WEBVTT

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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

00:21:17.900 --> 00:21:22.820
was so fast and surprising that the Romans
had to drop their pila before they could even

00:21:22.819 --> 00:21:28.579
throw them, drawing their swords and fighting
in hand to hand combat. The Germans managed

00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:35.919
to form a shield wall and neither side seemed
able to gain an upper hand. Having been unable

00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:41.140
to throw their javelins before charging, the
Romans struggled to break the shield wall

00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:43.310
as easily as they had at the Battle of Bibracte
and took drastic measures attempting to wrench

00:21:43.309 --> 00:21:44.309
away the German shields with their hands and
even throwing themselves against the wall

00:21:44.309 --> 00:21:49.500
to try and break it. After some hard fighting,
the Roman right, led by Caesar, started to

00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:56.529
push back the German left. However, the Suebi
on the right outnumbered their Roman opposition

00:21:56.529 --> 00:22:02.119
and were started to get the upper hand. The
Roman cavalry, led by the son of the Triumvir

00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:08.509
Marcus Licinius Crassus - Publius, had not
yet engaged in the battle and from his position

00:22:08.509 --> 00:22:14.450
he could see the Roman left starting to crumble.
Using his own initiative, Crassus led the

00:22:14.450 --> 00:22:20.360
third line which had been kept in reserve,
to support the flank, arriving just in time

00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:27.250
to avoid a disaster. With their left flank
broken and their right now under severe pressure,

00:22:27.250 --> 00:22:33.950
the Suebi army broke and ran. It is not known
how many people died in this battle, but the

00:22:33.950 --> 00:22:39.509
Germans, attempting to retreat through their
wagons, were said to have been packed so tightly

00:22:39.509 --> 00:22:47.960
that the dead could not even fall over.
The entire Suebi force, including Ariovistus,

00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:54.250
fled back across the Rhine, pursued by the
Roman cavalry. Caesar had won two important

00:22:54.250 --> 00:23:00.161
campaigns in one season. For now, he left
Labienus to winter with the legions in the

00:23:00.161 --> 00:23:06.010
Sequani territory whilst he attended to his
governing duties in Cisalpine Gaul. But by

00:23:06.010 --> 00:23:12.159
wintering his Legions in Gallic territory,
Caesar was making a point: this was beginning

00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:18.830
to look less like intervention and more like
occupation. With the Germanic threat dealt

00:23:18.829 --> 00:23:29.659
with Caesar would be able to turn his attention
to Gaul proper.

00:23:29.660 --> 00:23:35.370
The Belgae were a loose collection of various
tribes and had fought constant wars with the

00:23:35.369 --> 00:23:40.539
Germanic tribes across the Rhine which had
fostered a strong and experienced warrior

00:23:40.539 --> 00:23:47.379
culture. They knew of how successful Caesar
had been in Gaul already and were justifiably

00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:55.030
suspicious of his intentions. To counter the
rising Roman threat, the Belgae formed a confederation

00:23:55.029 --> 00:24:07.180
led by the king Galba of the Suessiones.
Labienus sent word of this coalition to Caesar

00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:13.990
in Cisalpine Gaul, who immediately took action.
Caesar raised a further two legions and moved

00:24:13.990 --> 00:24:20.029
straight to the Belgae border. It is worth
noting that Caesar now had eight legions under

00:24:20.029 --> 00:24:26.470
his command, approximately 44,000 men including
auxiliaries, double the amount he had initially

00:24:26.470 --> 00:24:32.600
been allocated by the Senate. Furthermore,
while the Belgae raising an army could certainly

00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:38.219
be seen as a potential threat, Caesar made
no efforts to get the Cassus Bellis he had

00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:44.900
when fighting the Helvetii and Suebi. The
Republic had less and less control over Caesar,

00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:49.600
and many in Rome were beginning to talk about
these conquests not being in Rome’s best

00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:57.000
interest, but in Caesar’s.
Nevertheless, Caesar marched his legions quickly

00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:02.299
into the territory of the nearest Belgic tribe,
the Remi, who were completely taken aback

00:25:02.299 --> 00:25:07.029
by the speed at which the Romans had been
able to mobilize and surrendered instantly,

00:25:07.029 --> 00:25:12.649
swearing to Caesar that they had never been
a part of the Confederation. The Remi even

00:25:12.650 --> 00:25:17.490
provided Caesar with all the information they
had on the alliance, including which tribes

00:25:17.490 --> 00:25:22.609
were involved, how many men each tribe was
contributing and that they were currently

00:25:22.609 --> 00:25:30.539
marching towards the Remi’s territory.
With this information, Caesar convinced his

00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:37.480
Gallic allies, the Aedui, led now by Divitiacus,
to invade the lands of the Bellovaci, a powerful

00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:43.059
Belgae tribe, to open a second front while
he marched towards the Belgic alliance’s

00:25:43.059 --> 00:25:51.579
main army. Caesar crossed a bridge over the
Axona River and encamped in a strong position

00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:57.909
on a hill on the other side. The river provided
protection from the rear, and marshy land

00:25:57.910 --> 00:26:04.150
at his front made a frontal assault difficult.
Furthermore, Caesar had learned his lesson

00:26:04.150 --> 00:26:09.830
from fighting Ariovistus and left six cohorts
in a well-fortified position on the other

00:26:09.829 --> 00:26:16.269
side of the bridge, securing his supply line.
With no chance of being starved out from his

00:26:16.269 --> 00:26:21.619
position, Caesar waited for the Belgae to
make their move.

00:26:21.619 --> 00:26:28.669
Meanwhile, the Belgae had marched to the Remi
town of Bibrax, just eight miles from where

00:26:28.670 --> 00:26:34.640
Caesar was camped, and besieged it. Caesar
gives the total number of the Confederation

00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:41.490
as 300,000. However, it is unclear how much
this number is exaggerated and how many of

00:26:41.490 --> 00:26:47.490
these men were currently in the army. A more
realistic estimation would be somewhere around

00:26:47.490 --> 00:26:54.160
80,000 men - still a force to be reckoned
with, almost double that of Caesars. In the

00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:59.400
face of such a large force, the Remi sent
messages to Caesar saying that they would

00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:07.700
be unable to hold the town without his help.
Caesar, however, was reluctant to give up

00:27:07.700 --> 00:27:12.910
his defensive position, as he thought that
that the attack on Bibrax was a trap designed

00:27:12.910 --> 00:27:19.960
to force him to do that. Instead he kept his
legions in camp, but sent a substantial contingent

00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:25.319
of auxiliaries, composed mainly of Cretan
archers and Balearic slingers, to sneak into

00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:32.589
Bibrax to help the Remi. With Bibrax thus
reinforced and Caesar not taking the bait,

00:27:32.589 --> 00:27:37.750
Galba instead marched his army to meet the
Romans, encamping just two miles from the

00:27:37.750 --> 00:27:43.930
Roman camp.
Caesar was reluctant to engage Galba straight

00:27:43.930 --> 00:27:50.311
away and instead focused on cavalry skirmishes
to test the strength of the Belgae. While

00:27:50.310 --> 00:27:55.929
this was going on, he further reinforced his
position, digging long trenches and constructing

00:27:55.930 --> 00:28:05.200
defensive towers on the flanks of his position.
Realizing that attacking such a strong position

00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:12.539
would be suicidal, Galba instead sent roughly
15,000-20,000 men to ford the river and attack

00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:18.089
the six cohorts on the other side, hoping
either to draw Caesar from the hill or to

00:28:18.089 --> 00:28:26.039
cut off his supply line and starve him out.
Seeing this, Caesar gathered all his light

00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:31.609
infantry and cavalry and marched quickly to
oppose the crossing, leaving his legions in

00:28:31.609 --> 00:28:37.959
their defensive position. The Roman cavalry
arrived just in time and fell upon the few

00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:43.170
Belgae who had made it to the other bank,
killing many and forcing them back into the

00:28:43.170 --> 00:28:48.880
river. At the same time, the Roman missile
troops peppered the Belgae still in the water

00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:55.220
with stones, javelins, and arrows. They doggedly
tried to continue their crossing despite taking

00:28:55.220 --> 00:29:01.190
heavy casualties, but Galba had no choice
but to pull his men back.

00:29:01.190 --> 00:29:06.230
To make matters worse, word had now reached
him that the Aedui were rampaging through

00:29:06.230 --> 00:29:12.539
the Bellovaci lands. With the Romans to his
front so heavily dug in and with another army

00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:18.670
now threatening his flank, Galba decided to
withdraw. The tribes would all disperse to

00:29:18.670 --> 00:29:24.000
their respective homelands, but all agreed
to reassemble if the Romans marched further

00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:32.990
into Belgae lands.
As the Confederation’s army dispersed, Caesar

00:29:32.990 --> 00:29:39.609
cautiously pursued with his cavalry and three
legions under Labienus, harassing the Belgae.

00:29:39.609 --> 00:29:45.250
Due to their lack of coordination, the Belgae
suffered heavy casualties in this retreat.

00:29:45.250 --> 00:29:52.170
The battle had cost the Confederation approximately
10,000 men and had forced the tribes to divide,

00:29:52.170 --> 00:29:58.330
making them easier for Caesar to conquer.
Many tribes simply surrendered in the face

00:29:58.329 --> 00:30:06.919
of the Roman Legions, including the Bellovaci
and Galba’s Suessiones.

00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:12.730
However deeper in Belgae territory, the Nervii
did have time to organize and were not going

00:30:12.730 --> 00:30:19.120
to give up so easily. They were outraged by
Caesar’s foray into Belgae territory and

00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:25.149
alongside their neighbours the Viromandui,
Atrebates, and Aduatuci, were able to gather

00:30:25.150 --> 00:30:38.461
an army of approximately 50,000 men, led by
the Nervii king Bodougnatus. Caesar, hearing

00:30:38.461 --> 00:30:43.160
that this force was gathering against him,
marched for the River Sabis on the edge of

00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:48.070
Nervi territory.
Bodougnatus had learned the lesson from Galba

00:30:48.069 --> 00:30:53.569
and knew that he could not allow the Romans
the chance to fortify their position and so

00:30:53.569 --> 00:30:59.039
he positioned his men in ambush on a hill
on the other side of the river. He also had

00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:03.899
his troops construct hedge-like obstructions,
which were placed on the other side of the

00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:10.740
river to disrupt the Roman formations and
cavalry.

00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:16.359
Caesar marched his army in two groups; his
veteran six Legions who marched in the front

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

00:31:21.420 --> 00:31:28.029
in front, while the two newer legions marched
behind with the baggage train. Caesar sent

00:31:28.029 --> 00:31:33.420
his cavalry and light infantry across the
river, which was only 3 feet deep, in order

00:31:33.420 --> 00:31:39.440
to scout the opposite bank. They were met
by some Nervii cavalry, and a brief skirmish

00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:45.830
broke out. However, the Belgae cavalry fell
back drawing in the Romans until the entire

00:31:45.829 --> 00:31:52.269
Nervii force broke cover and fell upon them.
The Roman cavalry and light infantry broke

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

00:31:59.460 --> 00:32:06.519
started the battle of the Sabis river.
The Belgae moved from the woods and across

00:32:06.519 --> 00:32:13.049
the river so fast that the legions had almost
no time to prepare. However, their experience

00:32:13.049 --> 00:32:18.599
and discipline kicked in; rallying to the
nearest cohort and legionary standards, they

00:32:18.599 --> 00:32:24.079
were able to put together a coherent battle
line. But as the legionary engineers did not

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

00:32:29.869 --> 00:32:37.609
obstructions laid down by Bodougnatus, which
prevented them from forming a cohesive formation.

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

00:32:43.640 --> 00:32:49.780
the left against the Atrebati, the 11th and
8th in the centre against the Viromandui and

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

00:32:55.329 --> 00:33:01.539
legions, the 13th and 14th still with the
baggage train, yet to join the battle.

00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:06.980
The fighting was brutal, with Caesar himself
going from group to group, encouraging his

00:33:06.980 --> 00:33:12.470
men. Eventually, the Roman left was able to
push their enemy back enough to hurl their

00:33:12.470 --> 00:33:18.470
javelins into their ranks and charge. They
were able to force the Atrebati back across

00:33:18.470 --> 00:33:25.600
the river, even making it into the Belgae
camp. The Roman center was also finding success,

00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:30.240
pushing the Viromandui down to the banks of
the river.

00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:37.630
However, the Roman right was having a hard
time. With the center pushing forward, the

00:33:37.630 --> 00:33:43.700
Nervii poured into the gap, almost surrounding
the 12th and 7th legions and falling upon

00:33:43.700 --> 00:33:49.130
on the auxiliaries who had retreated to the
camp. The remaining auxiliaries, including

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

00:33:54.579 --> 00:34:00.639
fled, assuming the Roman right had been completely
destroyed and the battle lost.

00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:06.240
They were not without reason: the 12th had
lost their standard, their chief centurion,

00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:12.809
most of the other centurions and the Romans
were beginning to break. Seeing this disaster,

00:34:12.809 --> 00:34:17.398
Caesar knew he would have to do something
or risk losing the whole campaign. Snatching

00:34:17.398 --> 00:34:22.628
up a shield, he pushed himself to the front
line of the legion, bolstering the morale

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

00:34:28.760 --> 00:34:33.679
a defensive square with the 12th and hold
their ground.

00:34:33.679 --> 00:34:40.450
At this point, the battle began to swing in
the Romans’ favour. Labienus, in charge

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

00:34:46.018 --> 00:34:51.489
and sent the 10th to relieve the Roman right,
while the remaining two Legions had finally

00:34:51.489 --> 00:34:58.000
joined the battle and were attacking the Nervii
in the Roman camp. The Roman auxiliary cavalry

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

00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:10.298
faced disaster. The Viromandui had fled upon
seeing the Roman reinforcements, and the Nervii

00:35:10.298 --> 00:35:16.288
were now surrounded. They fought bravely,
and Caesar even commended them later, but

00:35:16.289 --> 00:35:24.319
their defeat was now inevitable.
The Belgae casualties were devastating, Caesar

00:35:24.318 --> 00:35:30.891
saying that just 500 survived the battle.
The Roman losses had also been high, with

00:35:30.891 --> 00:35:37.730
perhaps as many as 5,000 Romans dead. Without
Caesar’s personal leadership and the timely

00:35:37.730 --> 00:35:42.650
interventions of the legions, it is likely
that the battle would have been lost, Caesar

00:35:42.650 --> 00:35:51.980
killed, and the campaign ended. But the battle
was over, and Caesar was once again victorious.

00:35:51.980 --> 00:35:57.920
The Nervii surrendered, becoming a vassal
of Rome, and the Atrebati were conquered soon

00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:04.369
after. Rome was now in control of most of
Gaul.

00:36:04.369 --> 00:36:11.190
By 56 BC Caesar had subjugated the majority
of Gaul either through conquest or political

00:36:11.190 --> 00:36:17.389
alliances and was beginning to look for new
opportunities to expand Rome’s influence.

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

00:36:23.451 --> 00:36:31.548
Veneti, located in modern Brittany. Despite
signing a peace treaty with Caesar, the year

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

00:36:38.259 --> 00:36:42.869
nation, the Veneti were confident that they
would be able to put their faith in their

00:36:42.869 --> 00:36:50.730
navy and force Caesar to make concessions.
However, Caesar spent no time trying to negotiate,

00:36:50.730 --> 00:36:57.409
instead seeing the act as a direct declaration
of war and marched on the tribe. Initially,

00:36:57.409 --> 00:37:04.868
he found little success; due to their large
navy the Veneti were able to effectively hop

00:37:04.869 --> 00:37:10.608
from town to town, moving entire populaces
and their belongings, denying the Romans a

00:37:10.608 --> 00:37:17.068
pitched battle or siege. Standard Roman tactics
proved ineffective therefore and it was clear

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

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

00:37:31.480 --> 00:37:37.150
ships, which were designed for the Mediterranean,
the Veneti ships, designed for the Atlantic,

00:37:37.150 --> 00:37:43.380
were much stronger and taller and the Romans
found them impossible to ram or board. It

00:37:43.380 --> 00:37:48.900
was only through the ingenuity of one of his
legates, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, who

00:37:48.900 --> 00:37:54.289
suggested that they us billhooks to cut down
the sails and cripple the Veneti boats that

00:37:54.289 --> 00:38:00.359
Caesar was able to defeat their navy. With
this issue sorted, it now seemed that Caesar

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

00:38:08.570 --> 00:38:15.710
in 55 BC when yet another roaming German horde,
composing of Usipetes and Tenchtheri, began

00:38:15.710 --> 00:38:21.480
threatening the Rhine border. These tribes
previously rivalled the Suebi, but were now

00:38:21.480 --> 00:38:29.579
fleeing in huge numbers, Caesar giving their
total number, including civilians, as 430,000.

00:38:29.579 --> 00:38:34.710
They had already slaughtered the Menapii and
stolen their ships in order to cross the river,

00:38:34.710 --> 00:38:42.130
and were now pouring into Gaul. Upon hearing
about this, Caesar was once again compelled

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

00:38:47.809 --> 00:38:53.890
Romans. Some Gallic tribes in the Rhine valley
had indeed sent emissaries to the Germans,

00:38:53.889 --> 00:39:00.539
providing them with food and intelligence,
encouraging them to move deeper into Gaul.

00:39:00.539 --> 00:39:05.489
Caesar gathered a council of Gallic chiefs
and convinced them to provide more cavalry

00:39:05.489 --> 00:39:11.699
for him to confront the Germans. This served
two purposes, firstly, Rome’s cavalry had

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

00:39:17.768 --> 00:39:23.739
army, and secondly, because cavalry was composed
largely of nobles or wealthy persons, they

00:39:23.739 --> 00:39:30.479
would act as hostages ensuring good behaviour.
He then gathered 5 of his legions and headed

00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:37.838
to the Rhine.
The Germans had sent a large portion of their

00:39:37.838 --> 00:39:43.230
cavalry ahead of their main force in order
to carry out raiding missions, but hearing

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

00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:53.739
negotiate, claiming that they were only in
Gaul because they had been forced to flee

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

00:39:59.599 --> 00:40:07.318
Gaul. However, Caesar suspected that the Germans
were delaying and continued his advance.

00:40:07.318 --> 00:40:13.429
The envoys continued back and forth as Caesar
continued to progress toward the German camp,

00:40:13.429 --> 00:40:18.969
sending forward his 5000 cavalries as an advanced
force but with orders not to provoke them

00:40:18.969 --> 00:40:25.209
into attack. However, upon seeing the Roman
cavalry separated from the main force, the

00:40:25.210 --> 00:40:30.490
German’s fell upon them. The Romans initially
tried to hold their ground but were eventually

00:40:30.489 --> 00:40:36.268
overwhelmed and retreated to the safety of
Caesar’s camp. Caesar likely underplays

00:40:36.268 --> 00:40:42.118
the amount of casualties taken, giving the
number as 74, but he does mention that two

00:40:42.119 --> 00:40:47.461
brothers of the famous and influential Piso
family had died in the fighting, something

00:40:47.460 --> 00:40:55.979
that Caesar could not let go unpunished.
Refusing to hold back any longer, Caesar gathered

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,

00:41:02.818 --> 00:41:08.469
including high ranking nobility, to treat
with Caesar, once again asking for peace and

00:41:08.469 --> 00:41:15.219
apologising for the attack. As the Germans
had already attacked apparently without provocation,

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

00:41:21.268 --> 00:41:28.929
moved swiftly to the German camp. The Germans,
assuming that Caesar still would have been

00:41:28.929 --> 00:41:35.899
delayed by their envoys, were caught completely
unaware. The legions fell upon their camp.

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

00:41:41.260 --> 00:41:47.130
Germans were pursued by the Roman cavalry.
Some made it across the river in their boats,

00:41:47.130 --> 00:41:52.920
but many tried to swim across and drowned.
Hearing of the defeat, the German cavalry

00:41:52.920 --> 00:42:03.088
which had been pillaging returned across the
Rhine. Caesar’s army had taken minimal casualties.

00:42:03.088 --> 00:42:07.639
It is important to note that while Caesar
portrayed this as a great victory against

00:42:07.639 --> 00:42:14.058
a marauding Germanic horde, this is not how
others saw it. To Caesar’s political rivals

00:42:14.059 --> 00:42:18.950
in Rome, Caesar had broken the armistice with
the Germans by antagonising them with his

00:42:18.949 --> 00:42:24.989
cavalry, imprisoned diplomats, which was effectively
a declaration of war, and then carried out

00:42:24.989 --> 00:42:32.528
a massacre including civilians.
Caesar needed something to distract the senate

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

00:42:38.719 --> 00:42:45.058
general had ever done before; crossing the
Rhine. The Germanic tribe Ubii offered its

00:42:45.059 --> 00:42:51.240
ships hoping that the Romans would assist
in their war against the Suebi. Caesar, however,

00:42:51.239 --> 00:42:56.419
deemed this unworthy of the Roman people and
instead decided to build a bridge across the

00:42:56.420 --> 00:43:03.539
Rhine between modern Andernach and Neuwied.
It was an engineering marvel; the legion’s

00:43:03.539 --> 00:43:09.769
engineers used winches to act as pile drivers,
driving stakes deep into the river and constructed

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

00:43:21.309 --> 00:43:27.670
deserted. Taken aback by the Roman speed and
the feat of engineering, the Germanic tribes

00:43:27.670 --> 00:43:33.200
in the area had retreated deep into the Germanic
forests where they had amassed a significant

00:43:33.199 --> 00:43:38.710
army. However, Caesar had no desire to be
caught in a prolonged campaign in foreign

00:43:38.710 --> 00:43:44.818
territory against a notoriously dangerous
enemy. He spent just 18 days on the German

00:43:44.818 --> 00:43:50.239
side of the Rhine, burning villages and crop
fields, before returning and dismantling the

00:43:50.239 --> 00:43:56.489
bridge.
The campaign was a proof, not only to the

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

00:44:01.889 --> 00:44:06.308
he pleased.
Caesar next ambition – Britain, was once

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

00:44:12.588 --> 00:44:19.349
to be a land of monsters and vast riches.
It had remained effectively untouched and

00:44:19.349 --> 00:44:26.620
bringing it into Rome’s sphere of influence
would be a significant achievement. According

00:44:26.619 --> 00:44:31.568
to Caesar, the Britons had provided some of
the Gallic tribes with the resources needed

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

00:44:38.469 --> 00:44:44.149
he wanted with little oversight. He began
gathering intel from the Gallic merchants

00:44:44.150 --> 00:44:48.700
and sent a small reconnaissance force to the
island whilst he mustered the ships he used

00:44:48.699 --> 00:44:54.108
against the Veneti and prepared to cross with
the VII and X legions.

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,

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

00:45:05.699 --> 00:45:11.518
the White Cliffs of Dover in huge numbers,
infantry, cavalry and chariots with every

00:45:11.518 --> 00:45:17.118
warrior painted in fierce blue war paint.
Caesar moved further down the coast in order

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

00:45:22.559 --> 00:45:30.650
easily able to keep pace with the fleet.
When the Romans finally found a suitable beach,

00:45:30.650 --> 00:45:35.460
Caesar arranged his transport vessels into
a long line with his warships on his flanks

00:45:35.460 --> 00:45:41.949
and ordered his men to disembark. As the transport
vessels had deep keels however, they were

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

00:45:47.599 --> 00:45:53.550
try and reach the beach. The Briton saw their
opportunity and attacked, firing missiles

00:45:53.550 --> 00:45:57.720
into the ranks of the legionnaires as they
struggled through the water, weighed down

00:45:57.719 --> 00:46:03.308
by their armour. The Briton cavalry charged
in and out of the Romans, the height advantage

00:46:03.309 --> 00:46:07.980
of being on horseback allowing them to fight
much more effectively than the Romans stuck

00:46:07.980 --> 00:46:13.960
in the water. The legionaries were taking
significant casualties and seeing this, Caesar

00:46:13.960 --> 00:46:19.548
moved his shallower keeled warships up the
flanks so that his missile troops and ballistae

00:46:19.548 --> 00:46:26.650
could fire into the Britons sides.
Still, the legions were wavering with some

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

00:46:32.278 --> 00:46:37.250
of the X Legion leaped into the water and
waded towards the Britons that the Legions

00:46:37.250 --> 00:46:43.608
rallied and re-joined the battle with earnest.
The fighting was fierce and contested, Romans

00:46:43.608 --> 00:46:48.679
gathering to their nearest standards to try
and maintain some form of cohesion while Caesar

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

00:46:53.889 --> 00:47:01.498
in danger. Finally, the Romans were able to
push through the shallows onto the beach where

00:47:01.498 --> 00:47:06.308
their organisation and heavy armour could
come into play, at which point the Britons

00:47:06.309 --> 00:47:12.809
broke off and retreated. Caesar, without any
cavalry, had no choice but to let them escape.

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

00:47:18.469 --> 00:47:26.139
likely that the Roman losses were greater.
Following the battle, the Romans established

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

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

00:47:38.018 --> 00:47:43.629
next move would be, whereas Caesar, with no
supply line, would be pressured to make the

00:47:43.630 --> 00:47:49.900
first move. Caesar accepted the peace and
the Britons sent a small number of hostages,

00:47:49.900 --> 00:47:56.329
promising more later.
The cavalry that had been waylaid did try

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.

00:48:01.528 --> 00:48:07.730
This same storm damaged the ships that Caesar
had anchored off the beach, demoralising the

00:48:07.730 --> 00:48:13.230
Romans who could no longer escape the island.
Salvaging what materials, he could from the

00:48:13.230 --> 00:48:19.259
most damaged ships, Caesar began repairs whilst
sending one legion at a time to forage for

00:48:19.259 --> 00:48:24.780
food whilst the others defended the camp on
the beach. However, whilst one of the Legions

00:48:24.780 --> 00:48:30.099
was out foraging, the camp watch reported
seeing a dust on the horizon moving their

00:48:30.099 --> 00:48:35.390
way. This, combined with the lack of the promised
extra hostages, was enough to alert Caesar

00:48:35.389 --> 00:48:41.900
to what was happening. He gathered two cohorts
and marched quickly to the Legions location.

00:48:41.900 --> 00:48:49.559
Whilst foraging, the Legion had been ambushed.
Scattered and focused on collecting food,

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

00:48:55.199 --> 00:49:00.598
managed to regain some level of discipline
snatching up their weapons but they were surrounded

00:49:00.599 --> 00:49:06.220
by the British cavalry and chariots. British
charioteers were trained to throw missiles

00:49:06.219 --> 00:49:11.480
from their chariots and then dismount to fight
on foot before hopping back on the chariot

00:49:11.480 --> 00:49:16.608
when the fighting got too hard in order to
regroup. This gave them the staying power

00:49:16.608 --> 00:49:22.920
of infantry and mobility of cavalry, a tactic
Caesar admired, but was now taking a heavy

00:49:22.920 --> 00:49:30.298
toll on the surrounded Legion. Upon Caesar’s
arrival with his cohorts in formation, the

00:49:30.298 --> 00:49:35.900
cavalry and chariots retreated; the Britons
had no desire to fight heavy infantry in formation

00:49:35.900 --> 00:49:40.849
in a pitched battle without their own infantry
support and allowed the Legion to withdraw

00:49:40.849 --> 00:49:47.420
to camp with Caesar.
However, bolstered by this success, the Britons

00:49:47.420 --> 00:49:53.700
amassed their full force of infantry, cavalry
and chariots and marched on the camp. Caesar

00:49:53.699 --> 00:50:00.038
drew out his Legions to meet them. So far,
he had been fighting in difficult circumstances,

00:50:00.039 --> 00:50:06.630
in water, in ambushes, against a highly mobile
enemy, but this was an ideal situation for

00:50:06.630 --> 00:50:12.970
the Romans were their formations and discipline
could truly make a difference.

00:50:12.969 --> 00:50:18.028
The Britons charged, but in these conditions,
the Romans had the significant advantage.

00:50:18.028 --> 00:50:23.289
Whilst the chariots and cavalry had proved
highly effective against small groups of Roman

00:50:23.289 --> 00:50:29.660
infantry, with the Legions in a cohesive lines
they now had little effect. The Britons quickly

00:50:29.659 --> 00:50:36.118
caught onto this fact and disengaged, their
chariots and cavalry leaving the battlefield.

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

00:50:41.440 --> 00:50:47.940
and routing it completely. The Britons were
excellent at hit and run tactics and ambushes,

00:50:47.940 --> 00:50:55.019
but in set piece battles, the Romans were
far superior.

00:50:55.018 --> 00:51:00.248
Once again, the Britons sent a peace delegation
and Caesar, knowing that his options were

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

00:51:06.429 --> 00:51:10.118
then hastily withdrew from the island during
the night.

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

00:51:17.190 --> 00:51:23.619
were stranded and surrounded by a Belgae tribe,
the Morini, who Caesar had only recently subjugated

00:51:23.619 --> 00:51:29.568
and were keen for spoils and revenge. The
Romans were assailed them from all sides with

00:51:29.568 --> 00:51:34.929
missiles, hitting and running at the small
group. Caesar caught wind of this and gathered

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

00:51:40.108 --> 00:51:44.650
ride down the Gauls and save the Romans with
only minimal casualties.

00:51:44.650 --> 00:51:49.700
Laebinus would later be sent into the Belgae
territory to winter in their territory and

00:51:49.699 --> 00:51:55.548
reinforce Roman rule in the area.
Neither the invasion of Britain nor this foray

00:51:55.548 --> 00:52:01.818
into Belgae territory were significant military
achievements, however, they show why Caesar

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

00:52:08.858 --> 00:52:14.308
calm under pressure, and, most importantly,
he would lead from the front and showed that

00:52:14.309 --> 00:52:21.480
he cared for his soldiers and was prepared
to risk his life to save them.

00:52:21.480 --> 00:52:26.248
The Briton campaign had not achieved much
for the Romans, but it did provide Caesar

00:52:26.248 --> 00:52:31.659
with crucial knowledge about the Britons military,
the climate, and the level of preparation

00:52:31.659 --> 00:52:37.538
that he would need to succeed, lessons he
would learn from for next year. Moreover,

00:52:37.539 --> 00:52:42.670
the Roman public and senate were amazed by
his feat of crossing the Channel into unknown

00:52:42.670 --> 00:52:51.079
territories and a full 20 days of thanksgiving
were declared to recognise his achievement.

00:52:51.079 --> 00:52:57.420
After dealing with some administrative matters
in 54 BC, Caesar began planning a second campaign

00:52:57.420 --> 00:53:04.530
in Britain. Almost 600 hundred transports
and 28 warships were built, implementing Veneti

00:53:04.530 --> 00:53:10.200
shipbuilding techniques better suited to the
rough seas. Caesar called on his Gallic allies

00:53:10.199 --> 00:53:16.608
and vassals and amassed 4000 cavalry, including
tribal leaders, once again bolstering his

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

00:53:22.969 --> 00:53:30.049
in Gaul, and crossed with 5 legions and 2000
cavalry - more than double his previous numbers.

00:53:30.050 --> 00:53:36.769
This was going to be a full invasion.
Caesar landed at the same place as before,

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

00:53:42.619 --> 00:53:47.921
scouts, who promptly brought back some local
prisoners. They informed Caesar that a large

00:53:47.920 --> 00:53:53.919
army had actually gathered to oppose the landing
but had retreated upon seeing the size of

00:53:53.920 --> 00:53:59.028
Caesar’s force. Leaving a legion at the
camp, he immediately set out in search of

00:53:59.028 --> 00:54:05.239
the Briton army.
The Romans marched through the night and were

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

00:54:10.440 --> 00:54:17.559
Romans were tired, Caesar was determined to
confront them, and began crossing. The Britons’

00:54:17.559 --> 00:54:22.929
cavalry and chariots rushed down from the
high ground to harass the Romans as they crossed.

00:54:22.929 --> 00:54:28.379
Caesar’s allied Gallic cavalry were experienced
in fighting in such scenarios, and proved

00:54:28.380 --> 00:54:32.818
their value, chasing off the Britons, who
quickly retreated to the woods surrounding

00:54:32.818 --> 00:54:38.710
the fort.
As the Legions began their advance up the

00:54:38.710 --> 00:54:43.470
hill, they were harassed from the woods by
the Britons, preventing them from making significant

00:54:43.469 --> 00:54:49.528
progress until the 12th Legion formed a testudo
and were able to make a rudimentary rampart

00:54:49.528 --> 00:54:55.780
in order to move over the walls. The Romans
were now inside the fortifications, but the

00:54:55.780 --> 00:55:01.200
Britons were quick to escape the fort and
retreated deeper into the woods. Considering

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

00:55:06.400 --> 00:55:14.160
and whether any more Britons would be waiting
for him, Caesar made camp for the night.

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.

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

00:55:25.550 --> 00:55:32.660
overseeing their repairs. He commanded his
army to reassemble and march back to the beach.

00:55:32.659 --> 00:55:39.170
Upon arriving, he discovered that 40 ships
were beyond repair, but the rest were salvageable.

00:55:39.170 --> 00:55:43.809
Caesar ordered that the ships be brought onto
the beach and a large wall was constructed

00:55:43.809 --> 00:55:49.690
encompassing the camp and the ships. He also
sent word to Labienus to build more ships

00:55:49.690 --> 00:55:57.068
in Gaul.
He then set off once again to find the Britons.

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

00:56:01.798 --> 00:56:06.809
of Cassivellaunus, a tribal leader beyond
the Thames, who was appointed the leader of

00:56:06.809 --> 00:56:15.170
a united coalition against the Romans.
Caesar had marched past this fort, possibly

00:56:15.170 --> 00:56:21.220
not wanting to attack such a large and fortified
army, instead attacking exposed villages to

00:56:21.219 --> 00:56:27.078
try and draw Cassivellaunus out. At the same
time, his troops were constantly harassed

00:56:27.079 --> 00:56:32.829
by the Britons’ cavalry and chariots fighting
skirmishes with the Roman cavalry on the flanks,

00:56:32.829 --> 00:56:40.349
luring them into the forests before turning
back to inflict significant casualties.

00:56:40.349 --> 00:56:45.490
The Britons seemingly allowed the Roman advanced
party time to begin making a fort for the

00:56:45.489 --> 00:56:51.169
night. However, as construction began the
Britons attacked again. The Romans who were

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

00:56:56.719 --> 00:57:01.988
the Briton chariots darting in and out of
the Roman formation. Caesar was forced to

00:57:01.989 --> 00:57:09.259
send a further 2 cohorts from the vanguard
to quickly reinforce this line.

00:57:09.259 --> 00:57:14.159
The Romans were not used to the Briton style
of fighting, particularly chariot hit and

00:57:14.159 --> 00:57:19.338
run tactics drawing out the Roman infantry
from formation who were too slow to catch

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

00:57:24.608 --> 00:57:29.998
a gap which they were able to exploit, punching
through the Roman line and inflicting many

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

00:57:35.869 --> 00:57:46.588
and retreated. Cassivellaunus was proving
himself a cunning enemy.

00:57:46.588 --> 00:57:52.029
Caesar marched to the Thames, towards Cassivellaunus’
own territories, in an attempt to draw them

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

00:57:57.469 --> 00:58:02.788
were once again harassed by Britons amassed
on the other bank, who quickly retreated once

00:58:02.789 --> 00:58:10.249
the Romans were on dry land.
Cassivellaunus then made the decision to dismiss

00:58:10.248 --> 00:58:17.088
the vast majority of his army except for 4000
chariots, likely realising that fighting a

00:58:17.088 --> 00:58:23.139
pitched battle against the Roman heavy infantry
would be futile. A smaller force would serve

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

00:58:29.068 --> 00:58:35.199
fewer supplies to maintain. Given the fact
that he knew the terrain and Caesar did not,

00:58:35.199 --> 00:58:43.179
this was a smart and calculated move.
However, Cassivellaunus’ previous wars with

00:58:43.179 --> 00:58:48.828
other Britons had made him many enemies, and
his new guerrilla tactics were not popular

00:58:48.829 --> 00:58:55.369
with the Trinobantes, whose leader Cassivellaunus
had previously killed. They sent envoys to

00:58:55.369 --> 00:59:01.289
Caesar, surrendering and promising hostages.
The Trinobantes were second in power only

00:59:01.289 --> 00:59:07.749
to Cassivellaunus himself and without their
support, numerous tribes followed suit, surrendering

00:59:07.748 --> 00:59:15.759
to Caesar. They also provided crucial intel
to Caesar, including the location of Cassivellaunus’

00:59:15.759 --> 00:59:20.599
capital.
Caesar marched there, another hillfort, burning

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

00:59:26.940 --> 00:59:32.869
the Briton leader into a direct confrontation.
Cassivellaunus, however, did not take the

00:59:32.869 --> 00:59:38.220
bait. Although his guerrilla tactics were
effective, they were taking a toll on the

00:59:38.219 --> 00:59:43.268
Britons and the defenders within in the capital
quickly fled.

00:59:43.268 --> 00:59:49.939
Cassievalanus realised he needed to gain a
victory. Not wanting to fight Caesar directly

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

00:59:55.900 --> 01:00:01.818
Roman camp on the beach in order to try and
draw Caesar away from Cassivellaunus’ land.

01:00:01.818 --> 01:00:07.798
However, the Roman fortifications were strong,
and the force Caesar had left on the beach

01:00:07.798 --> 01:00:18.338
was easily able to repel the attack.
Cassievalanus was forced to sue for peace.

01:00:18.338 --> 01:00:24.181
Caesar readily accepted in exchange for hostages
and tribute. Winter was closing in, and he

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

01:00:30.599 --> 01:00:37.690
sailed back to Gaul.
Overall, it is hard to see the invasion as

01:00:37.690 --> 01:00:43.489
an immense military victory. Cassivellaunus
had not been decisively defeated in battle

01:00:43.489 --> 01:00:49.599
nor captured, and the Romans maintained no
presence in Britain. From the Britons’ stand

01:00:49.599 --> 01:00:56.498
point it was a strategic victory, having successfully
pushed the Romans out of their lands.

01:00:56.498 --> 01:01:04.048
Still, his campaigns in Britain had taken
2 years, and without Caesars presence, Gaul

01:01:04.048 --> 01:01:12.798
was beginning to stir. In 54 BC a Gallic tribe,
the Eburones, under their leader, Ambiorix,

01:01:12.798 --> 01:01:18.818
successfully revolted in Belgica, ambushing
and destroying the 7000-9000 strong Roman

01:01:18.818 --> 01:01:26.568
detachment that had been sent to winter in
their territory at Atuatuca.

01:01:26.568 --> 01:01:32.690
Following this success, Ambiorix began to
besiege the Roman garrison in the Nervii territory,

01:01:32.690 --> 01:01:38.329
and a general revolt in the area broke out,
with Indutiomarus and the Treveri also rising

01:01:38.329 --> 01:01:45.160
in rebellion and being supported by the Germanic
tribes across the Rhine. This was a dangerous

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

01:01:50.568 --> 01:01:57.018
the resources of one area, and thus divided,
they were vulnerable targets.

01:01:57.018 --> 01:02:04.518
However, he reacted quickly, marching directly
to the besieged legion in Nervii territory,

01:02:04.518 --> 01:02:11.248
while Labienus fought off Indutiomarus. Upon
seeing Caesar approaching, Ambiorix gave up

01:02:11.248 --> 01:02:17.228
the siege to face this new threat, and was
quickly defeated while, almost simultaneously,

01:02:17.228 --> 01:02:21.899
Labienus was able to successfully repel his
opponents.

01:02:21.900 --> 01:02:27.800
Roman retribution for this revolt was swift
and devastating. The Eburones were effectively

01:02:27.800 --> 01:02:35.269
wiped out, while Ambiorix, according to some
sources, left Gaul for Germania. To help stabilise

01:02:35.268 --> 01:02:41.828
the situation, Pompey mobilised two more Legions
and Caesar himself raised another. He now

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

01:02:48.358 --> 01:02:55.728
much bigger.
In 52 BC Caesar returned to Italy in order

01:02:55.728 --> 01:03:01.618
to defuse another political problem and in
the same year, another large-scale revolt

01:03:01.619 --> 01:03:07.960
started. An Arverni leader, Vercingetorix,
who probably knew about the political problems

01:03:07.960 --> 01:03:14.778
in Rome, had organised an alliance of powerful
Gallic tribes that, inspired by Ambiorix,

01:03:14.778 --> 01:03:20.010
were now seeking independence, and had begun
attacking Roman outposts and Roman allies

01:03:20.010 --> 01:03:26.089
in Gaul.
Upon hearing this, Caesar quickly returned

01:03:26.088 --> 01:03:32.099
to Gaul to handle the situation. Going on
one of his famous forced marches, he swiftly

01:03:32.099 --> 01:03:38.048
quelled the Senones and Carnutes by taking
their capitals. His next target was one of

01:03:38.048 --> 01:03:44.639
the largest towns of the Bituriges - Noviodunum.
Vercingetorix attempted to stop Caesar’s

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

01:03:49.679 --> 01:03:55.909
were forced to retreat losing many, which
allowed Caesar to take the city. To finish

01:03:55.909 --> 01:04:02.358
off the Bituriges he needed to take their
capital Avaricum. At this point, Vercingetorix

01:04:02.358 --> 01:04:07.690
started employing the scorched earth tactics
and Bituriges joined him by burning down 20

01:04:07.690 --> 01:04:13.880
of their towns – every one but Avaricum.
The Romans moved against this settlement and

01:04:13.880 --> 01:04:18.960
besieged it and although Avaricum was very
defensible and Vercingetorix attempted to

01:04:18.960 --> 01:04:25.400
help its defenders, it fell in less than a
month. Caesar slaughtered 40 thousand locals

01:04:25.400 --> 01:04:32.818
and replenished his supplies.
It was clear for Vercingetorix that he can’t

01:04:32.818 --> 01:04:38.998
the Romans in the field. Meanwhile, Caesar
was eager to end the rebellion before it spreads

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

01:04:44.759 --> 01:04:51.650
the Arverni - Gergovia. Leaving some troops
in the area, Caesar marched with 25,000 towards

01:04:51.650 --> 01:04:53.579
this settlement, while Vercingetorix shadowed
him.

01:04:53.579 --> 01:04:59.140
Vercingetorix shadowed him with a similarly
sized force. Gergovia was in a very solid

01:04:59.139 --> 01:05:05.129
defensive position, located on top of a high
plateau, and Vercingetorix managed to overtake

01:05:05.130 --> 01:05:12.028
Caesar and positioned his army on the hills
in front of the city.

01:05:12.028 --> 01:05:16.900
As he had done in previous battles, Caesar
hoped to cut his enemies’ supply lines in

01:05:16.900 --> 01:05:21.769
order to force them out of their defensive
position, whilst he would be receiving supplies

01:05:21.769 --> 01:05:27.528
from the Aedui, his Gallic allies. However,
the Gauls had occupied a hill overlooking

01:05:27.528 --> 01:05:32.318
the supply line, from where they could ensure
water and grain could be transported into

01:05:32.318 --> 01:05:39.670
the city; taking it would therefore be crucial
to Caesar’s plan.

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

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,

01:05:51.278 --> 01:05:56.710
all was going according to plan; Caesar’s
allies would supply him from the rear and

01:05:56.710 --> 01:06:01.588
Vercingetorix would now be forced to either
sacrifice his defensive position in order

01:06:01.588 --> 01:06:06.068
to re-establish his supply line, or be starved
out.

01:06:06.068 --> 01:06:13.818
However, Vercingetorix had his own plans.
He bribed the Aedui, who then also joined

01:06:13.818 --> 01:06:19.659
the revolt, attacking the Roman supplies and
threatening to cut off Caesar and surround

01:06:19.659 --> 01:06:26.328
him. Once again, Vercingetorix seemed to have
studied Rome’s tactics deeply, as this strategy

01:06:26.329 --> 01:06:33.910
was one of Caesar’s own favourite strategies.
Caesar was forced to leave two legions to

01:06:33.909 --> 01:06:39.769
guard the Roman position at Gergovia, and
took the other four to deal with the Aedui,

01:06:39.769 --> 01:06:45.559
quickly subduing them and forcing them to
send 10,000 cavalry back to the siege with

01:06:45.559 --> 01:06:51.150
him. This revolt had Caesar worried that he
might face even more revolts, and could soon

01:06:51.150 --> 01:06:57.869
be encircled by the rebels; he needed to extract
his legions from Gergovia and consolidate

01:06:57.869 --> 01:07:03.528
his troops.
However, the situation at the city was not

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

01:07:09.329 --> 01:07:17.650
time Caesar had been gone. Furthermore, Vercingetorix
had divided his forces, leaving half to defend

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

01:07:23.768 --> 01:07:29.719
positions on the surrounding hills on the
Gallic right flank. With a 6-foot wall now

01:07:29.719 --> 01:07:35.659
in front of the main Gallic camp, and the
Gallic fortifications on the hills, Vercingetorix

01:07:35.659 --> 01:07:43.000
had removed any opportunity for Caesar to
encircle him and the city.

01:07:43.000 --> 01:07:48.559
Seeing the Gallic forces divided, Caesar saw
an opportunity to attack their main camp in

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

01:07:54.548 --> 01:07:59.489
diversionary force of one legion and some
cavalry to the surrounding hills, making a

01:07:59.489 --> 01:08:05.348
huge amount of noise in order to distract
the force commanded by Vercingetorix. Then

01:08:05.349 --> 01:08:10.400
he quickly and quietly moved his remaining
legions up to the Gallic camp, leaving a few

01:08:10.400 --> 01:08:15.579
cohorts in the smaller camp on the occupied
hill, while the Aedui cavalry were sent to

01:08:15.579 --> 01:08:23.300
flank around the Gallic left by another route.
The Romans quickly clambered over the wall

01:08:23.300 --> 01:08:28.890
and fell upon the Gallic camp. The Romans
initially had significant success, pushing

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

01:08:33.979 --> 01:08:40.239
rest of the Gallic force under Vercingetorix
could reinforce them. However, only one legion,

01:08:40.239 --> 01:08:46.399
the 10th, heard this order and retreated,
the others continuing to press on and assaulting

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

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

01:08:57.890 --> 01:09:05.560
they fought around the base of the walls.
Vercingetorix, realising what was happening

01:09:05.560 --> 01:09:10.470
from his position on the surrounding hills,
sent the rest of his force, headed by his

01:09:10.470 --> 01:09:16.740
cavalry, to reinforce the camp. The Roman
position was now truly desperate; the initial

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

01:09:21.760 --> 01:09:27.140
out by pushing forward, and with Vercingetorix
crashing into their flank, the legionaries

01:09:27.140 --> 01:09:33.579
were under serious pressure and were almost
surrounded.

01:09:33.579 --> 01:09:39.930
The officers did their best to maintain Roman
discipline and form a defensive formation.

01:09:39.930 --> 01:09:45.680
According to Caesar himself, 46 centurions
died in this struggle, roughly a quarter of

01:09:45.680 --> 01:09:51.909
all the centurions present, and so maintaining
any solid formation was almost impossible.

01:09:51.909 --> 01:09:57.300
The Aedui finally appeared on a hill to the
Roman right flank, but the Romans, unable

01:09:57.300 --> 01:10:01.989
to tell if they were allied or not, broke
completely, thinking that they were about

01:10:01.989 --> 01:10:08.889
to be fully surrounded.
Caesar was able to use the 10th legion and

01:10:08.890 --> 01:10:14.050
the cohorts that had been stationed in the
small camp to cover the retreat, and prevented

01:10:14.050 --> 01:10:19.369
the Gauls from chasing them down, avoiding
the total destruction of his army, and withdrew

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,

01:10:26.350 --> 01:10:31.829
but this is likely vastly underplaying the
situation. Caesar being forced to assemble

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

01:10:37.970 --> 01:10:43.570
Romans lost thousands, modern estimates suggesting
as many as 6,000.

01:10:43.569 --> 01:10:50.949
hile Caesar was fighting a losing battle against
Vercingetorix at Gergovia, his best legate

01:10:50.949 --> 01:10:57.659
Titus Labienus was sent to deal with rebellions
in northern Gaul. Local Gauls emboldened by

01:10:57.659 --> 01:11:03.380
Vercingetorix and led by Camulogenus were
consolidating around modern Paris, which was

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

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

01:11:15.390 --> 01:11:21.519
towards Lutetia. His troops took Metlosedum
along the way, but the attempts to cross the

01:11:21.520 --> 01:11:28.190
river Seine were blocked by Camulogenus. Labienus
was forced to retreat back to Metlosedum.

01:11:28.189 --> 01:11:36.500
Luckily for him, his scouts have found another
crossing near Metlosedum and he crossed here

01:11:36.500 --> 01:11:43.149
and moved against the Gauls. However, Camulogenus
used Vercingetorix’ scorched earth tactic,

01:11:43.149 --> 01:11:49.019
burning Lutetia and retreating to the swamps
beyond. At the same time, Labienus learned

01:11:49.020 --> 01:11:54.800
about Caesar’s defeat at Gergovia, which
provoked a big Gallic tribe called Bellovaci

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

01:12:00.960 --> 01:12:08.140
his legion in Agedincum. Labienus’s decision
to divide his forces into three provoked Camulogenus

01:12:08.140 --> 01:12:13.000
into attacking him to the south of Lutetia
without waiting for the Bellovaci and in the

01:12:13.000 --> 01:12:18.119
ensuing battle the Romans used the fact that
their divided forces were closer to each other

01:12:18.119 --> 01:12:24.250
– each group supported the other and the
legions managed to defeat the Gauls with ease.

01:12:24.250 --> 01:12:30.079
Camulogenus was killed in the process, which
slowed down the consolidation of the anti-Roman

01:12:30.079 --> 01:12:36.769
rebellion in northern Gaul.
Caesar and Labienus both retreated towards

01:12:36.770 --> 01:12:42.190
Agedincum, where they united their forces.
Meanwhile, more and more Gauls were joining

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

01:12:47.600 --> 01:12:53.961
were attacked by them. Caesar and his 10 legions
moved through the Sequani and Lingones territory

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.

01:13:00.170 --> 01:13:05.079
At the same time, Caesar’s envoys secured
a group of Germanic mercenaries, who joined

01:13:05.079 --> 01:13:11.059
the Roman cavalry. Vercingetorix and his 80
thousand tried to attack Caesar, when the

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

01:13:15.850 --> 01:13:22.220
with ease. It is not clear why, but this minor
defeat either disheartened Vercingetorix or

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

01:13:26.899 --> 01:13:31.849
tried to recreate the factors that led to
the victory at Gergovia, when retreated to

01:13:31.850 --> 01:13:38.940
the Mandubii capital of Alesia. Caesar followed
him to the settlement.

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

01:13:47.000 --> 01:13:53.420
come to his aid. Vercingetorix was in a strong
position; he outnumbered Caesar, commanding

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

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

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

01:14:09.939 --> 01:14:17.560
supply lines, or attack them from the rear.
Caesar had learnt his lesson though. Despite

01:14:17.560 --> 01:14:22.250
his smaller numbers, he immediately began
the work of fully surrounding and besieging

01:14:22.250 --> 01:14:26.579
Alesia, something which Vercingetorix had
been able to prevent him doing at Gergovia.

01:14:26.579 --> 01:14:33.480
The Romans began constructing a 16km wall
fully encircling the entire city, complete

01:14:33.480 --> 01:14:39.729
with palisades, trenches and towers, hoping
to cut off any escape.

01:14:39.729 --> 01:14:45.769
Vercingetorix sent his cavalry out to try
and disrupt these works, but the Legions were

01:14:45.770 --> 01:14:50.120
able to form a defensive line to hold them,
while the German auxiliaries flanked around

01:14:50.119 --> 01:14:56.599
the side. The Germans proved to be vital to
the Roman cause, and their superior horsemanship

01:14:56.600 --> 01:15:01.640
forced the Gallic cavalry to retreat back
into the city, killing many as they were funnelled

01:15:01.640 --> 01:15:08.420
into the narrow gates.
Realising that he would soon be completely

01:15:08.420 --> 01:15:13.190
surrounded, Vercingetorix decided to send
out what was left of his cavalry at night

01:15:13.189 --> 01:15:18.460
to sneak past the Roman line and to head to
the nearby tribes to request reinforcements

01:15:18.460 --> 01:15:25.520
as soon as possible.
Upon completing the first wall, Caesar learned

01:15:25.520 --> 01:15:31.170
from some Gallic deserters that these messengers
had been sent, and so constructed a second

01:15:31.170 --> 01:15:38.000
wall, this one almost 21km long and complete
with 2 trenches and a moat, facing outwards

01:15:38.000 --> 01:15:43.329
to protect against any Gallic reinforcements,
creating a donut like structure with Alesia

01:15:43.329 --> 01:15:49.600
in the centre.
He next sent out huge foraging parties to

01:15:49.600 --> 01:15:55.560
collect enough food to sustain his troops
for the next 30 days. In doing this, Caesar

01:15:55.560 --> 01:16:00.560
had effectively robbed Vercingetorix of his
advantages; with the Romans thus defended

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

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

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

01:16:17.989 --> 01:16:26.840
out. This was Caesar’s magnum opus.
Faced with a desperate situation, Vercingetorix

01:16:26.840 --> 01:16:31.900
made the difficult decision to expel anyone
who wasn't going to be fighting, the old,

01:16:31.899 --> 01:16:37.599
the sick, women and children. He had hoped
that Caesar would allow these people through

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

01:16:44.109 --> 01:16:49.779
let them pass and the civilians were left
between the walls of Alesia and the Romans,

01:16:49.779 --> 01:16:56.479
imploring both sides for food and water, neither
side relenting. Over the next few days, many

01:16:56.479 --> 01:17:01.939
died of starvation and thirst, the space between
the armies becoming full of the dying and

01:17:01.939 --> 01:17:07.889
dead.
The Gallic allies finally arrived to try and

01:17:07.890 --> 01:17:14.000
relieve the siege, under the command of Veringetorix’s
cousin, Vercassivellaunus. It is hard to say

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

01:17:20.840 --> 01:17:26.100
modern estimates suggesting somewhere between
70,000 to 100,000. Whatever the true number

01:17:26.100 --> 01:17:34.579
was, all agree that the Romans were now significantly
outnumbered; at least two to one.

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

01:17:39.430 --> 01:17:44.690
across a combined force of light infantry
and cavalry to probe the defences, whilst

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

01:17:50.479 --> 01:17:57.500
a fierce skirmish ensued.
From their elevated position inside the city,

01:17:57.500 --> 01:18:02.579
the besieged Gauls saw that their allies had
arrived and simultaneously began massing for

01:18:02.579 --> 01:18:08.149
a sally against the inner fortifications.
However, the Germans once again proved their

01:18:08.149 --> 01:18:13.069
skill, outmanoeuvring and flanking their Gallic
counterparts, forcing them back across the

01:18:13.069 --> 01:18:18.710
trench and into the Gallic camp. Seeing his
allies defeated, Vercingetorix decided to

01:18:18.710 --> 01:18:26.350
bide his time and held off his attack.
The reinforcements spent the next day constructing

01:18:26.350 --> 01:18:32.920
siege ladders, and then, at midnight, launched
another attack. Taking the Romans by surprise,

01:18:32.920 --> 01:18:38.170
they found some initial success, but Marc
Anthony, in his first battle, was commanding

01:18:38.170 --> 01:18:43.210
this section of the wall and proved himself
to be a composed and skillful lieutenant,

01:18:43.210 --> 01:18:48.750
pulling troops from other sections of the
walls to reinforce his position. Again, Vercingetorix

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

01:18:53.710 --> 01:18:59.529
trench. By the time he had crossed it, Anthony
had successfully fought off the assault and

01:18:59.529 --> 01:19:07.769
Vercingetorix again withdrew into the city.
Following these two failed assaults, Vercassivellaunus

01:19:07.770 --> 01:19:12.330
conducted more thorough reconnaissance of
the Roman position, and discovered that a

01:19:12.329 --> 01:19:17.309
steep hill overlooked the Roman wall in the
northern section. Hoping to use this high

01:19:17.310 --> 01:19:22.480
ground to his advantage, the next day the
Gauls used their overwhelming numbers to attack

01:19:22.479 --> 01:19:27.919
the entire length of the outside wall but
concentrated a large force under Vercassivellaunus

01:19:27.920 --> 01:19:34.920
on this portion.
At the same time, Vercingetorix again sallied

01:19:34.920 --> 01:19:39.960
out, this time attacking the length of the
interior Roman fortifications, hitting wherever

01:19:39.960 --> 01:19:45.689
looked weakest. This was the toughest the
fighting had been so far. Caesar, as he had

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

01:19:51.100 --> 01:19:56.890
reserve cohorts personally to points where
the defences looked like they were faltering.

01:19:56.890 --> 01:20:02.869
Vercassivellaunus began making headway, pilling
earthworks up against the walls in order to

01:20:02.869 --> 01:20:09.119
mount them, and using hooks and siege engines
to tear down the Roman defences. Caesar committed

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

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

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.

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

01:20:32.399 --> 01:20:38.069
long. But then Caesar appeared at the top
of the hill; leading the Germanic auxiliaries

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

01:20:43.949 --> 01:20:49.429
had pushed through the breach were decimated
and the tide of the battle changed. Seeing

01:20:49.430 --> 01:20:54.530
their largest contingent broken, the moral
of the rest of the Gallic reinforcements shattered

01:20:54.529 --> 01:21:00.250
and they quickly fled. With this threat thus
neutralised, the Romans turned to deal with

01:21:00.250 --> 01:21:04.899
Vercingetorix, who was attacking the interior
wall, and they were able to force him back

01:21:04.899 --> 01:21:10.639
into the city.
With the city still besieged and with his

01:21:10.640 --> 01:21:17.550
reinforcements spent, Vercingetorix surrendered.
It is unknown how many Romans died, but the

01:21:17.550 --> 01:21:22.860
casualties must have been fairly significant
given the intensity of the fighting, particularly

01:21:22.859 --> 01:21:27.729
at the point where the fortifications had
been breached. The Gallic relief force suffered

01:21:27.729 --> 01:21:33.299
heavy casualties, the entirety of the besieged
army in Alesia was either killed or enslaved,

01:21:33.300 --> 01:21:39.710
and both Vercassivellaunus and Vercingetorix
were taken alive. The Romans had lost around

01:21:39.710 --> 01:21:42.439
13 thousand in this battle.

01:21:42.439 --> 01:21:47.159
Although most the rebel leaders were either
dead or captured, the resistance against Rome

01:21:47.159 --> 01:21:54.170
was far from over, as Bituriges, Carnutes,
Bellovaci, Atrebates, Andecavi and others

01:21:54.170 --> 01:22:01.890
were still in open rebellion. In January of
51 BC, Caesar moved against Bituriges. This

01:22:01.890 --> 01:22:07.060
winter campaign surprised Bituriges, who were
probably unprepared for it, and soon they

01:22:07.060 --> 01:22:11.810
sued for peace, which allowed Caesar to return
to his winter quarters.

01:22:11.810 --> 01:22:19.690
However, soon, the Bituriges were attacked
by the Carnutes for yielding to the Romans.

01:22:19.689 --> 01:22:24.769
Once again Caesar marched swiftly and took
his enemies by surprise, forcing the Carnutes

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

01:22:29.539 --> 01:22:36.909
there until the Spring.
Leaving 6 legions in the area, Caesar took

01:22:36.909 --> 01:22:42.889
4 and moved against the Bellovaci of Correus
and the Atrebates of Commius. This campaign

01:22:42.890 --> 01:22:48.170
proved difficult, as both tribes abandoned
their lands and fought a guerilla war against

01:22:48.170 --> 01:22:54.420
the Romans. Fortunately for the legions, Correus
was killed in one of the ambushes, which proved

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

01:22:59.729 --> 01:23:08.189
retreated to the east to continue his resistance.
To the south the Andecavi attacked Lemonum

01:23:08.189 --> 01:23:13.710
and were defeated by Caesar’s lieutenants.
Remainder of the Gallic forces in the area

01:23:13.710 --> 01:23:20.020
attempted to defend at Uxellodunum, but were
defeated by Caesar soon after. The last engagement

01:23:20.020 --> 01:23:27.310
of the war saw Commius defeated in the north
and the rebellion was over.

01:23:27.310 --> 01:23:32.980
Gaul was pacified and Caesar won over the
remaining Gallic leaders with gifts and the

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

01:23:38.609 --> 01:23:43.789
Civil War that would end the centuries long
republic was just around the corner.

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

01:23:49.289 --> 01:23:54.069
for the second season, so make sure you are
subscribed to our channel and pressed the

01:23:54.069 --> 01:23:58.859
bell button. We would like to express our
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01:23:58.859 --> 01:24:03.460
members, who make the creation of our videos
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buying our merchandise via the link in the
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01:24:08.590 --> 01:24:10.690
channel, and we will catch you on the next
one.