The Conquest of Gaul

The Conquest of Gaul is a set of eight volumes by Julius Caesar, the governor of Transalpine Gaul and a Roman Consul from 58 to 51 B.C. Caesar describes the eight years during which he lead the Roman legions in an effort to stop the rise of rebellious Gallic tribes in the regions now known as Belgium and France. Caesar also led two attacks on Britain and marched the Roman army into German territory to fend off the encroachment of tribal invaders from outside Gaul. Comprising some of the first comprehensive pieces of military literature, the volumes are highly valued historical artifacts for their direct insight into the life of Caesar and the development and politics of Roman Gaul.

Caesar spends the bulk of The Conquest of Gaul describing the many battles the Gallians fought, including his and his opponents’ military strategies, the intense battle scenes, and the weapons that were used. His recollections also precisely describe the internal operations of the Roman legions. Caesar chronologically recounts his many campaigns, which wound through the territories of Gaul and the surrounding areas of Europe just before the advent of Christianity in 1 A.D. Roman Gaul’s military needs brought Caesar through the Celtic confederation Helvetii, situated close to the Jura mountains. His defeat of the Celtics during this time is considered Caesar’s greatest victory. His campaigns also passed through Sequani, an area in the middle of Gaul, the coast of the North Sea, and the southern tip of Britain.

The most unusual of Caesar’s battles was against the Venetii, a coastal tribe on a Celtic peninsula that is now part of France. The Venetii invented complex instruments of war, including ships with nearly impenetrable hulls and long halyards with which they could strike at enemy ships. After losing many men, Caesar defeated them by constructing billhooks, with which his smaller ships disarmed the enemy’s halyards, weakening the ships’ defenses enough to take them down. Caesar also portrays the different military officials he encountered, their styles of leadership, and their political views.



Like his campaign against the Venetii, many of Caesar’s other campaigns narrowly evaded defeat. He credits his legions’ ability to invent weapons and other battle technology tailored to the unique weapons and styles of their opponents. Still, some of his legions were destroyed. For example, the 14th Legion, led by the respected general Sabinus, fell during a battle against the Eburones. The onslaught of the Nervii almost brought several more legions to the same fate, but Caesar intervened in time to save them.

Some of Caesar’s victories were won due to the wit and intellect of the Gauls. Several times, they managed to fool the Romans into making fatal strategic blunders, whether by sending decoy troops to different locations, or by intercepting messengers. Caesar’s most climactic battle was at Alesian stronghold held by Vercingetorix. The Roman army besieged the fort with all of its strength, augmented by more of troops led by Commius, Caesar’s former friend and confidant, who betrayed him in a grab for power. Caesar nevertheless defeated the Romans, though Commius managed to escape. He became a major enemy of Gaul until a truce was established years later where he agreed never to associate with the Romans.

Caesar’s volumes of war stories are far from objective: based on other historical evidence, many of his statements are known to be generalizing, inaccurate, or outright propagandistic. Even so, The Conquest of Gaul is a seminal work in Western history literature.