1
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:12,170
The Gauls were one of Rome’s oldest and
most bitter enemies. They had sacked Rome

2
00:00:12,170 --> 00:00:17,210
and throughout the centuries fought alongside
the Republic’s most dangerous adversaries,

3
00:00:17,210 --> 00:00:23,670
including Pyrrhus and Hannibal. By the end
of the 2nd century BC Southern Gaul was largely

4
00:00:23,670 --> 00:00:29,880
subdued, however, there was still tension
in Northern Gaul, particularly along the Rhine.

5
00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:35,160
These tensions would ultimately climax in
the Gallic Wars: the conflict that would shape

6
00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:40,940
the future of Western Europe for centuries
to come, giving rise to the Holy Roman Empire

7
00:00:40,940 --> 00:00:47,050
and modern-day France, the conflict that would
forever etch the name Gaius Julius Caesar

8
00:00:47,050 --> 00:00:50,110
in the annals of history.

9
00:00:50,110 --> 00:00:54,970
But before we start our video, we would like
to thank our sponsor – Wix. Wix is everything

10
00:00:54,970 --> 00:01:00,360
you need to create a beautiful personalized
site, as it offers 100s of templates and top-grade

11
00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,809
hosting for free, along with various unique
apps that you can add to your site.

12
00:01:04,809 --> 00:01:10,170
We were able to build a professional new website
for our channel through Wix's technologically

13
00:01:10,170 --> 00:01:14,430
advanced Editor tool, and you can see it at
kingsandgenerals.org. On our website, we feature

14
00:01:14,430 --> 00:01:18,119
all things Kings & Generals and you can see
our YouTube videos, get our social media feeds

15
00:01:18,119 --> 00:01:24,470
in one place to catch our fun social posts,
access our merchandise and contact us.

16
00:01:24,470 --> 00:01:29,920
Wix allows us to have another outlet to promote
our content and serve as a platform to connect

17
00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:34,950
to our subscribers. Support our channel and
build your own site by clicking on the link

18
00:01:34,950 --> 00:01:42,689
in the description or by entering the URL
wix.com/KingsAndGenerals

19
00:01:42,689 --> 00:01:51,529
Rome had been rocked by almost half a century
of Civil Wars and the Republic was in decline.

20
00:01:51,530 --> 00:01:57,049
Both Marius and Sulla had marched on Rome,
highlighting the ineffectiveness of the system

21
00:01:57,049 --> 00:02:02,400
for maintaining a large Empire and the fact
that the legionaries were more loyal to their

22
00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:08,700
generals than to the state. Following this
chaotic period, three men had established

23
00:02:08,699 --> 00:02:15,879
an unofficial alliance to effectively control
the Republic. This was the First Triumvirate

24
00:02:15,879 --> 00:02:21,659
consisting of the famous general Pompey the
Great, the richest man in Rome Crassus, and

25
00:02:21,659 --> 00:02:27,340
Julius Caesar.
Caesar had been consul the year before, in

26
00:02:27,340 --> 00:02:35,439
59 BC, but his political campaigning had left
him in debt and made him many enemies in Rome;

27
00:02:35,439 --> 00:02:41,400
he needed to make money fast and gain enough
military success to keep his political adversaries

28
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:48,370
at bay. When the time came for distributing
provinces for Caesar to govern as proconsul,

29
00:02:48,370 --> 00:02:54,579
he was able to use his political allies to
secure Cisalpine Gaul, Illyricum and Transalpine

30
00:02:54,579 --> 00:03:01,739
Gaul for an unprecedented 5 years. This put
Caesar in control of four veteran Legions,

31
00:03:01,739 --> 00:03:08,650
the VII, VIII, IX and X, all of whom had fought
with Caesar before in Hispania and were loyal

32
00:03:08,650 --> 00:03:16,489
to him. They had a total of roughly 22,000
Legionaries plus auxiliaries. Caesar now had

33
00:03:16,489 --> 00:03:23,790
the men he needed; all he needed was an excuse
for war.

34
00:03:23,790 --> 00:03:29,418
Fortunately for Caesar, a Celtic tribe, the
Helvetii, was planning a migration into Gaul

35
00:03:29,419 --> 00:03:36,769
in 58 BC. Their leader, Orgetorix, had formed
a confederation with a number of neighbouring

36
00:03:36,769 --> 00:03:44,799
tribes, the Tulingi, Latobrigi, Rauraci and
Boii, and they now numbered 368,000 men, women

37
00:03:44,799 --> 00:03:51,390
and children. Orgetorix had even convinced
them all to burn their homes in order to leave

38
00:03:51,390 --> 00:03:58,599
no option of failure. However, soon he was
accused of being a tyrant, was forced to commit

39
00:03:58,599 --> 00:04:05,988
suicide.
Command passed to Divico. Divico was determined

40
00:04:05,989 --> 00:04:12,431
to stick to the plan and began amassing supplies
in order to start pouring into Gaul. To do

41
00:04:12,431 --> 00:04:17,699
this they would have to either pass through
the land of the Roman ally Aedui, and the

42
00:04:17,699 --> 00:04:22,500
province of Transalpine Gaul, or take the
longer route through the mountain passes in

43
00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:26,699
the North.
The Romans had built up a healthy fear of

44
00:04:26,699 --> 00:04:34,490
migrating tribes following the Cimbrian War
in 113-101 BC and so Caesar, hearing of this,

45
00:04:34,490 --> 00:04:42,240
was only too willing to come to the rescue
of the Aedui. He took the only available legion

46
00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:48,250
in the area and force marched them up to Geneva,
destroying the bridge on the Rhone that provided

47
00:04:48,250 --> 00:04:54,180
access into Transalpine Gaul.
The Helvetii appealed to Caesar asking for

48
00:04:54,180 --> 00:05:00,820
military access through Roman lands and promising
they would not attack. Caesar played for time,

49
00:05:00,820 --> 00:05:07,120
pretending to consider this offer for almost
15 days. Using this time, his legion was able

50
00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:12,919
to construct a fortified embankment almost
5 metres high stretching 20 miles along the

51
00:05:12,919 --> 00:05:19,520
river bank. With the legion manning the embankment
and now in a stronger position, Caesar denied

52
00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:25,681
the Helvetii access and refused to allow them
to cross. Some of the Helvetii ignored this

53
00:05:25,681 --> 00:05:30,568
and attempted to cross nonetheless in small
boats but were prevented from doing so by

54
00:05:30,569 --> 00:05:35,729
the legionaries throwing javelins and shooting
arrows into them.

55
00:05:35,729 --> 00:05:40,400
With the southern route thus blocked, the
Helvetii decided to take the longer northern

56
00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:45,669
route through the mountains into Gaul. Leaving
his top lieutenant, Labienus [la’bi’aenus],

57
00:05:45,669 --> 00:05:51,280
in command, Caesar returned to Italy to levy
a further two legions and to pull the other

58
00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:57,179
3 veteran legions out of their winter quarters
in Aquileia, bringing his total to approximately

59
00:05:57,180 --> 00:06:04,180
33,000 legionaries plus auxiliaries.
Despite Labienus being in a position to easily

60
00:06:04,180 --> 00:06:09,550
block the mountain pass, the Helvetii managed
to push into Gallic territories and began

61
00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:15,620
ravaging the land. The Gauls pleaded with
Caesar to intervene and chase the Helvetii

62
00:06:15,620 --> 00:06:21,599
out and Caesar, yet again, was only too willing
to help, marching his legions into the Gallic

63
00:06:21,599 --> 00:06:28,310
territories. The decision of Labienus to not
hold the Helvetii in the mountains was likely

64
00:06:28,310 --> 00:06:34,870
an order received from Caesar; the Celts were
now in open terrain, which better suited the

65
00:06:34,870 --> 00:06:44,860
Roman legions, and their pillaging of Gaul
gave Caesar an excuse to intervene.

66
00:06:44,860 --> 00:06:50,050
Word reached Caesar that the Helvetii were
currently attempting a crossing at the Arar

67
00:06:50,050 --> 00:06:55,949
River. They had been crossing in four large
groups using many rafts and boats, but due

68
00:06:55,949 --> 00:07:01,189
to the size of the horde and their lack of
organisation, the crossing had already taken

69
00:07:01,189 --> 00:07:07,900
them days and one group was still yet to cross.
Caesar took 3 of his legions and swiftly marched

70
00:07:07,900 --> 00:07:13,590
to the river.
Quickly forming his legions into battle formation,

71
00:07:13,590 --> 00:07:19,719
Caesar fell upon the Celts waiting to cross.
Caught unaware, unprepared, and encumbered

72
00:07:19,719 --> 00:07:25,370
by their baggage, the Helvetii did not even
have enough time to form a proper battle line.

73
00:07:25,370 --> 00:07:30,250
The fighting was over quickly, with the whole
stranded group being killed or fleeing into

74
00:07:30,250 --> 00:07:35,379
the nearby woods whilst the other three groups
could do nothing but watch helplessly from

75
00:07:35,379 --> 00:07:41,900
the other side of the river. The main Helvetii
force began to move on and, not wanting to

76
00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:46,810
lose the initiative, Caesar quickly built
a bridge across the river and moved all of

77
00:07:46,810 --> 00:07:52,479
his six legions across. The crossing that
had taken the Celts 20 days had taken the

78
00:07:52,479 --> 00:07:59,820
Romans just 1.
Caesar began tailing the Helvetii, waiting

79
00:07:59,820 --> 00:08:08,569
for the right time to strike. There were a
few minor cavalry skirmishes, but nothing

80
00:08:08,569 --> 00:08:16,529
decisive. Caesar did once manage to find a
battlefield that was advantageous and even

81
00:08:16,529 --> 00:08:22,319
had Labienus in position behind the enemy,
however, due to poor communication from his

82
00:08:22,319 --> 00:08:28,340
scouts, Caesar was forced to pull back from
the battlefield. This caused a delay in Caesar’s

83
00:08:28,340 --> 00:08:35,029
plan and he was being to run low on rations.
He decided to head to the nearby town of Bibracte

84
00:08:35,029 --> 00:08:41,070
to resupply his army before continuing the
pursuit. As he began to march off however,

85
00:08:41,070 --> 00:08:45,690
Divico gave chase, harassing the rear of the
Roman army.

86
00:08:45,690 --> 00:08:50,160
Caesar sent his cavalry and light infantry
to fight a delaying action in order to buy

87
00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:58,410
time to deploy his main force on a nearby
hill. The four veteran legions formed three

88
00:08:58,410 --> 00:09:03,760
lines at the front with the two newly levied
Legions, along with the auxiliaries, positioned

89
00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:09,920
further up the hill. These men were not tested
in battle and so were not expected to do any

90
00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:14,930
of the fighting, instead they were to guard
the baggage and were spread thin across the

91
00:09:14,930 --> 00:09:21,910
hill to seemingly increase the size of Caesar’s
army. The Helvetii, numbering somewhere between

92
00:09:21,910 --> 00:09:28,010
60,000-90,000 warriors, had successfully fought
off the Roman cavalry and light infantry,

93
00:09:28,010 --> 00:09:33,649
forcing them to retreat. They now formed their
infantry into a tightly packed shield wall

94
00:09:33,649 --> 00:09:40,410
and advanced on the Romans.
The front two lines of legionaries opened

95
00:09:40,410 --> 00:09:45,569
the battle with a volley of javelins. These
hampered the Helvetii by becoming stuck in

96
00:09:45,570 --> 00:09:50,970
their shields, forcing them to drop them and
to break into a looser formation. With the

97
00:09:50,970 --> 00:09:58,330
shield wall in disarray, the Roman front lines
charged into melee. The fighting was intense

98
00:09:58,330 --> 00:10:04,250
and tough but the Romans’ discipline and
experience gave them the edge. Slowly, they

99
00:10:04,250 --> 00:10:12,810
began to get the upper hand, with the Helvetii
being forced back to a nearby mountain. However,

100
00:10:12,810 --> 00:10:18,439
as the Romans pressed up the mountain, a portion
of the Helvetii allies composed of Boii and

101
00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:24,600
Tulingi, roughly 15,000 warriors, entered
the battle. These men had been acting as a

102
00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:30,699
rear-guard, protecting the camp, and now they
fell on the Roman flank, threatening to encircle

103
00:10:30,699 --> 00:10:36,390
them.
The Helvetii, bolstered by the arrival of

104
00:10:36,390 --> 00:10:41,930
their allies, began pushing back with renewed
vigour. With the two front lines of legionaries

105
00:10:41,930 --> 00:10:47,750
already engaging the Helvetii on the mountain,
Caesar committed his final line of veterans,

106
00:10:47,750 --> 00:10:53,740
which had been acting as a reserve. After
hours of hard fighting, the Helvetii on the

107
00:10:53,740 --> 00:10:59,300
mountain were eventually broken and forced
from the battle. However, the Boii and Tulingi

108
00:10:59,300 --> 00:11:05,380
fell back to the camp to make a last stand.
Using their baggage wagons they formed a makeshift

109
00:11:05,380 --> 00:11:11,269
rampart and continued the fight, hurling missiles
down into the Roman ranks. This is where the

110
00:11:11,269 --> 00:11:17,750
fighting was the most difficult as the Boii
were famed warriors and fought desperately.

111
00:11:17,750 --> 00:11:22,950
Finally, after fighting long into the night,
the third line was able to break into the

112
00:11:22,950 --> 00:11:31,329
camp, ending the battle.
The battle had lasted almost 12 hours. Caesar

113
00:11:31,329 --> 00:11:40,489
had lost perhaps 5,000 men, whilst the Helvetii
had lost around 40,000 to 60,000. Of the 368,000

114
00:11:40,490 --> 00:11:50,400
people who began the migration, only 130,000
were now left. Caesar, with no cavalry left

115
00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:56,420
to speak off, was not able to give chase immediately
and gave his men three days in order to recover

116
00:11:56,420 --> 00:12:02,290
from the battle before starting the pursuit.
The Helvetii, seeing the Romans chasing them

117
00:12:02,290 --> 00:12:07,980
once more, surrendered completely and were
forced to return to their homeland and made

118
00:12:07,980 --> 00:12:13,779
a vassal of Rome, acting as a buffer between
Roman and Germanic lands.

119
00:12:13,779 --> 00:12:19,399
Caesar had achieved his aim of gaining a swift
military victory and, for now, he would be

120
00:12:19,399 --> 00:12:25,210
able to hold off his political enemies in
Rome. Furthermore, the Romans had now shown

121
00:12:25,210 --> 00:12:31,750
themselves to be a powerful force in the Gallic
theatre. After his victory, Caesar rested

122
00:12:31,750 --> 00:12:37,950
in Bibracte for a short time before moving
on. Rumour had already reached him of a Germanic

123
00:12:37,950 --> 00:12:44,600
tribe that had crossed the Rhine and was terrorising
Gaul.

124
00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:49,850
The Gallic Wars were just starting and in
our future videos we will talk more about

125
00:12:49,850 --> 00:12:55,819
them, so make sure you are subscribed to our
channel and pressed the bell button. We would

126
00:12:55,819 --> 00:13:00,260
like to express our gratitude to our Patreon
supporters and channel members, who make the

127
00:13:00,260 --> 00:13:05,880
creation of our videos possible. Now, you
can also support us by buying our merchandise

128
00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:11,029
via the link in the description. This is the
Kings and Generals channel, and we will catch

129
00:13:11,029 --> 00:13:13,269
you on the next one.