Vercingetorix, Legendary Gallic king who united ancient Gaul in a heroic attempt to resist
the invasion of the mighty Roman Empire and it’s famed general Julius Caesar. He is
considered to this day the first national hero of France for his valiant defence of
his homeland. But what made him so special, and was he ultimately victorious in defeating
the Romans? Let’s find out together, right now.
The name Vercingetorix translates literally to “great warrior King”. Believed to have
been more of a title bestowed upon him for the many successful battles during his life,
Gauls famously kept their real birth names a secret known only to close family. They
believed there was power in a name, much like in many of the mythologies we cover on this
channel. He is described as a tall and handsome man,
a strong and charismatic leader who, much like his great rival Caesar, was renowned
for his inspirational public speeches and rallying war cries.
Despite what would become a name and story to last thousands of years, very little is
known of the early life of Vercingetorix. He was the son of the Gallic chief Celtillus,
leader of the powerful Averni tribe and is thought to have been a fierce and intelligent
warrior even in his early years as he fought in the various tribal conflicts that plagued
the country. He was truly tested for the first time when
several German tribes were forced by wars of their own to emigrate into Gaul, disturbing
the delicate balance of the many tribes and inevitably leading to conflict. Caesar, who
at the time was Governor of nearby Hispania, modern day Spain, saw this as an opportunity
to gain influence in the region. He defeated the strongest Germanic tribe,
the Helvetii, and proceeded to wage war on the others that followed, actually enlisting
the aid of several Gallic tribes as mercenaries to bolster his forces. Vercingetorix was amongst
the Gauls that fought for Caesar and many believe this is where he gained valuable insight
and experience into the workings and tactics of a Roman legion. Knowledge that he would
make good use of later in life. With the German incursion into Gaul dealt
with, Caesar, rather than retreating back to Hispania, began expanding his control in
the region – his plan all along. He introduced Roman law and culture, something the Gauls
were not willing to accept. This led to one of the Gallic tribes rising
in outright rebellion, the Eburones. As he was want to do, and in the typical style that
made him one of the most successful generals in all of history, Caesar took command of
his forces personally and, without hesitation or mercy, crushed the Eburones in one fierce
battle. With the conflict won, Caesar proceeded to massacre the survivors as a warning to
other tribes against any future ideas of freedom. Many were sold into slavery and the tribal
owned lands were burnt to the ground. By this time, Vercingetorix’s father had
died, promoting him to Chieftain of the Averni tribe. He was outraged by the punishment of
the Eburones and demanded war was declared on Rome in revenge. The tribal council of
elders were scared however, and not willing to take the risk.
This was not good enough for Vercingetorix and in 52BC, he went against the wishes of
the council and took matters into his own hands.
He attacked the roman occupied settlement of Cenabum, massacring the forces stationed
there. Capturing all the food supplies hoarded by the Romans inside the town, he handed them
out amongst his people and armed them with Roman weapons. Messengers were sent throughout
Gaul to spread the word of his victory with a rallying cry for more to join their cause
and rise up against their Roman oppressors. Almost all of the tribes responded.
It was a huge moment, the story of Vercingetorix and his brave victory spread like wildfire.
His forces grew exponentially and the fight for freedom had begun.
Caesar was out of the country at this time and so had left his second in command, Labienus,
in charge. Whilst clearly a competent general, Labienus was not the equal of Caesar and struggled
to contain this new threat. The guerrilla tactics employed by Vercingetorix were new
to him and many successful blows were dealt to Roman camps and supply lines. Food was
running short and with winter approaching, the Roman position was becoming more and more
vulnerable. When news of the revolt and this new threat
reached Caesar however, he was decisive in his response, mobilizing his army immediately
and marching back to Gaul. He was so determined to react to this new enemy that he forced
his troops to travel through blizzards and over mountains of thick snow.
Word reached Vercingetorix that the dreaded Roman warlord was returning with a fresh army
and so he transitioned to a scorched earth policy, burning everything in his path that
could possibly help the Roman army on their travels. It was hard to burn his own land,
but he saw it as a necessary evil toward the greater good of winning their freedom. Whole
cities were destroyed, villages, farms even private homes. Anything the Romans would be
able to use. Gaul united around him and although it pained
them, most understood the need. That is until he reached the city of Avaricum. There the
inhabitants pleaded with Vercingetorix to spare their city, they described it as a beautiful
place that was the pride of Gaul. Vercingetorix was not happy with the decision, explaining
that it would simply be taken by Rome and burnt anyway once the supplies had been stolen,
but was eventually convinced to spare the city. He did declare however, that he would
not be trapped in the city with them and rode 20 miles away to camp.
Caesar arrived shortly after at the head of his mighty army to find the city heavily defended
and fortified. He immediately lay siege to the town, surrounding it with trenches and
towers, but the Gauls would not be broken easily and the fighting was long and fierce.
As determined and tireless as the Gauls were however, Caesar was a match for any man in
that regard and each time a siege engine was destroyed, he ordered the building of a new
one. Thus the battle raged on for many days and weeks with no side willing to give in
and no end in sight. That is until one night when a heavy storm
fell across the region and most of the defenders retreated inside, taking shelter and assuming
that no army would be able to attack them in such conditions. They underestimated Caesar
however, the General spotting the lack of men atop of the walls and sending a single
siege engine forward where his men were free to climb over and open the gate.
A slaughter followed as the city was taken without resistance. No quarter was given and
of the 40,000 people inside the walls, only 800 escaped to tell the tale.
The legend of Avaricum and its tragic fall was like a rallying cry for Vercingetorix
and his cause. All of Gaul rose up in defiance of Rome, outraged by the massacre. The army
of Vercingetorix doubled in a matter of weeks. He continued to harass the Roman forces, burning
bridges, cutting supply lines, leading strikes against camps. At the siege of Gergovia, Vercingetorix
was even able to turn the men enlisted by Caesar to guard his supply lines and convince
them to attack the Roman instead. Caesar was defeated in a direct assault led on the town
and was forced to retreat, moving on without capturing the settlement.
Vercingetorix won many minor victories over the enemy force, his major advantage being
his superior cavalry who were both stronger and faster than the Romans. Caesar was no
fool however, and quickly identified this weakness. To solve the problem, he turned
to his former enemies, the Germans, who were renowned for their excellent cavalry.
This move took Vercingetorix by surprise, who, confident in his horse advantage, failed
to spot Caesars new cavalry force and in their next encounter, was quickly routed by the
new Roman soldiers. With no time to retreat and hide in the countryside, Vercingetorix
was forced to take refuge in the city of Alesia. Knowing Caesar was not far behind, he fortified
the town as strongly as he could but it went entirely against his thus far hugely successful
hit and run tactics. Upon arriving and finding the well defended
city, Caesar wasted no time in setting up his siege. Unlike the siege of Avaricum however,
this time he also built defences around his own army to protect against attacks from any
possible reinforcements, well aware by now of the uniting power of the King of Gaul even
from his inside the walls of the city. Time passed with several minor skirmishes
and food began to run out. Vercingetorix released all of his horses and as many of his men as
he could spare to go and find help. Some were able to break through the Roman lines and
escape into the countryside. He then sent out all the citizens of Alesia,
who had been taken by surprise at his arrival, largely old men, women and children. He trusted
in the honour of Caesar to not attack unarmed civilians and let them pass freely.
Whilst the Roman commander did not kill these innocent people directly, he did not command
his force to allow them passage, as good as condemning them to death. They were caught
in between the two armies, stuck in no mans land. Here they would die slowly and tragically
of starvation and exposure to the elements. More time passed until finally hope arrived
in the form of the cousin of Vercingetorix who had rallied a large force of cavalry and
come to assist. He attacked the rear of Caesars siege camp and at last, the true battle had
begun. Seeing the opportunity, Vercingetorix sallied forth from the city with his own force
to pincer the Romans in between the two Gallic armies. The Roman line began to crumble and
victory seemed near for the Gaul’s. In a definitive moment in not only this battle,
or even indeed the Gallic war as a whole, but perhaps for the entire legacy of Julius
Caesar himself, the great Roman General, seeing the risk to his army, put on his famous red
cloak and entered the fray. Instantly recognisable to his men, he was a towering presence as
he cut down Gallic fighters, inspiring the Romans who rallied hard, turning the tide
of the battle until they were finally able to overcome the Gaul’s and win the day for
Rome. It was a crushing defeat for Vercingetorix
who had come so close to being the man to finally bring down the mighty Julius Caesar.
Retreating back behind the walls of Alesia, all hope was now lost. Vercingetorix understood
their position better than anyone. The reinforcements he had been waiting for had been defeated,
his force was left in ruin and the siege would continue. He had no choice left but to surrender.
There are two different versions of what happens next. One account suggests the chiefs amongst
his army captured Vercingetorix and handed him over to Caesar themselves in the hope
of winning some personal reprieve. The more popular account however, and by far the more
poetic, suggests that Vercingetorix, seeing the final flicker of hope die out, took it
upon himself to march into Caesars camp alone and prostrate himself before the commander.
Dressed in his finest armour, it was said that Vercingetorix, even in defeat, cast an
imposing and impressive figure, taking many in the camp by surprise. He walked calmly
and with purpose directly up to Caesar and without a word, slowly removed his armour,
kneeling before the Roman. Caesar however, was nothing if not consistent,
and the ruthlessness that led to so much of his success took over. Rather than honour
this bravery shown by a challenging and respected foe, he ordered the Gaul thrown in chains
and taken back to Rome where he would be paraded in a cage as part of the triumph to celebrate
the conquering of Gaul. The remaining defenders of Alesia were either
massacred or sold into slavery. Vercingetorix died several years later, still a prisoner
in Rome, quietly and without fanfare. A death not befitting the heroism and drama of his
life. His legend however remained, growing over
the many years since. Revered now as the first true hero of France, he is remembered fondly
for his brilliance on the battlefield and his charismatic leadership that was able to
unite all the tribes of Gaul, coming so close to defeating Caesar and winning freedom for
his homeland. A fascinating figure from history and a true
reminder of the fine lines that shape the world we know today. If Vercingetorix had
been able to press his advantage and win the battle of Alesia, the story of Julius Caesar
and the Roman Empire may have been very different to the one we know.
Regardless, Vercingetorix and his heroism, his outright bravery and willingness to risk
everything to defend the freedom of his homeland, secured his legacy and ensures that he will
forever be remembered as the great warrior King of Gaul.