Gallic Wars Flashcards
Who is the main source for these wars?
Caesar himself
When did these occur?
58-50BC
Why did Caesar attack the Gallic tribes?
Personal Reasons
Personal motives: desire to increase his wealth; to increase his reputation in Rome; he needs to stay out of Rome to avoid prosecution for his actions during his consulship
Why did Caesar attack the Gallic tribes?
Public Reasons
Public reasons: to increase the size and wealth of the Empire; initially he claimed that he was defending Transalpine Gaul from the Helvetii
Why did Caesar invade Britannia?
His pretext: that they are aiding the Gauls in their opposition to the Romans.
More likely reasons: Roman Empire expansion, Caesar’s personal prestige in going to the edges of the known world; natural resources of Britain
Who led the Gallic revolt in 52 BC?
Vercingetorix
What were the key features of the siege at Alesia?
Two siege walls, penning in roughly 60,000 Gauls and keeping out around a quarter of million Gallic reinforcements. Some of Vercingetorix’s cavalry escape the original siege (the first wall) which motivates the second wall being built. When the reinforcements arrive, they launch an attack from the outside; Vercingetorix, seeing this, launches his own attack from the inside. The Roman lines are on the verge of breaking, at which point Caesar leads 6000 cavalry outside the walls, thereby attacking the Gallic reinforcements from behind. The Gauls panic and flee, pursued by the Roman cavalry who kill a great number of the Gauls. The next day Vercingetorix opens talks with Caesar, offering to surrender if his men are spared. Caesar agrees and Vercingetorix himself is sent to Rome in chains. He is executed five years later after having been paraded in one of Caesar’s four triumphs (when he returns from Greece via Pontus).
