in the

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Sequani territory whilst he attended to his
governing duties in Cisalpine Gaul. But by

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wintering his Legions in Gallic territory,
Caesar was making a point: this was beginning

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to look less like intervention and more like
occupation. With the Germanic threat dealt

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with Caesar would be able to turn his attention
to Gaul proper.

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The Belgae were a loose collection of various
tribes and had fought constant wars with the

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Germanic tribes across the Rhine which had
fostered a strong and experienced warrior

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culture. They knew of how successful Caesar
had been in Gaul already and were justifiably

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suspicious of his intentions. To counter the
rising Roman threat, the Belgae formed a confederation

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led by the king Galba of the Suessiones.
Labienus sent word of this coalition to Caesar

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in Cisalpine Gaul, who immediately took action.
Caesar raised a further two legions and moved

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straight to the Belgae border. It is worth
noting that Caesar now had eight legions under

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his command, approximately 44,000 men including
auxiliaries, double the amount he had initially

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been allocated by the Senate. Furthermore,
while the Belgae raising an army could certainly

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be seen as a potential threat, Caesar made
no efforts to get the Cassus Bellis he had

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when fighting the Helvetii and Suebi. The
Republic had less and less control over Caesar,

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and many in Rome were beginning to talk about
these conquests not being in Rome’s best

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interest, but in Caesar’s.
Nevertheless, Caesar marched his legions quickly

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into the territory of the nearest Belgic tribe,
the Remi, who were completely taken aback

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by the speed at which the Romans had been
able to mobilize and surrendered instantly,

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swearing to Caesar that they had never been
a part of the Confederation. The Remi even

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provided Caesar with all the information they
had on the alliance, including which tribes

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were involved, how many men each tribe was
contributing and that they were currently

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marching towards the Remi’s territory.
With this information, Caesar convinced his

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Gallic allies, the Aedui, led now by Divitiacus,
to invade the lands of the Bellovaci, a powerful

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Belgae tribe, to open a second front while
he marched towards the Belgic alliance’s

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main army. Caesar crossed a bridge over the
Axona River and encamped in a strong position

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on a hill on the other side. The river provided
protection from the rear, and marshy land

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at his front made a frontal assault difficult.
Furthermore, Caesar had learned his lesson

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from fighting Ariovistus and left six cohorts
in a well-fortified position on the other

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side of the bridge, securing his supply line.
With no chance of being starved out from his

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position, Caesar waited for the Belgae to
make their move.

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Meanwhile, the Belgae had marched to the Remi
town of Bibrax, just eight miles from where

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Caesar was camped, and besieged it. Caesar
gives the total number of the Confederation

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as 300,000. However, it is unclear how much
this number is exaggerated and how many of

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these men were currently in the army. A more
realistic estimation would be somewhere around

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80,000 men - still a force to be reckoned
with, almost double that of Caesars. In the

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face of such a large force, the Remi sent
messages to Caesar saying that they would

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be unable to hold the town without his help.
Caesar, however, was reluctant to give up

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his defensive position, as he thought that
that the attack on Bibrax was a trap designed

258
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to force him to do that. Instead he kept his
legions in camp, but sent a substantial contingent

259
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:25,319
of auxiliaries, composed mainly of Cretan
archers and Balearic slingers, to sneak into

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Bibrax to help the Remi. With Bibrax thus
reinforced and Caesar not taking the bait,

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Galba instead marched his army to meet the
Romans, encamping just two miles from the

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Roman camp.
Caesar was reluctant to engage Galba straight

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away and instead focused on cavalry skirmishes
to test the strength of the Belgae. While

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this was going on, he further reinforced his
position, digging long trenches and constructing

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defensive towers on the flanks of his position.
Realizing that attacking such a strong position

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would be suicidal, Galba instead sent roughly
15,000-20,000 men to ford the river and attack

267
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the six cohorts on the other side, hoping
either to draw Caesar from the hill or to

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cut off his supply line and starve him out.
Seeing this, Caesar gathered all his light

269
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infantry and cavalry and marched quickly to
oppose the crossing, leaving his legions in

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their defensive position. The Roman cavalry
arrived just in time and fell upon the few

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Belgae who had made it to the other bank,
killing many and forcing them back into the

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river. At the same time, the Roman missile
troops peppered the Belgae still in the water

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with stones, javelins, and arrows. They doggedly
tried to continue their crossing despite taking

274
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heavy casualties, but Galba had no choice
but to pull his men back.

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To make matters worse, word had now reached
him that the Aedui were rampaging through

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the Bellovaci lands. With the Romans to his
front so heavily dug in and with another army

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now threatening his flank, Galba decided to
withdraw. The tribes would all disperse to

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their respective homelands, but all agreed
to reassemble if the Romans marched further

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into Belgae lands.
As the Confederation’s army dispersed, Caesar

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cautiously pursued with his cavalry and three
legions under Labienus, harassing the Belgae.

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Due to their lack of coordination, the Belgae
suffered heavy casualties in this retreat.

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The battle had cost the Confederation approximately
10,000 men and had forced the tribes to divide,

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making them easier for Caesar to conquer.
Many tribes simply surrendered in the face

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of the Roman Legions, including the Bellovaci
and Galba’s Suessiones.

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However deeper in Belgae territory, the Nervii
did have time to organize and were not going

286
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to give up so easily. They were outraged by
Caesar’s foray into Belgae territory and

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alongside their neighbours the Viromandui,
Atrebates, and Aduatuci, were able to gather

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an army of approximately 50,000 men, led by
the Nervii king Bodougnatus. Caesar, hearing

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that this force was gathering against him,
marched for the River Sabis on the edge of

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Nervi territory.
Bodougnatus had learned the lesson from Galba

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and knew that he could not allow the Romans
the chance to fortify their position and so

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he positioned his men in ambush on a hill
on the other side of the river. He also had

293
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his troops construct hedge-like obstructions,
which were placed on the other side of the

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00:31:03,900 --> 00:31:10,740
river to disrupt the Roman formations and
cavalry.

295
00:31:10,740 --> 00:31:16,359
Caesar marched his army in two groups; his
veteran six Legions who marched in the front

296
00:31:16,359 --> 00:31:21,419
were the first to reach the river and began
constructing a camp on a hill with the river

297
00:31:21,420 --> 00:31:28,029
in front, while the two newer legions marched
behind with the baggage train. Caesar sent

298
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his cavalry and light infantry across the
river, which was only 3 feet deep, in order

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00:31:33,420 --> 00:31:39,440
to scout the opposite bank. They were met
by some Nervii cavalry, and a brief skirmish

300
00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:45,830
broke out. However, the Belgae cavalry fell
back drawing in the Romans until the entire

301
00:31:45,829 --> 00:31:52,269
Nervii force broke cover and fell upon them.
The Roman cavalry and light infantry broke

302
00:31:52,269 --> 00:31:59,460
and ran back across the river to the Roman
camp, the Nervii army in hot pursuit. Thus

303
00:31:59,460 --> 00:32:06,519
started the battle of the Sabis river.
The Belgae moved from the woods and across

304
00:32:06,519 --> 00:32:13,049
the river so fast that the legions had almost
no time to prepare. However, their experience

305
00:32:13,049 --> 00:32:18,599
and discipline kicked in; rallying to the
nearest cohort and legionary standards, they

306
00:32:18,599 --> 00:32:24,079
were able to put together a coherent battle
line. But as the legionary engineers did not

307
00:32:24,079 --> 00:32:29,869
have time to clear the campsite as they usually
would, the legions were divided by the hedge-like

308
00:32:29,869 --> 00:32:37,609
obstructions laid down by Bodougnatus, which
prevented them from forming a cohesive formation.

309
00:32:37,609 --> 00:32:43,639
As a result, the legions were almost fighting
3 separate battles: the 10th and the 9th on

310
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:49,780
the left against the Atrebati, the 11th and
8th in the centre against the Viromandui and

311
00:32:49,779 --> 00:32:55,329
the 12th and 7th on the right against the
largest group, the Nervi with the two remaining

312
00:32:55,329 --> 00:33:01,539
legions, the 13th and 14th still with the
baggage train, yet to join the battle.

313
00:33:01,539 --> 00:33:06,980
The fighting was brutal, with Caesar himself
going from group to group, encouraging his

314
00:33:06,980 --> 00:33:12,470
men. Eventually, the Roman left was able to
push their enemy back enough to hurl their

315
00:33:12,470 --> 00:33:18,470
javelins into their ranks and charge. They
were able to force the Atrebati back across

316
00:33:18,470 --> 00:33:25,600
the river, even making it into the Belgae
camp. The Roman center was also finding success,

317
00:33:25,599 --> 00:33:30,240
pushing the Viromandui down to the banks of
the river.

318
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:37,630
However, the Roman right was having a hard
time. With the center pushing forward, the

319
00:33:37,630 --> 00:33:43,700
Nervii poured into the gap, almost surrounding
the 12th and 7th legions and falling upon

320
00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:49,130
on the auxiliaries who had retreated to the
camp. The remaining auxiliaries, including

321
00:33:49,130 --> 00:33:54,580
most of the Roman cavalry who had been marching
in front of the baggage train, saw this and

322
00:33:54,579 --> 00:34:00,639
fled, assuming the Roman right had been completely
destroyed and the battle lost.

323
00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:06,240
They were not without reason: the 12th had
lost their standard, their chief centurion,

324
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:12,809
most of the other centurions and the Romans
were beginning to break. Seeing this disaster,

325
00:34:12,809 --> 00:34:17,398
Caesar knew he would have to do something
or risk losing the whole campaign. Snatching

326
00:34:17,398 --> 00:34:22,628
up a shield, he pushed himself to the front
line of the legion, bolstering the morale

327
00:34:22,628 --> 00:34:28,759
of the men. With the 7th legion under heavy
pressure as well, Caesar ordered them to form

328
00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:33,679
a defensive square with the 12th and hold
their ground.

329
00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:40,450
At this point, the battle began to swing in
the Romans’ favour. Labienus, in charge

330
00:34:40,449 --> 00:34:46,018
of the 10th and 9th Legions, saw what was
happening from the other side of the river

331
00:34:46,018 --> 00:34:51,489
and sent the 10th to relieve the Roman right,
while the remaining two Legions had finally

332
00:34:51,489 --> 00:34:58,000
joined the battle and were attacking the Nervii
in the Roman camp. The Roman auxiliary cavalry

333
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:04,480
also returned to the battle seeing this change
in fortune, and it was now the Nervii who

334
00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:10,298
faced disaster. The Viromandui had fled upon
seeing the Roman reinforcements, and the Nervii

335
00:35:10,298 --> 00:35:16,288
were now surrounded. They fought bravely,
and Caesar even commended them later, but

336
00:35:16,289 --> 00:35:24,319
their defeat was now inevitable.
The Belgae casualties were devastating, Caesar

337
00:35:24,318 --> 00:35:30,891
saying that just 500 survived the battle.
The Roman losses had also been high, with

338
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perhaps as many as 5,000 Romans dead. Without
Caesar’s personal leadership and the timely

339
00:35:37,730 --> 00:35:42,650
interventions of the legions, it is likely
that the battle would have been lost, Caesar

340
00:35:42,650 --> 00:35:51,980
killed, and the campaign ended. But the battle
was over, and Caesar was once again victorious.

341
00:35:51,980 --> 00:35:57,920
The Nervii surrendered, becoming a vassal
of Rome, and the Atrebati were conquered soon

342
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:04,369
after. Rome was now in control of most of
Gaul.

343
00:36:04,369 --> 00:36:11,190
By 56 BC Caesar had subjugated the majority
of Gaul either through conquest or political

344
00:36:11,190 --> 00:36:17,389
alliances and was beginning to look for new
opportunities to expand Rome’s influence.

345
00:36:17,389 --> 00:36:23,451
But not all the Gallic tribes were taking
kindly to Roman rule; one such tribe was the

346
00:36:23,451 --> 00:36:31,548
Veneti, located in modern Brittany. Despite
signing a peace treaty with Caesar, the year

347
00:36:31,548 --> 00:36:38,259
before, they reneged on this promise and captured
a few Roman officers. As a largely sea faring

348
00:36:38,259 --> 00:36:42,869
nation, the Veneti were confident that they
would be able to put their faith in their

349
00:36:42,869 --> 00:36:50,730
navy and force Caesar to make concessions.
However, Caesar spent no time trying to negotiate,

350
00:36:50,730 --> 00:36:57,409
instead seeing the act as a direct declaration
of war and marched on the tribe. Initially,

351
00:36:57,409 --> 00:37:04,868
he found little success; due to their large
navy the Veneti were able to effectively hop

352
00:37:04,869 --> 00:37:10,608
from town to town, moving entire populaces
and their belongings, denying the Romans a

353
00:37:10,608 --> 00:37:17,068
pitched battle or siege. Standard Roman tactics
proved ineffective therefore and it was clear

354
00:37:17,068 --> 00:37:23,489
that, in order to win, Caesar had to defeat
the navy. With no navy on hand he ordered

355
00:37:23,489 --> 00:37:31,479
that a fleet be built in order to take on
the Veneti navy. But compared to the Roman

356
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:37,150
ships, which were designed for the Mediterranean,
the Veneti ships, designed for the Atlantic,

357
00:37:37,150 --> 00:37:43,380
were much stronger and taller and the Romans
found them impossible to ram or board. It

358
00:37:43,380 --> 00:37:48,900
was only through the ingenuity of one of his
legates, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, who

359
00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:54,289
suggested that they us billhooks to cut down
the sails and cripple the Veneti boats that

360
00:37:54,289 --> 00:38:00,359
Caesar was able to defeat their navy. With
this issue sorted, it now seemed that Caesar

361
00:38:00,358 --> 00:38:08,569
would be able to move on to new conquests.
Once again though, his plans were put on hold

362
00:38:08,570 --> 00:38:15,710
in 55 BC when yet another roaming German horde,
composing of Usipetes and Tenchtheri, began

363
00:38:15,710 --> 00:38:21,480
threatening the Rhine border. These tribes
previously rivalled the Suebi, but were now

364
00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:29,579
fleeing in huge numbers, Caesar giving their
total number, including civilians, as 430,000.

365
00:38:29,579 --> 00:38:34,710
They had already slaughtered the Menapii and
stolen their ships in order to cross the river,

366
00:38:34,710 --> 00:38:42,130
and were now pouring into Gaul. Upon hearing
about this, Caesar was once again compelled

367
00:38:42,130 --> 00:38:47,809
to act, as he was worried that Gauls might
join the Germans in an attempt to oust the

368
00:38:47,809 --> 00:38:53,890
Romans. Some Gallic tribes in the Rhine valley
had indeed sent emissaries to the Germans,

369
00:38:53,889 --> 00:39:00,539
providing them with food and intelligence,
encouraging them to move deeper into Gaul.

370
00:39:00,539 --> 00:39:05,489
Caesar gathered a council of Gallic chiefs
and convinced them to provide more cavalry

371
00:39:05,489 --> 00:39:11,699
for him to confront the Germans. This served
two purposes, firstly, Rome’s cavalry had

372
00:39:11,699 --> 00:39:17,768
always been lacking and the Gauls were renowned
horsemen and so filled a crucial role in the

373
00:39:17,768 --> 00:39:23,739
army, and secondly, because cavalry was composed
largely of nobles or wealthy persons, they

374
00:39:23,739 --> 00:39:30,479
would act as hostages ensuring good behaviour.
He then gathered 5 of his legions and headed

375
00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:37,838
to the Rhine.
The Germans had sent a large portion of their

376
00:39:37,838 --> 00:39:43,230
cavalry ahead of their main force in order
to carry out raiding missions, but hearing

377
00:39:43,230 --> 00:39:49,159
that Caesar was getting close, they sent emissaries
in order to delay him. They asked Caesar to

378
00:39:49,159 --> 00:39:53,739
negotiate, claiming that they were only in
Gaul because they had been forced to flee

379
00:39:53,739 --> 00:39:59,598
from the Suebi and promised to ally with Rome
if Caesar could provide them with land in

380
00:39:59,599 --> 00:40:07,318
Gaul. However, Caesar suspected that the Germans
were delaying and continued his advance.

381
00:40:07,318 --> 00:40:13,429
The envoys continued back and forth as Caesar
continued to progress toward the German camp,

382
00:40:13,429 --> 00:40:18,969
sending forward his 5000 cavalries as an advanced
force but with orders not to provoke them

383
00:40:18,969 --> 00:40:25,209
into attack. However, upon seeing the Roman
cavalry separated from the main force, the

384
00:40:25,210 --> 00:40:30,490
German’s fell upon them. The Romans initially
tried to hold their ground but were eventually

385
00:40:30,489 --> 00:40:36,268
overwhelmed and retreated to the safety of
Caesar’s camp. Caesar likely underplays

386
00:40:36,268 --> 00:40:42,118
the amount of casualties taken, giving the
number as 74, but he does mention that two

387
00:40:42,119 --> 00:40:47,461
brothers of the famous and influential Piso
family had died in the fighting, something

388
00:40:47,460 --> 00:40:55,979
that Caesar could not let go unpunished.
Refusing to hold back any longer, Caesar gathered

389
00:40:55,980 --> 00:41:02,818
his force to attack the Germans. But before
he moved off the Germans sent a party of diplomats,

390
00:41:02,818 --> 00:41:08,469
including high ranking nobility, to treat
with Caesar, once again asking for peace and

391
00:41:08,469 --> 00:41:15,219
apologising for the attack. As the Germans
had already attacked apparently without provocation,

392
00:41:15,219 --> 00:41:21,268
Caesar refused and took the delegates as prisoners.
He then drew up his army in three lines and

393
00:41:21,268 --> 00:41:28,929
moved swiftly to the German camp. The Germans,
assuming that Caesar still would have been

394
00:41:28,929 --> 00:41:35,899
delayed by their envoys, were caught completely
unaware. The legions fell upon their camp.

395
00:41:35,900 --> 00:41:41,260
Caesar brushes over the details, but it seems
to have been somewhat of a massacre. The fleeing

396
00:41:41,260 --> 00:41:47,130
Germans were pursued by the Roman cavalry.
Some made it across the river in their boats,

397
00:41:47,130 --> 00:41:52,920
but many tried to swim across and drowned.
Hearing of the defeat, the German cavalry

398
00:41:52,920 --> 00:42:03,088
which had been pillaging returned across the
Rhine. Caesar’s army had taken minimal casualties.

399
00:42:03,088 --> 00:42:07,639
It is important to note that while Caesar
portrayed this as a great victory against

400
00:42:07,639 --> 00:42:14,058
a marauding Germanic horde, this is not how
others saw it. To Caesar’s political rivals

401
00:42:14,059 --> 00:42:18,950
in Rome, Caesar had broken the armistice with
the Germans by antagonising them with his

402
00:42:18,949 --> 00:42:24,989
cavalry, imprisoned diplomats, which was effectively
a declaration of war, and then carried out

403
00:42:24,989 --> 00:42:32,528
a massacre including civilians.
Caesar needed something to distract the senate

404
00:42:32,528 --> 00:42:38,719
and win the minds of the people, so he decided
to boost his popularity by doing what no Roman

405
00:42:38,719 --> 00:42:45,058
general had ever done before; crossing the
Rhine. The Germanic tribe Ubii offered its

406
00:42:45,059 --> 00:42:51,240
ships hoping that the Romans would assist
in their war against the Suebi. Caesar, however,

407
00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:56,419
deemed this unworthy of the Roman people and
instead decided to build a bridge across the

408
00:42:56,420 --> 00:43:03,539
Rhine between modern Andernach and Neuwied.
It was an engineering marvel; the legion’s

409
00:43:03,539 --> 00:43:09,769
engineers used winches to act as pile drivers,
driving stakes deep into the river and constructed

410
00:43:09,768 --> 00:43:21,308
the 140 to 400 m by 7 to 9 m in just 10 days.
Caesar found the lands beyond the Rhine almost

411
00:43:21,309 --> 00:43:27,670
deserted. Taken aback by the Roman speed and
the feat of engineering, the Germanic tribes

412
00:43:27,670 --> 00:43:33,200
in the area had retreated deep into the Germanic
forests where they had amassed a significant

413
00:43:33,199 --> 00:43:38,710
army. However, Caesar had no desire to be
caught in a prolonged campaign in foreign

414
00:43:38,710 --> 00:43:44,818
territory against a notoriously dangerous
enemy. He spent just 18 days on the German

415
00:43:44,818 --> 00:43:50,239
side of the Rhine, burning villages and crop
fields, before returning and dismantling the

416
00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:56,489
bridge.
The campaign was a proof, not only to the

417
00:43:56,489 --> 00:44:01,889
Germans but also to Caesar’s rivals in Rome,
that he could overcome anything and do as

418
00:44:01,889 --> 00:44:06,308
he pleased.
Caesar next ambition – Britain, was once

419
00:44:06,309 --> 00:44:12,589
again a perfect propaganda target. The island
was on the edge of the known world and rumoured

420
00:44:12,588 --> 00:44:19,349
to be a land of monsters and vast riches.
It had remained effectively untouched and

421
00:44:19,349 --> 00:44:26,620
bringing it into Rome’s sphere of influence
would be a significant achievement. According

422
00:44:26,619 --> 00:44:31,568
to Caesar, the Britons had provided some of
the Gallic tribes with the resources needed

423
00:44:31,568 --> 00:44:38,469
to make war. While this was a weak casus belli,
Caesar was, by now, effectively doing what

424
00:44:38,469 --> 00:44:44,149
he wanted with little oversight. He began
gathering intel from the Gallic merchants

425
00:44:44,150 --> 00:44:48,700
and sent a small reconnaissance force to the
island whilst he mustered the ships he used

426
00:44:48,699 --> 00:44:54,108
against the Veneti and prepared to cross with
the VII and X legions.

427
00:44:54,108 --> 00:44:59,788
He set sail from modern Calais and safely
made it across with the most of his army,

428
00:44:59,789 --> 00:45:05,700
but his cavalry had been delayed by bad weather.
The Romans saw the Britons had amassed along

429
00:45:05,699 --> 00:45:11,518
the White Cliffs of Dover in huge numbers,
infantry, cavalry and chariots with every

430
00:45:11,518 --> 00:45:17,118
warrior painted in fierce blue war paint.
Caesar moved further down the coast in order

431
00:45:17,119 --> 00:45:22,559
to find a better place to land but was shadowed
by the Briton cavalry and chariots who were

432
00:45:22,559 --> 00:45:30,650
easily able to keep pace with the fleet.
When the Romans finally found a suitable beach,

433
00:45:30,650 --> 00:45:35,460
Caesar arranged his transport vessels into
a long line with his warships on his flanks

434
00:45:35,460 --> 00:45:41,949
and ordered his men to disembark. As the transport
vessels had deep keels however, they were

435
00:45:41,949 --> 00:45:47,598
still some way from the shore and the Legions
were forced to wade in waist deep water to

436
00:45:47,599 --> 00:45:53,550
try and reach the beach. The Briton saw their
opportunity and attacked, firing missiles

437
00:45:53,550 --> 00:45:57,720
into the ranks of the legionnaires as they
struggled through the water, weighed down

438
00:45:57,719 --> 00:46:03,308
by their armour. The Briton cavalry charged
in and out of the Romans, the height advantage

439
00:46:03,309 --> 00:46:07,980
of being on horseback allowing them to fight
much more effectively than the Romans stuck

440
00:46:07,980 --> 00:46:13,960
in the water. The legionaries were taking
significant casualties and seeing this, Caesar

441
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:19,548
moved his shallower keeled warships up the
flanks so that his missile troops and ballistae

442
00:46:19,548 --> 00:46:26,650
could fire into the Britons sides.
Still, the legions were wavering with some

443
00:46:26,650 --> 00:46:32,278
men not even being willing to get off their
transports. It was not until an eagle bearer

444
00:46:32,278 --> 00:46:37,250
of the X Legion leaped into the water and
waded towards the Britons that the Legions

445
00:46:37,250 --> 00:46:43,608
rallied and re-joined the battle with earnest.
The fighting was fierce and contested, Romans

446
00:46:43,608 --> 00:46:48,679
gathering to their nearest standards to try
and maintain some form of cohesion while Caesar

447
00:46:48,679 --> 00:46:53,889
used rowing boats to ferry men from the transports
to areas where the Roman front line looked

448
00:46:53,889 --> 00:47:01,498
in danger. Finally, the Romans were able to
push through the shallows onto the beach where

449
00:47:01,498 --> 00:47:06,308
their organisation and heavy armour could
come into play, at which point the Britons

450
00:47:06,309 --> 00:47:12,809
broke off and retreated. Caesar, without any
cavalry, had no choice but to let them escape.

451
00:47:12,809 --> 00:47:18,470
We don’t know the numbers of dead on either
side, but being a contested landing, it’s

452
00:47:18,469 --> 00:47:26,139
likely that the Roman losses were greater.
Following the battle, the Romans established

453
00:47:26,139 --> 00:47:32,338
a camp on the beach and the Britons sent delegates
to sue for peace, probably to assess the Roman

454
00:47:32,338 --> 00:47:38,018
purpose in the area. They were on home ground
and could afford to wait to see what Caesar’s

455
00:47:38,018 --> 00:47:43,629
next move would be, whereas Caesar, with no
supply line, would be pressured to make the

456
00:47:43,630 --> 00:47:49,900
first move. Caesar accepted the peace and
the Britons sent a small number of hostages,

457
00:47:49,900 --> 00:47:56,329
promising more later.
The cavalry that had been waylaid did try

458
00:47:56,329 --> 00:48:01,528
and cross once again to meet Caesar but were
caught in a storm and forced to turn back.

459
00:48:01,528 --> 00:48:07,730
This same storm damaged the ships that Caesar
had anchored off the beach, demoralising the

460
00:48:07,730 --> 00:48:13,230
Romans who could no longer escape the island.
Salvaging what materials, he could from the

461
00:48:13,230 --> 00:48:19,259
most damaged ships, Caesar began repairs whilst
sending one legion at a time to forage for

462
00:48:19,259 --> 00:48:24,780
food whilst the others defended the camp on
the beach. However, whilst one of the Legions

463
00:48:24,780 --> 00:48:30,099
was out foraging, the camp watch reported
seeing a dust on the horizon moving their

464
00:48:30,099 --> 00:48:35,390
way. This, combined with the lack of the promised
extra hostages, was enough to alert Caesar

465
00:48:35,389 --> 00:48:41,900
to what was happening. He gathered two cohorts
and marched quickly to the Legions location.

466
00:48:41,900 --> 00:48:49,559
Whilst foraging, the Legion had been ambushed.
Scattered and focused on collecting food,

467
00:48:49,559 --> 00:48:55,200
the Britons had been able to kill a substantial
number in the initial attack. The Legion had

468
00:48:55,199 --> 00:49:00,598
managed to regain some level of discipline
snatching up their weapons but they were surrounded

469
00:49:00,599 --> 00:49:06,220
by the British cavalry and chariots. British
charioteers were trained to throw missiles

470
00:49:06,219 --> 00:49:11,480
from their chariots and then dismount to fight
on foot before hopping back on the chariot

471
00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:16,608
when the fighting got too hard in order to
regroup. This gave them the staying power

472
00:49:16,608 --> 00:49:22,920
of infantry and mobility of cavalry, a tactic
Caesar admired, but was now taking a heavy

473
00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:30,298
toll on the surrounded Legion. Upon Caesar’s
arrival with his cohorts in formation, the

474
00:49:30,298 --> 00:49:35,900
cavalry and chariots retreated; the Britons
had no desire to fight heavy infantry in formation

475
00:49:35,900 --> 00:49:40,849
in a pitched battle without their own infantry
support and allowed the Legion to withdraw

476
00:49:40,849 --> 00:49:47,420
to camp with Caesar.
However, bolstered by this success, the Britons

477
00:49:47,420 --> 00:49:53,700
amassed their full force of infantry, cavalry
and chariots and marched on the camp. Caesar

478
00:49:53,699 --> 00:50:00,038
drew out his Legions to meet them. So far,
he had been fighting in difficult circumstances,

479
00:50:00,039 --> 00:50:06,630
in water, in ambushes, against a highly mobile
enemy, but this was an ideal situation for

480
00:50:06,630 --> 00:50:12,970
the Romans were their formations and discipline
could truly make a difference.

481
00:50:12,969 --> 00:50:18,028
The Britons charged, but in these conditions,
the Romans had the significant advantage.

482
00:50:18,028 --> 00:50:23,289
Whilst the chariots and cavalry had proved
highly effective against small groups of Roman

483
00:50:23,289 --> 00:50:29,660
infantry, with the Legions in a cohesive lines
they now had little effect. The Britons quickly

484
00:50:29,659 --> 00:50:36,118
caught onto this fact and disengaged, their
chariots and cavalry leaving the battlefield.

485
00:50:36,119 --> 00:50:41,440
The Roman infantry was now able to surge forward
and catch a portion of the Briton infantry

486
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:47,940
and routing it completely. The Britons were
excellent at hit and run tactics and ambushes,

487
00:50:47,940 --> 00:50:55,019
but in set piece battles, the Romans were
far superior.

488
00:50:55,018 --> 00:51:00,248
Once again, the Britons sent a peace delegation
and Caesar, knowing that his options were

489
00:51:00,248 --> 00:51:06,429
limited and that he did not have enough resources
to carry out a full campaign, accepted and

490
00:51:06,429 --> 00:51:10,118
then hastily withdrew from the island during
the night.

491
00:51:10,119 --> 00:51:17,190
However, on his way back to Gaul, 2 ships
were blown off course in a storm. 300 Romans

492
00:51:17,190 --> 00:51:23,619
were stranded and surrounded by a Belgae tribe,
the Morini, who Caesar had only recently subjugated

493
00:51:23,619 --> 00:51:29,568
and were keen for spoils and revenge. The
Romans were assailed them from all sides with

494
00:51:29,568 --> 00:51:34,929
missiles, hitting and running at the small
group. Caesar caught wind of this and gathered

495
00:51:34,929 --> 00:51:40,108
as much cavalry as he could to personally
lead them to the men’s rescue managing to

496
00:51:40,108 --> 00:51:44,650
ride down the Gauls and save the Romans with
only minimal casualties.

497
00:51:44,650 --> 00:51:49,700
Laebinus would later be sent into the Belgae
territory to winter in their territory and

498
00:51:49,699 --> 00:51:55,548
reinforce Roman rule in the area.
Neither the invasion of Britain nor this foray

499
00:51:55,548 --> 00:52:01,818
into Belgae territory were significant military
achievements, however, they show why Caesar

500
00:52:01,818 --> 00:52:08,858
was so loved by his men. He was brave, achieving
things no Roman had ever done before, he was

501
00:52:08,858 --> 00:52:14,308
calm under pressure, and, most importantly,
he would lead from the front and showed that

502
00:52:14,309 --> 00:52:21,480
he cared for his soldiers and was prepared
to risk his life to save them.

503
00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:26,248
The Briton campaign had not achieved much
for the Romans, but it did provide Caesar

504
00:52:26,248 --> 00:52:31,659
with crucial knowledge about the Britons military,
the climate, and the level of preparation

505
00:52:31,659 --> 00:52:37,538
that he would need to succeed, lessons he
would learn from for next year. Moreover,

506
00:52:37,539 --> 00:52:42,670
the Roman public and senate were amazed by
his feat of crossing the Channel into unknown

507
00:52:42,670 --> 00:52:51,079
territories and a full 20 days of thanksgiving
were declared to recognise his achievement.

508
00:52:51,079 --> 00:52:57,420
After dealing with some administrative matters
in 54 BC, Caesar began planning a second campaign

509
00:52:57,420 --> 00:53:04,530
in Britain. Almost 600 hundred transports
and 28 warships were built, implementing Veneti

510
00:53:04,530 --> 00:53:10,200
shipbuilding techniques better suited to the
rough seas. Caesar called on his Gallic allies

511
00:53:10,199 --> 00:53:16,608
and vassals and amassed 4000 cavalry, including
tribal leaders, once again bolstering his

512
00:53:16,608 --> 00:53:22,969
army and minimising the risk of revolts in
Gaul. He left half of this cavalry and 3 legions

513
00:53:22,969 --> 00:53:30,049
in Gaul, and crossed with 5 legions and 2000
cavalry - more than double his previous numbers.

514
00:53:30,050 --> 00:53:36,769
This was going to be a full invasion.
Caesar landed at the same place as before,

515
00:53:36,768 --> 00:53:42,618
but this time he was unopposed. He quickly
established a camp in the area and sent out

516
00:53:42,619 --> 00:53:47,921
scouts, who promptly brought back some local
prisoners. They informed Caesar that a large

517
00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:53,919
army had actually gathered to oppose the landing
but had retreated upon seeing the size of

518
00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:59,028
Caesar’s force. Leaving a legion at the
camp, he immediately set out in search of

519
00:53:59,028 --> 00:54:05,239
the Briton army.
The Romans marched through the night and were

520
00:54:05,239 --> 00:54:10,439
able to catch up to the Britons in a hillfort
on the other side of a river. Although the

521
00:54:10,440 --> 00:54:17,559
Romans were tired, Caesar was determined to
confront them, and began crossing. The Britons’

522
00:54:17,559 --> 00:54:22,929
cavalry and chariots rushed down from the
high ground to harass the Romans as they crossed.

523
00:54:22,929 --> 00:54:28,379
Caesar’s allied Gallic cavalry were experienced
in fighting in such scenarios, and proved

524
00:54:28,380 --> 00:54:32,818
their value, chasing off the Britons, who
quickly retreated to the woods surrounding

525
00:54:32,818 --> 00:54:38,710
the fort.
As the Legions began their advance up the

526
00:54:38,710 --> 00:54:43,470
hill, they were harassed from the woods by
the Britons, preventing them from making significant

527
00:54:43,469 --> 00:54:49,528
progress until the 12th Legion formed a testudo
and were able to make a rudimentary rampart

528
00:54:49,528 --> 00:54:55,780
in order to move over the walls. The Romans
were now inside the fortifications, but the

529
00:54:55,780 --> 00:55:01,200
Britons were quick to escape the fort and
retreated deeper into the woods. Considering

530
00:55:01,199 --> 00:55:06,399
the men had carried out a night march and
battle, and that he did not know the terrain

531
00:55:06,400 --> 00:55:14,160
and whether any more Britons would be waiting
for him, Caesar made camp for the night.

532
00:55:14,159 --> 00:55:20,618
The next day word reached him that a storm
in the night had, again, damaged his ships.

533
00:55:20,619 --> 00:55:25,550
Without the ships, Caesar would be at the
mercy of the Britons, so he decided to prioritise

534
00:55:25,550 --> 00:55:32,660
overseeing their repairs. He commanded his
army to reassemble and march back to the beach.

535
00:55:32,659 --> 00:55:39,170
Upon arriving, he discovered that 40 ships
were beyond repair, but the rest were salvageable.

536
00:55:39,170 --> 00:55:43,809
Caesar ordered that the ships be brought onto
the beach and a large wall was constructed

537
00:55:43,809 --> 00:55:49,690
encompassing the camp and the ships. He also
sent word to Labienus to build more ships

538
00:55:49,690 --> 00:55:57,068
in Gaul.
He then set off once again to find the Britons.

539
00:55:57,068 --> 00:56:01,798
They were in the same hill fort, but it was
a larger force than before, under the command

540
00:56:01,798 --> 00:56:06,809
of Cassivellaunus, a tribal leader beyond
the Thames, who was appointed the leader of

541
00:56:06,809 --> 00:56:15,170
a united coalition against the Romans.
Caesar had marched past this fort, possibly

542
00:56:15,170 --> 00:56:21,220
not wanting to attack such a large and fortified
army, instead attacking exposed villages to

543
00:56:21,219 --> 00:56:27,078
try and draw Cassivellaunus out. At the same
time, his troops were constantly harassed

544
00:56:27,079 --> 00:56:32,829
by the Britons’ cavalry and chariots fighting
skirmishes with the Roman cavalry on the flanks,

545
00:56:32,829 --> 00:56:40,349
luring them into the forests before turning
back to inflict significant casualties.

546
00:56:40,349 --> 00:56:45,490
The Britons seemingly allowed the Roman advanced
party time to begin making a fort for the

547
00:56:45,489 --> 00:56:51,169
night. However, as construction began the
Britons attacked again. The Romans who were

548
00:56:51,170 --> 00:56:56,720
on guard were able to form a line to defend
the site, but the fighting was brutal, with

549
00:56:56,719 --> 00:57:01,988
the Briton chariots darting in and out of
the Roman formation. Caesar was forced to

550
00:57:01,989 --> 00:57:09,259
send a further 2 cohorts from the vanguard
to quickly reinforce this line.

551
00:57:09,259 --> 00:57:14,159
The Romans were not used to the Briton style
of fighting, particularly chariot hit and

552
00:57:14,159 --> 00:57:19,338
run tactics drawing out the Roman infantry
from formation who were too slow to catch

553
00:57:19,338 --> 00:57:24,608
them. At one point, the Britons were able
to draw out a maniple far enough to create

554
00:57:24,608 --> 00:57:29,998
a gap which they were able to exploit, punching
through the Roman line and inflicting many

555
00:57:29,998 --> 00:57:35,868
casualties. It was not until the rest of the
Roman army caught up that the Britons disengaged

556
00:57:35,869 --> 00:57:46,588
and retreated. Cassivellaunus was proving
himself a cunning enemy.

557
00:57:46,588 --> 00:57:52,029
Caesar marched to the Thames, towards Cassivellaunus’
own territories, in an attempt to draw them

558
00:57:52,030 --> 00:57:57,470
out. Though he was able to find a position
on the river where could cross, the Legions

559
00:57:57,469 --> 00:58:02,788
were once again harassed by Britons amassed
on the other bank, who quickly retreated once

560
00:58:02,789 --> 00:58:10,249
the Romans were on dry land.
Cassivellaunus then made the decision to dismiss

561
00:58:10,248 --> 00:58:17,088
the vast majority of his army except for 4000
chariots, likely realising that fighting a

562
00:58:17,088 --> 00:58:23,139
pitched battle against the Roman heavy infantry
would be futile. A smaller force would serve

563
00:58:23,139 --> 00:58:29,068
him much better in a guerrilla war; it would
be easier to hide, faster to move, and need

564
00:58:29,068 --> 00:58:35,199
fewer supplies to maintain. Given the fact
that he knew the terrain and Caesar did not,

565
00:58:35,199 --> 00:58:43,179
this was a smart and calculated move.
However, Cassivellaunus’ previous wars with

566
00:58:43,179 --> 00:58:48,828
other Britons had made him many enemies, and
his new guerrilla tactics were not popular

567
00:58:48,829 --> 00:58:55,369
with the Trinobantes, whose leader Cassivellaunus
had previously killed. They sent envoys to

568
00:58:55,369 --> 00:59:01,289
Caesar, surrendering and promising hostages.
The Trinobantes were second in power only

569
00:59:01,289 --> 00:59:07,749
to Cassivellaunus himself and without their
support, numerous tribes followed suit, surrendering

570
00:59:07,748 --> 00:59:15,759
to Caesar. They also provided crucial intel
to Caesar, including the location of Cassivellaunus’

571
00:59:15,759 --> 00:59:20,599
capital.
Caesar marched there, another hillfort, burning

572
00:59:20,599 --> 00:59:26,940
all villages and fields on the way, and besieged
it from both sides, once again hoping to draw

573
00:59:26,940 --> 00:59:32,869
the Briton leader into a direct confrontation.
Cassivellaunus, however, did not take the

574
00:59:32,869 --> 00:59:38,220
bait. Although his guerrilla tactics were
effective, they were taking a toll on the

575
00:59:38,219 --> 00:59:43,268
Britons and the defenders within in the capital
quickly fled.

576
00:59:43,268 --> 00:59:49,939
Cassievalanus realised he needed to gain a
victory. Not wanting to fight Caesar directly

577
00:59:49,940 --> 00:59:55,900
though, he instead sent envoys to four allied
kings in Kent, who launched an attack on the

578
00:59:55,900 --> 01:00:01,818
Roman camp on the beach in order to try and
draw Caesar away from Cassivellaunus’ land.

579
01:00:01,818 --> 01:00:07,798
However, the Roman fortifications were strong,
and the force Caesar had left on the beach

580
01:00:07,798 --> 01:00:18,338
was easily able to repel the attack.
Cassievalanus was forced to sue for peace.

581
01:00:18,338 --> 01:00:24,181
Caesar readily accepted in exchange for hostages
and tribute. Winter was closing in, and he

582
01:00:24,181 --> 01:00:30,599
had no desire to spend it in unknown, hostile
lands. The Romans returned to the beach and

583
01:00:30,599 --> 01:00:37,690
sailed back to Gaul.
Overall, it is hard to see the invasion as

584
01:00:37,690 --> 01:00:43,489
an immense military victory. Cassivellaunus
had not been decisively defeated in battle

585
01:00:43,489 --> 01:00:49,599
nor captured, and the Romans maintained no
presence in Britain. From the Britons’ stand

586
01:00:49,599 --> 01:00:56,498
point it was a strategic victory, having successfully
pushed the Romans out of their lands.

587
01:00:56,498 --> 01:01:04,048
Still, his campaigns in Britain had taken
2 years, and without Caesars presence, Gaul

588
01:01:04,048 --> 01:01:12,798
was beginning to stir. In 54 BC a Gallic tribe,
the Eburones, under their leader, Ambiorix,

589
01:01:12,798 --> 01:01:18,818
successfully revolted in Belgica, ambushing
and destroying the 7000-9000 strong Roman

590
01:01:18,818 --> 01:01:26,568
detachment that had been sent to winter in
their territory at Atuatuca.

591
01:01:26,568 --> 01:01:32,690
Following this success, Ambiorix began to
besiege the Roman garrison in the Nervii territory,

592
01:01:32,690 --> 01:01:38,329
and a general revolt in the area broke out,
with Indutiomarus and the Treveri also rising

593
01:01:38,329 --> 01:01:45,160
in rebellion and being supported by the Germanic
tribes across the Rhine. This was a dangerous

594
01:01:45,159 --> 01:01:50,568
position: Caesar had spread his legions across
Gaul in order to not put too much strain on

595
01:01:50,568 --> 01:01:57,018
the resources of one area, and thus divided,
they were vulnerable targets.

596
01:01:57,018 --> 01:02:04,518
However, he reacted quickly, marching directly
to the besieged legion in Nervii territory,

597
01:02:04,518 --> 01:02:11,248
while Labienus fought off Indutiomarus. Upon
seeing Caesar approaching, Ambiorix gave up

598
01:02:11,248 --> 01:02:17,228
the siege to face this new threat, and was
quickly defeated while, almost simultaneously,

599
01:02:17,228 --> 01:02:21,899
Labienus was able to successfully repel his
opponents.

600
01:02:21,900 --> 01:02:27,800
Roman retribution for this revolt was swift
and devastating. The Eburones were effectively

601
01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:35,269
wiped out, while Ambiorix, according to some
sources, left Gaul for Germania. To help stabilise

602
01:02:35,268 --> 01:02:41,828
the situation, Pompey mobilised two more Legions
and Caesar himself raised another. He now

603
01:02:41,829 --> 01:02:48,359
had almost 50,000 men in Gaul under his command.
However, this was only the prelude to something

604
01:02:48,358 --> 01:02:55,728
much bigger.
In 52 BC Caesar returned to Italy in order

605
01:02:55,728 --> 01:03:01,618
to defuse another political problem and in
the same year, another large-scale revolt

606
01:03:01,619 --> 01:03:07,960
started. An Arverni leader, Vercingetorix,
who probably knew about the political problems

607
01:03:07,960 --> 01:03:14,778
in Rome, had organised an alliance of powerful
Gallic tribes that, inspired by Ambiorix,

608
01:03:14,778 --> 01:03:20,010
were now seeking independence, and had begun
attacking Roman outposts and Roman allies

609
01:03:20,010 --> 01:03:26,089
in Gaul.
Upon hearing this, Caesar quickly returned

610
01:03:26,088 --> 01:03:32,099
to Gaul to handle the situation. Going on
one of his famous forced marches, he swiftly

611
01:03:32,099 --> 01:03:38,048
quelled the Senones and Carnutes by taking
their capitals. His next target was one of

612
01:03:38,048 --> 01:03:44,639
the largest towns of the Bituriges - Noviodunum.
Vercingetorix attempted to stop Caesar’s

613
01:03:44,639 --> 01:03:49,679
advance near the city, but the Roman heavy
infantry was too much for the Gauls and they

614
01:03:49,679 --> 01:03:55,909
were forced to retreat losing many, which
allowed Caesar to take the city. To finish

615
01:03:55,909 --> 01:04:02,358
off the Bituriges he needed to take their
capital Avaricum. At this point, Vercingetorix

616
01:04:02,358 --> 01:04:07,690
started employing the scorched earth tactics
and Bituriges joined him by burning down 20

617
01:04:07,690 --> 01:04:13,880
of their towns – every one but Avaricum.
The Romans moved against this settlement and

618
01:04:13,880 --> 01:04:18,960
besieged it and although Avaricum was very
defensible and Vercingetorix attempted to

619
01:04:18,960 --> 01:04:25,400
help its defenders, it fell in less than a
month. Caesar slaughtered 40 thousand locals

620
01:04:25,400 --> 01:04:32,818
and replenished his supplies.
It was clear for Vercingetorix that he can’t

621
01:04:32,818 --> 01:04:38,998
the Romans in the field. Meanwhile, Caesar
was eager to end the rebellion before it spreads

622
01:04:38,998 --> 01:04:44,759
to other Gallic tribes, so he decided to strike
the decisive blow by taking the capital of

623
01:04:44,759 --> 01:04:51,650
the Arverni - Gergovia. Leaving some troops
in the area, Caesar marched with 25,000 towards

624
01:04:51,650 --> 01:04:53,579
this settlement, while Vercingetorix shadowed
him.

625
01:04:53,579 --> 01:04:59,140
Vercingetorix shadowed him with a similarly
sized force. Gergovia was in a very solid

626
01:04:59,139 --> 01:05:05,129
defensive position, located on top of a high
plateau, and Vercingetorix managed to overtake

627
01:05:05,130 --> 01:05:12,028
Caesar and positioned his army on the hills
in front of the city.

628
01:05:12,028 --> 01:05:16,900
As he had done in previous battles, Caesar
hoped to cut his enemies’ supply lines in

629
01:05:16,900 --> 01:05:21,769
order to force them out of their defensive
position, whilst he would be receiving supplies

630
01:05:21,769 --> 01:05:27,528
from the Aedui, his Gallic allies. However,
the Gauls had occupied a hill overlooking

631
01:05:27,528 --> 01:05:32,318
the supply line, from where they could ensure
water and grain could be transported into

632
01:05:32,318 --> 01:05:39,670
the city; taking it would therefore be crucial
to Caesar’s plan.

633
01:05:39,670 --> 01:05:45,548
In a quick night attack, he was able to dislodge
the Gallic garrison there and station two

634
01:05:45,548 --> 01:05:51,278
legions on the hill, linking this position
with the main roman camp by a trench. So far,

635
01:05:51,278 --> 01:05:56,710
all was going according to plan; Caesar’s
allies would supply him from the rear and

636
01:05:56,710 --> 01:06:01,588
Vercingetorix would now be forced to either
sacrifice his defensive position in order

637
01:06:01,588 --> 01:06:06,068
to re-establish his supply line, or be starved
out.

638
01:06:06,068 --> 01:06:13,818
However, Vercingetorix had his own plans.
He bribed the Aedui, who then also joined

639
01:06:13,818 --> 01:06:19,659
the revolt, attacking the Roman supplies and
threatening to cut off Caesar and surround

640
01:06:19,659 --> 01:06:26,328
him. Once again, Vercingetorix seemed to have
studied Rome’s tactics deeply, as this strategy

641
01:06:26,329 --> 01:06:33,910
was one of Caesar’s own favourite strategies.
Caesar was forced to leave two legions to

642
01:06:33,909 --> 01:06:39,769
guard the Roman position at Gergovia, and
took the other four to deal with the Aedui,

643
01:06:39,769 --> 01:06:45,559
quickly subduing them and forcing them to
send 10,000 cavalry back to the siege with

644
01:06:45,559 --> 01:06:51,150
him. This revolt had Caesar worried that he
might face even more revolts, and could soon

645
01:06:51,150 --> 01:06:57,869
be encircled by the rebels; he needed to extract
his legions from Gergovia and consolidate

646
01:06:57,869 --> 01:07:03,528
his troops.
However, the situation at the city was not

647
01:07:03,528 --> 01:07:09,329
looking good. The two legions left to guard
the Roman camp had been hard pressed the entire

648
01:07:09,329 --> 01:07:17,650
time Caesar had been gone. Furthermore, Vercingetorix
had divided his forces, leaving half to defend

649
01:07:17,650 --> 01:07:23,769
and fortify main Gallic camp in front of the
city, and half, led by himself, to fortify

650
01:07:23,768 --> 01:07:29,719
positions on the surrounding hills on the
Gallic right flank. With a 6-foot wall now

651
01:07:29,719 --> 01:07:35,659
in front of the main Gallic camp, and the
Gallic fortifications on the hills, Vercingetorix

652
01:07:35,659 --> 01:07:43,000
had removed any opportunity for Caesar to
encircle him and the city.

653
01:07:43,000 --> 01:07:48,559
Seeing the Gallic forces divided, Caesar saw
an opportunity to attack their main camp in

654
01:07:48,559 --> 01:07:54,548
order to deal a heavy enough blow to allow
his army to retreat unmolested. He sent a

655
01:07:54,548 --> 01:07:59,489
diversionary force of one legion and some
cavalry to the surrounding hills, making a

656
01:07:59,489 --> 01:08:05,348
huge amount of noise in order to distract
the force commanded by Vercingetorix. Then

657
01:08:05,349 --> 01:08:10,400
he quickly and quietly moved his remaining
legions up to the Gallic camp, leaving a few

658
01:08:10,400 --> 01:08:15,579
cohorts in the smaller camp on the occupied
hill, while the Aedui cavalry were sent to

659
01:08:15,579 --> 01:08:23,300
flank around the Gallic left by another route.
The Romans quickly clambered over the wall

660
01:08:23,300 --> 01:08:28,890
and fell upon the Gallic camp. The Romans
initially had significant success, pushing

661
01:08:28,890 --> 01:08:33,980
the Gauls right up to the walls of the city,
but Caesar ordered a withdrawal before the

662
01:08:33,979 --> 01:08:40,239
rest of the Gallic force under Vercingetorix
could reinforce them. However, only one legion,

663
01:08:40,239 --> 01:08:46,399
the 10th, heard this order and retreated,
the others continuing to press on and assaulting

664
01:08:46,399 --> 01:08:52,119
the city itself. Some Romans managed to climb
on top of the city walls but were quickly

665
01:08:52,119 --> 01:08:57,890
cut down and thrown back off. Missiles from
the city walls fell into the Roman ranks as

666
01:08:57,890 --> 01:09:05,560
they fought around the base of the walls.
Vercingetorix, realising what was happening

667
01:09:05,560 --> 01:09:10,470
from his position on the surrounding hills,
sent the rest of his force, headed by his

668
01:09:10,470 --> 01:09:16,740
cavalry, to reinforce the camp. The Roman
position was now truly desperate; the initial

669
01:09:16,739 --> 01:09:21,760
Gallic force and the city walls were in front
of them; there was no way of cutting a way

670
01:09:21,760 --> 01:09:27,140
out by pushing forward, and with Vercingetorix
crashing into their flank, the legionaries

671
01:09:27,140 --> 01:09:33,579
were under serious pressure and were almost
surrounded.

672
01:09:33,579 --> 01:09:39,930
The officers did their best to maintain Roman
discipline and form a defensive formation.

673
01:09:39,930 --> 01:09:45,680
According to Caesar himself, 46 centurions
died in this struggle, roughly a quarter of

674
01:09:45,680 --> 01:09:51,909
all the centurions present, and so maintaining
any solid formation was almost impossible.

675
01:09:51,909 --> 01:09:57,300
The Aedui finally appeared on a hill to the
Roman right flank, but the Romans, unable

676
01:09:57,300 --> 01:10:01,989
to tell if they were allied or not, broke
completely, thinking that they were about

677
01:10:01,989 --> 01:10:08,889
to be fully surrounded.
Caesar was able to use the 10th legion and

678
01:10:08,890 --> 01:10:14,050
the cohorts that had been stationed in the
small camp to cover the retreat, and prevented

679
01:10:14,050 --> 01:10:19,369
the Gauls from chasing them down, avoiding
the total destruction of his army, and withdrew

680
01:10:19,369 --> 01:10:26,349
from the field. In his commentaries, Caesar
says that only 700 men were lost in this battle,

681
01:10:26,350 --> 01:10:31,829
but this is likely vastly underplaying the
situation. Caesar being forced to assemble

682
01:10:31,829 --> 01:10:37,970
a rear guard and retreating show how disastrous
the battle was, and it is likely that the

683
01:10:37,970 --> 01:10:43,570
Romans lost thousands, modern estimates suggesting
as many as 6,000.

684
01:10:43,569 --> 01:10:50,949
hile Caesar was fighting a losing battle against
Vercingetorix at Gergovia, his best legate

685
01:10:50,949 --> 01:10:57,659
Titus Labienus was sent to deal with rebellions
in northern Gaul. Local Gauls emboldened by

686
01:10:57,659 --> 01:11:03,380
Vercingetorix and led by Camulogenus were
consolidating around modern Paris, which was

687
01:11:03,380 --> 01:11:10,079
called Lutetia at that time and was the capital
of the Parisii. Labienus has left a legion

688
01:11:10,079 --> 01:11:15,390
near Agedincum in order to have a supply line
to Caesar and marched with 4 more legions

689
01:11:15,390 --> 01:11:21,519
towards Lutetia. His troops took Metlosedum
along the way, but the attempts to cross the

690
01:11:21,520 --> 01:11:28,190
river Seine were blocked by Camulogenus. Labienus
was forced to retreat back to Metlosedum.

691
01:11:28,189 --> 01:11:36,500
Luckily for him, his scouts have found another
crossing near Metlosedum and he crossed here

692
01:11:36,500 --> 01:11:43,149
and moved against the Gauls. However, Camulogenus
used Vercingetorix’ scorched earth tactic,

693
01:11:43,149 --> 01:11:49,019
burning Lutetia and retreating to the swamps
beyond. At the same time, Labienus learned

694
01:11:49,020 --> 01:11:54,800
about Caesar’s defeat at Gergovia, which
provoked a big Gallic tribe called Bellovaci

695
01:11:54,800 --> 01:12:00,960
led by Correus to rebel, so he knew that he
had to retreat beyond Seine and unite with

696
01:12:00,960 --> 01:12:08,140
his legion in Agedincum. Labienus’s decision
to divide his forces into three provoked Camulogenus

697
01:12:08,140 --> 01:12:13,000
into attacking him to the south of Lutetia
without waiting for the Bellovaci and in the

698
01:12:13,000 --> 01:12:18,119
ensuing battle the Romans used the fact that
their divided forces were closer to each other

699
01:12:18,119 --> 01:12:24,250
– each group supported the other and the
legions managed to defeat the Gauls with ease.

700
01:12:24,250 --> 01:12:30,079
Camulogenus was killed in the process, which
slowed down the consolidation of the anti-Roman

701
01:12:30,079 --> 01:12:36,769
rebellion in northern Gaul.
Caesar and Labienus both retreated towards

702
01:12:36,770 --> 01:12:42,190
Agedincum, where they united their forces.
Meanwhile, more and more Gauls were joining

703
01:12:42,189 --> 01:12:47,599
the rebellion and after the rest of the Aedui
joined it, even the Roman province of Narbonensis

704
01:12:47,600 --> 01:12:53,961
were attacked by them. Caesar and his 10 legions
moved through the Sequani and Lingones territory

705
01:12:53,961 --> 01:13:00,170
to the east in order to gain a line of retreat
to the Roman province of Gallia Transalpina.

706
01:13:00,170 --> 01:13:05,079
At the same time, Caesar’s envoys secured
a group of Germanic mercenaries, who joined

707
01:13:05,079 --> 01:13:11,059
the Roman cavalry. Vercingetorix and his 80
thousand tried to attack Caesar, when the

708
01:13:11,060 --> 01:13:15,850
latter was trying to cross the Vingeanne river,
but the Romans were able to stop the attack

709
01:13:15,850 --> 01:13:22,220
with ease. It is not clear why, but this minor
defeat either disheartened Vercingetorix or

710
01:13:22,220 --> 01:13:26,900
showed him that he couldn’t win against
the Romans in an open battle, so he probably

711
01:13:26,899 --> 01:13:31,849
tried to recreate the factors that led to
the victory at Gergovia, when retreated to

712
01:13:31,850 --> 01:13:38,940
the Mandubii capital of Alesia. Caesar followed
him to the settlement.

713
01:13:38,939 --> 01:13:47,000
Alesia was a well defended city on a hill,
and sent messages to his nearby allies to

714
01:13:47,000 --> 01:13:53,420
come to his aid. Vercingetorix was in a strong
position; he outnumbered Caesar, commanding

715
01:13:53,420 --> 01:13:59,170
a force of up to 80,000 men, and was surrounded
by allies who would be able to quickly send

716
01:13:59,170 --> 01:14:05,270
men to reinforce him. From his position, it
should be a simple rerun of Gergovia: he would

717
01:14:05,270 --> 01:14:09,940
wait on the high ground for his allies to
arrive so they could either disrupt the Roman

718
01:14:09,939 --> 01:14:17,560
supply lines, or attack them from the rear.
Caesar had learnt his lesson though. Despite

719
01:14:17,560 --> 01:14:22,250
his smaller numbers, he immediately began
the work of fully surrounding and besieging

720
01:14:22,250 --> 01:14:26,579
Alesia, something which Vercingetorix had
been able to prevent him doing at Gergovia.

721
01:14:26,579 --> 01:14:33,480
The Romans began constructing a 16km wall
fully encircling the entire city, complete

722
01:14:33,480 --> 01:14:39,729
with palisades, trenches and towers, hoping
to cut off any escape.

723
01:14:39,729 --> 01:14:45,769
Vercingetorix sent his cavalry out to try
and disrupt these works, but the Legions were

724
01:14:45,770 --> 01:14:50,120
able to form a defensive line to hold them,
while the German auxiliaries flanked around

725
01:14:50,119 --> 01:14:56,599
the side. The Germans proved to be vital to
the Roman cause, and their superior horsemanship

726
01:14:56,600 --> 01:15:01,640
forced the Gallic cavalry to retreat back
into the city, killing many as they were funnelled

727
01:15:01,640 --> 01:15:08,420
into the narrow gates.
Realising that he would soon be completely

728
01:15:08,420 --> 01:15:13,190
surrounded, Vercingetorix decided to send
out what was left of his cavalry at night

729
01:15:13,189 --> 01:15:18,460
to sneak past the Roman line and to head to
the nearby tribes to request reinforcements

730
01:15:18,460 --> 01:15:25,520
as soon as possible.
Upon completing the first wall, Caesar learned

731
01:15:25,520 --> 01:15:31,170
from some Gallic deserters that these messengers
had been sent, and so constructed a second

732
01:15:31,170 --> 01:15:38,000
wall, this one almost 21km long and complete
with 2 trenches and a moat, facing outwards

733
01:15:38,000 --> 01:15:43,329
to protect against any Gallic reinforcements,
creating a donut like structure with Alesia

734
01:15:43,329 --> 01:15:49,600
in the centre.
He next sent out huge foraging parties to

735
01:15:49,600 --> 01:15:55,560
collect enough food to sustain his troops
for the next 30 days. In doing this, Caesar

736
01:15:55,560 --> 01:16:00,560
had effectively robbed Vercingetorix of his
advantages; with the Romans thus defended

737
01:16:00,560 --> 01:16:06,440
and supplied, it was the Gauls who now faced
a well dug in enemy, and it was now Vercingetorix

738
01:16:06,439 --> 01:16:12,679
whose time was running out. With an army of
80,000 men inside the city, plus the civilian

739
01:16:12,680 --> 01:16:17,990
population and no way of resupplying, it was
only a matter of time before he was starved

740
01:16:17,989 --> 01:16:26,840
out. This was Caesar’s magnum opus.
Faced with a desperate situation, Vercingetorix

741
01:16:26,840 --> 01:16:31,900
made the difficult decision to expel anyone
who wasn't going to be fighting, the old,

742
01:16:31,899 --> 01:16:37,599
the sick, women and children. He had hoped
that Caesar would allow these people through

743
01:16:37,600 --> 01:16:44,110
the Roman defences and to safety. But Caesar
was not in a merciful mood. He refused to

744
01:16:44,109 --> 01:16:49,779
let them pass and the civilians were left
between the walls of Alesia and the Romans,

745
01:16:49,779 --> 01:16:56,479
imploring both sides for food and water, neither
side relenting. Over the next few days, many

746
01:16:56,479 --> 01:17:01,939
died of starvation and thirst, the space between
the armies becoming full of the dying and

747
01:17:01,939 --> 01:17:07,889
dead.
The Gallic allies finally arrived to try and

748
01:17:07,890 --> 01:17:14,000
relieve the siege, under the command of Veringetorix’s
cousin, Vercassivellaunus. It is hard to say

749
01:17:14,000 --> 01:17:20,840
precisely how many there were: Caesar claims
that the number was as high as 250,000, with

750
01:17:20,840 --> 01:17:26,100
modern estimates suggesting somewhere between
70,000 to 100,000. Whatever the true number

751
01:17:26,100 --> 01:17:34,579
was, all agree that the Romans were now significantly
outnumbered; at least two to one.

752
01:17:34,579 --> 01:17:39,430
On the first day of their arrival, they quickly
filled in the first Roman trench and sent

753
01:17:39,430 --> 01:17:44,690
across a combined force of light infantry
and cavalry to probe the defences, whilst

754
01:17:44,689 --> 01:17:50,479
the rest of the army set up camp. Caesar countered
by sending out his own Germanic cavalry, and

755
01:17:50,479 --> 01:17:57,500
a fierce skirmish ensued.
From their elevated position inside the city,

756
01:17:57,500 --> 01:18:02,579
the besieged Gauls saw that their allies had
arrived and simultaneously began massing for

757
01:18:02,579 --> 01:18:08,149
a sally against the inner fortifications.
However, the Germans once again proved their

758
01:18:08,149 --> 01:18:13,069
skill, outmanoeuvring and flanking their Gallic
counterparts, forcing them back across the

759
01:18:13,069 --> 01:18:18,710
trench and into the Gallic camp. Seeing his
allies defeated, Vercingetorix decided to

760
01:18:18,710 --> 01:18:26,350
bide his time and held off his attack.
The reinforcements spent the next day constructing

761
01:18:26,350 --> 01:18:32,920
siege ladders, and then, at midnight, launched
another attack. Taking the Romans by surprise,

762
01:18:32,920 --> 01:18:38,170
they found some initial success, but Marc
Anthony, in his first battle, was commanding

763
01:18:38,170 --> 01:18:43,210
this section of the wall and proved himself
to be a composed and skillful lieutenant,

764
01:18:43,210 --> 01:18:48,750
pulling troops from other sections of the
walls to reinforce his position. Again, Vercingetorix

765
01:18:48,750 --> 01:18:53,710
began to sally out to try and help his allies,
but was delayed by having to fill the Roman

766
01:18:53,710 --> 01:18:59,529
trench. By the time he had crossed it, Anthony
had successfully fought off the assault and

767
01:18:59,529 --> 01:19:07,769
Vercingetorix again withdrew into the city.
Following these two failed assaults, Vercassivellaunus

768
01:19:07,770 --> 01:19:12,330
conducted more thorough reconnaissance of
the Roman position, and discovered that a

769
01:19:12,329 --> 01:19:17,309
steep hill overlooked the Roman wall in the
northern section. Hoping to use this high

770
01:19:17,310 --> 01:19:22,480
ground to his advantage, the next day the
Gauls used their overwhelming numbers to attack

771
01:19:22,479 --> 01:19:27,919
the entire length of the outside wall but
concentrated a large force under Vercassivellaunus

772
01:19:27,920 --> 01:19:34,920
on this portion.
At the same time, Vercingetorix again sallied

773
01:19:34,920 --> 01:19:39,960
out, this time attacking the length of the
interior Roman fortifications, hitting wherever

774
01:19:39,960 --> 01:19:45,689
looked weakest. This was the toughest the
fighting had been so far. Caesar, as he had

775
01:19:45,689 --> 01:19:51,099
done at the battle of the Sabis, dashed from
cohort to cohort, urging his men on, leading

776
01:19:51,100 --> 01:19:56,890
reserve cohorts personally to points where
the defences looked like they were faltering.

777
01:19:56,890 --> 01:20:02,869
Vercassivellaunus began making headway, pilling
earthworks up against the walls in order to

778
01:20:02,869 --> 01:20:09,119
mount them, and using hooks and siege engines
to tear down the Roman defences. Caesar committed

779
01:20:09,119 --> 01:20:13,939
every man he had left of his reserves, pulling
every man who could be spared and sending

780
01:20:13,939 --> 01:20:19,329
them into the action. It was a desperate battle
for the Romans; between the two walls there

781
01:20:19,329 --> 01:20:27,670
would be no escape, and if the line faltered
the entire army would surely be wiped out.

782
01:20:27,670 --> 01:20:32,399
The Roman line was holding the Gallic army,
but it seemed like it wouldn’t last for

783
01:20:32,399 --> 01:20:38,069
long. But then Caesar appeared at the top
of the hill; leading the Germanic auxiliaries

784
01:20:38,069 --> 01:20:43,949
he crashed into the rear of the Gallic reinforcements.
Surrounded now on all sides, the Gauls who

785
01:20:43,949 --> 01:20:49,429
had pushed through the breach were decimated
and the tide of the battle changed. Seeing

786
01:20:49,430 --> 01:20:54,530
their largest contingent broken, the moral
of the rest of the Gallic reinforcements shattered

787
01:20:54,529 --> 01:21:00,250
and they quickly fled. With this threat thus
neutralised, the Romans turned to deal with

788
01:21:00,250 --> 01:21:04,899
Vercingetorix, who was attacking the interior
wall, and they were able to force him back

789
01:21:04,899 --> 01:21:10,639
into the city.
With the city still besieged and with his

790
01:21:10,640 --> 01:21:17,550
reinforcements spent, Vercingetorix surrendered.
It is unknown how many Romans died, but the

791
01:21:17,550 --> 01:21:22,860
casualties must have been fairly significant
given the intensity of the fighting, particularly

792
01:21:22,859 --> 01:21:27,729
at the point where the fortifications had
been breached. The Gallic relief force suffered

793
01:21:27,729 --> 01:21:33,299
heavy casualties, the entirety of the besieged
army in Alesia was either killed or enslaved,

794
01:21:33,300 --> 01:21:39,710
and both Vercassivellaunus and Vercingetorix
were taken alive. The Romans had lost around

795
01:21:39,710 --> 01:21:42,439
13 thousand in this battle.

796
01:21:42,439 --> 01:21:47,159
Although most the rebel leaders were either
dead or captured, the resistance against Rome

797
01:21:47,159 --> 01:21:54,170
was far from over, as Bituriges, Carnutes,
Bellovaci, Atrebates, Andecavi and others

798
01:21:54,170 --> 01:22:01,890
were still in open rebellion. In January of
51 BC, Caesar moved against Bituriges. This

799
01:22:01,890 --> 01:22:07,060
winter campaign surprised Bituriges, who were
probably unprepared for it, and soon they

800
01:22:07,060 --> 01:22:11,810
sued for peace, which allowed Caesar to return
to his winter quarters.

801
01:22:11,810 --> 01:22:19,690
However, soon, the Bituriges were attacked
by the Carnutes for yielding to the Romans.

802
01:22:19,689 --> 01:22:24,769
Once again Caesar marched swiftly and took
his enemies by surprise, forcing the Carnutes

803
01:22:24,770 --> 01:22:29,540
to submit. The Romans made a new winter quarters
at the capital of Bituriges Cenabum and stayed

804
01:22:29,539 --> 01:22:36,909
there until the Spring.
Leaving 6 legions in the area, Caesar took

805
01:22:36,909 --> 01:22:42,889
4 and moved against the Bellovaci of Correus
and the Atrebates of Commius. This campaign

806
01:22:42,890 --> 01:22:48,170
proved difficult, as both tribes abandoned
their lands and fought a guerilla war against

807
01:22:48,170 --> 01:22:54,420
the Romans. Fortunately for the legions, Correus
was killed in one of the ambushes, which proved

808
01:22:54,420 --> 01:22:59,730
to be the final straw for the Bellovaci and
they were convinced to seek peace, while Commius

809
01:22:59,729 --> 01:23:08,189
retreated to the east to continue his resistance.
To the south the Andecavi attacked Lemonum

810
01:23:08,189 --> 01:23:13,710
and were defeated by Caesar’s lieutenants.
Remainder of the Gallic forces in the area

811
01:23:13,710 --> 01:23:20,020
attempted to defend at Uxellodunum, but were
defeated by Caesar soon after. The last engagement

812
01:23:20,020 --> 01:23:27,310
of the war saw Commius defeated in the north
and the rebellion was over.

813
01:23:27,310 --> 01:23:32,980
Gaul was pacified and Caesar won over the
remaining Gallic leaders with gifts and the

814
01:23:32,979 --> 01:23:38,609
promise of the lower tribute. He knew that
the battle for Rome is about to start. The

815
01:23:38,609 --> 01:23:43,789
Civil War that would end the centuries long
republic was just around the corner.

816
01:23:43,789 --> 01:23:49,289
Thus, ends the first season of our series
on Gaius Julius Caesar, but he will be back

817
01:23:49,289 --> 01:23:54,069
for the second season, so make sure you are
subscribed to our channel and pressed the

818
01:23:54,069 --> 01:23:58,859
bell button. We would like to express our
gratitude to our Patreon supporters and channel

819
01:23:58,859 --> 01:24:03,460
members, who make the creation of our videos
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820
01:24:03,460 --> 01:24:08,590
buying our merchandise via the link in the
description. This is the Kings and Generals

821
01:24:08,590 --> 01:24:10,690
channel, and we will catch you on the next
one.