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The Gallic Wars

Caesar's conquest of Gaul, 58–50 BC

Map of The Gallic Wars Play it on the globe →

Eight campaigning seasons, from the Helvetii on the road to the surrender at Alesia — and the summer of 52 BC, when Rome briefly held nothing but the old Province. Tap any event for its Wikipedia article. Events and dates: Wikipedia and the ancient sources, at the precision they allow (month, rarely day). The front line is a model, and the frontier of Gaul and the routes are drawn: neither exists as data.

How this is made →
76events
1 January 57 BC – 31 December 49 BCspan
Wars & Empirescategory
RomanGallic / Germanic

What is on the map

  • 17 Gaul and Germania
  • 59 Rome

Chronology

  1. The Helvetii burn their towns and set out — 368,000 on the roadmigration▸
  2. Caesar breaks the bridge at Geneva and walls nineteen miles of the Rhôneengineering▸
  3. Battle of the Arar — the Tigurini caught mid-crossing and cut downmassacre▸
  4. Battle of Bibracte — the Helvetii broken and sent home to rebuildbattle▸
  5. Caesar seizes Vesontio ahead of Ariovistussubmission▸
  6. Battle of the Vosges — Ariovistus routed, the Suebi thrown back over the Rhinebattle▸
  7. The Belgae swear a common war: 300,000 men promisedrevolt▸
  8. Caesar marches north out of Vesontio through the Lingonessubmission▸
  9. The Remi come over rather than fight, and stay loyal to the endsubmission▸
  10. Siege of Bibrax — the Remi hold one night, and stay with Romesiege▸
  11. Battle of the Axona — the Belgic host breaks up at the riverbattle▸
  12. The Suessiones surrender Noviodunumsubmission▸
  13. The Bellovaci and the Ambiani give hostagessubmission▸
  14. Battle of the Sabis — the Nervii almost destroy the army, and are almost destroyedbattle▸
  15. Siege of the Atuatuci — the town sold entire, 53,000 headsmassacre▸
  16. Publius Crassus takes the submission of the Armorican tribessubmission▸
  17. The legions winter among the Carnutes, Andes and Turones: the Loire is Roman groundsubmission▸
  18. Battle of Octodurus — Galba cuts his way out of the Alpine valleybattle▸
  19. The Veneti seize Roman officers; all Armorica goes with themrevolt▸
  20. The conference at Luca renews Caesar for five more yearssubmission▸
  21. Sabinus feigns panic and destroys the Venellibattle▸
  22. Battle of Morbihan — sickle-hooks cut the Venetic rigging, and the fleet dies becalmednaval▸
  23. The Venetic council executed, the people soldmassacre▸
  24. Crassus storms the Sotiates in Aquitaniabattle▸
  25. Aquitania submits — a third of Gaul, in one summersubmission▸
  26. The Morini and Menapii melt into the forests rather than fightbattle▸
  27. The Usipetes and Tencteri cross the Rhine, pushed by the Suebimigration▸
  28. The Usipetes and Tencteri destroyed under truce — Cato asks the Senate to hand Caesar overmassacre▸
  29. Caesar's first Rhine bridge: piles driven into the current in ten daysengineering▸
  30. Eighteen days beyond the Rhine, then the bridge is cut behind himinvasion▸
  31. First landing in Britain — the eagle-bearer of the Tenth jumps firstinvasion▸
  32. A storm wrecks the fleet on the beach; Caesar sails back with nothingnaval▸
  33. Second invasion of Britain: five legions and eight hundred shipsinvasion▸
  34. Dumnorix killed trying to ride home rather than sailsubmission▸
  35. The Thames forded; Cassivellaunus' stronghold stormedbattle▸
  36. Britain gives hostages and a tribute that was never paidsubmission▸
  37. A bad harvest: for the first time the legions winter scatteredsubmission▸
  38. Ambiorix destroys Sabinus' legion at Atuatuca — fifteen cohorts gonemassacre▸
  39. Siege of Cicero's winter camp — the message thrown over the rampart on a spearsiege▸
  40. Caesar relieves Cicero with seven thousand men against sixty thousandbattle▸
  41. Labienus lets Indutiomarus cross the ford, then kills himbattle▸
  42. Caesar raises two legions and borrows a third from Pompeysubmission▸
  43. The Nervii caught before the season and brokenbattle▸
  44. The Senones surprised at Agedincumsubmission▸
  45. The Menapii driven out of the marshes and made to submitsubmission▸
  46. Labienus feigns a retreat and routs the Treveribattle▸
  47. The second Rhine bridge — a demonstration more than a campaignengineering▸
  48. The Eburones hunted to nothing; every neighbour invited to the plundermassacre▸
  49. Acco flogged and beheaded at the council — Gaul watchessubmission▸
  50. The Carnutes cut the throats of the Roman traders at Cenabummassacre▸
  51. Vercingetorix, thrown out of Gergovia, takes it back and is made kingrevolt▸
  52. Carnutes, Senones, Parisii, Pictones, Turones: the centre goes overrevolt▸
  53. Vercingetorix besieges Gorgobina to force the Aedui to choosesiege▸
  54. Caesar crosses the Cévennes in six feet of snow, out of seasoninvasion▸
  55. Vellaunodunum taken in three dayssiege▸
  56. Cenabum stormed at dusk and burntsiege▸
  57. Noviodunum changes sides twice in a morningsubmission▸
  58. Scorched earth: the Bituriges burn twenty of their own towns in one dayrevolt▸
  59. Siege of Avaricum — the town spared by the Gauls, and slaughtered by Rome. 800 survive of 40,000massacre▸
  60. Battle of Gergovia — the recall ignored, the hill lost, forty-six centurions deadbattle▸
  61. The Aedui defect: the last friends of Rome in Gaul join the revoltrevolt▸
  62. Battle of Lutetia — Labienus wins, and marches away anywaybattle▸
  63. The council at Bibracte gives Vercingetorix all Gaul, and votes to starve the Romans outrevolt▸
  64. German horsemen cross the Rhine — for Caesar, this timeinvasion▸
  65. Cavalry battle on the Vingeanne — the Gallic screen breaks and the retreat beginsbattle▸
  66. Alesia: eighteen miles of contravallation, and another line facing outwardsiege▸
  67. The relief army — a quarter of a million men — breaks on the outer linebattle▸
  68. Vercingetorix rides out, lays down his arms, and is taken to Rome for six yearssiege▸
  69. The Bituriges and Carnutes put down in a winter campaignbattle▸
  70. The Bellovaci, who never came to Alesia, fight the last real campaignbattle▸
  71. Correus killed in the ambush he set; the Bellovaci submitbattle▸
  72. Siege of Uxellodunum — the spring cut, and the hands of every defendermassacre▸
  73. Commius makes terms on condition he never sees a Roman againsubmission▸
  74. Aquitania toured, not sacked: Gaul is to be taxed, and lightlysubmission▸
  75. The legions winter at Nemetocenna; nothing movessubmission▸
  76. Gaul pacified — a million dead, a million enslaved, and Caesar turns towards Romesubmission▸

Background reading: the parent article.

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