Julius Caesar's Great Enemy and the First French National Hero: Who is Vercingetorix?

The name "Vercingetorix" may not be easy to pronounce, but it was a very prestigious title in ancient France. It is the only documented name for the Gallic leader so far and means something like "winner of a hundred battles". He probably also had a birth name, but his people never said it. The descendants of Vercingetorix are understood to be superstitious like the rest of the people of Gaul. They felt superior when they knew a person's birth name.

Although we don't know much about him, ancient scholars praised Vercingetorix's tall stature and tough attractive appearance. Based on his depiction on several coins and in contemporary Gallic style, we can also conclude that he had a long beard and mustache. Vercingetorix has lived up to his name, rising from a famous warrior to ruler of the Arverni and commander of the Confederates.

Vercingetorix and his people were part of the Celts who lived in the Auvergne region of present-day central France. The Arverni ruled in this region until the Roman invasion in AD 121. But until the arrival of Julius Caesar in the 50s BC, Rome did not pose a real threat to the tribe's culture.

Gallic tribes banded together to besiege and plunder Rome in the fourth century BC, long before Julius Caesar's Roman troops appeared on the scene. But they now had little in common. One of the most numerous and influential Celtic folk groups, the Arverni partnered with other smaller Gallic groups, especially against their longtime enemies, the Aedui. The Aedui followed a similar strategy, recruiting friendly natives to strengthen their armed forces. The Romans were eventually accepted as one of members of the group. Gaul's inability to unite as a single nation even in the face of a common enemy like Rome proved to be one of the region's fatal flaws.

The Helvetii were just one of several Germanic tribes that crossed the Rhine to flood into Gaul, permanently changing the anarchic status quo of the indigenous peoples of the region. Hispania in the west was also under Caesar's control (modern-day Spain). An astute strategist, he took advantage of the Germanic advance to consolidate his power in what would become Provence in southern France. Before Caesar showed his true face, he made an alliance with the Gauls. The cunning commander used the Arverni as a pawn in his plan to drive out the German invaders.

Life returned to normal in Gaul after the Germanic armies were expelled. Caesar, however, had other ideas. Caesar took the next bold and unsavory step in his unending quest for power and expansion.

Vercingetorix and the Arverni people joined forces with Julius Caesar and the Roman armies in their fight to repulse the invading Germanic tribes. The Gallic Chief had valuable expertise for Caesar in leading cavalry regiments, and he put it to good use. Moreover, he had acquired knowledge of Roman military strategy and tactics that would be useful in future wars.

Caesar's ambitious cultural invasion of Gaul was to be the notorious "last straw" for Gallo-Roman relations. After successfully reversing the advance of the Germanic tribes, he set out to systematically culture the lands of Gaul, thereby strengthening Roman dominance there. Caesar transformed Gaul into a conquered country by imposing Roman law and culture on Gaul. However, this disturbed the Gallic mercenaries who were still allied with Rome. Yet Vercingetorix did not start the uprising. Instead, Ambiorix, leader of the Eburones, took command. Caesar responded by directing his armies into a brutal attack against the tribe; this attack resulted in the mass murder of the population, the enslavement of the survivors, and the destruction of their homelands.

Caesar intended to set an example by punishing these disobedient people, but he only managed to win Vercingetorix's hatred.

Caesar had almost completed the process of subjugating the Gauls, which began with his conquest of the British Isles, the spiritual heartland of the Celtic peoples. After intimidating the druids and isolating them from their supporters in Gaul Britain, Caesar proceeded to kill only Vercingetorix and the soldiers he had gathered, leaving them to stand in the way of his legions.

Vercingetorix was much more than Caesar's enemy. He wanted to avenge the crimes against Eburones, to put salt in his wound. However, some Gauls disapproved of his stance and the solution he proposed. A council of tribal elders decided that they did not have the courage to challenge Caesar, and the decision was unanimously approved. However, Vercingetorix ignored the advice of the tribal elders and attacked Rome without consulting anyone other than his tribe.

In 52 BC he commanded an army against the Roman colony of Cenabum. In addition to slaughtering those loyal to Rome, he also took control of the city's supplies of food and weapons and redistributed them to the people of Gaul in hopes of joining his cause. In addition, he spread the news of his victory and recruited Celts from all sides through his envoys. Thanks to the positive response, Vercingetorix's ranks quickly grew. It seems that "Vercingetorix's genius was on full display when he rallied the Gauls to counter the Roman onslaught."

Vercingetorix stubbornly denied defeat. Instead, he engaged in guerrilla warfare against Caesar's army, targeting supply lines and engaging the Romans in lands that could be advantageous to the Gauls.

Vercingetorix's cavalry was believed to be one of their military advantages, as they constantly gave the Romans the upper hand. Burning bridges, cutting supply lines, and demoralizing Roman troops were part of his burn-in operation. Vercingetorix's sole purpose was to destroy anything the Romans could use to their advantage. The Gauls followed his orders without question until he proposed the destruction of Avaricum, of 40,000 inhabitants so that if the Romans captured it, they would not gain an advantage. Vercingetorix heeded the Gauls' insistence to preserve the status quo in the city. Avaricum fell into Roman hands, just as the Gallic chief had warned, and only 800 survived the ensuing bloodbath.

As the atrocities in Avaricum heard, more Gauls joined Vercingetorix's army to take revenge on the Romans. As a result of this fresh influx of troops, the Gauls were able to successfully capture the city of Gergovia. Caesar's armies were repulsed and the Romans were forced to retreat. But the good fortune that the Gallic chief had had did not last long.

Vercingetorix and his forces retreated to the fortress of Alesia after an unsuccessful counterattack with 80,000 Gallic warriors against Julius Caesar. Vercingetorix's last stop was probably a place called Alesia in present-day eastern France. Caesar besieged the city of Alesia with his 60,000-strong force. He also sent a force of Germanic mercenaries to counter the Gauls.

Much of what is known about the legendary warrior Vercingetorix belongs to none other than his arch-enemy Julius Caesar. But Caesar's depiction of Vercingetorix turns out to be historically questionable. Cambridge observed that Vercingetorix and other Gauls "spoke the conqueror's preferred language".

DEATH:

Vercingetorix was brought to Rome in chains in a triumphal procession in 46 BC; He was hanged in a cage and spent 5 years in Roman dungeons, then executed during Rome's victory celebrations.