Nervii

The Nervians (Latin Nervii, French Nerviens ) were a great Belgian tribe in ancient times. They lived in Gallia Belgica, a vast area between the Meuse and Scheldt in the north and west of present-day Belgium. Adjacent lived Menapii, Eburons, Remer, Bellovaci, Viromanduer and Atrebates. They had several clients tribes. The capital of Nervians Bagacum (now Bavay in France), probably visited the future emperor Tiberius to 4 AD.

History

Notes on Strabo lay a former residence of the Nervians close on the right side of the Rhine. In terms of their political self-ordering is reported by a senatus.

The Nervians played a prominent role in Caesar's accounts of his violent subjugation of Gaul. In the winter of 58/57 BC, 50,000 Nervians involved in an anti-Roman coalition of a total of 300,000 men from numerous other Belgian tribes under the leadership of Suessiones king Galba. 57 BC they were indeed defeated by Caesar's troops after a highly dramatic battle, but took in the winter 54/53 BC, again in an uprising in part, in which, under the auspices of the Eburones leader Ambiorix about one-fifth of the Belgian warrior against the Romans that nation came from. Shortly thereafter, they were able to join with about 6000 warriors Vercingetorix at Alesia.

The Nervians were for Caesar as the most warlike tribe among the Belgern, not least because of their assigned Germanic descent. This prevented the Nervians not to open after their bloody subjugation quickly Roman influences to expand their capital Bagacum to a transportation hub with seven emanating from it stratae calciatae and develop into a major commercial center, where agriculture and cattle breeding, flax and cloth trade metallurgy and pottery flourished.

Soldiers of the Nervians obtained also of great importance as auxiliary troops for the Roman army, especially during the Batavian revolt. For Britain, the ala II Nerviorum Fidelis milliaria and a n ( umerus ) sagittal (t ) ariorum Ner ( viorum ) are mentioned.

Your pretty early Christianization documented the visit of its own bishop at the Council of Colonia Agrippinensis (Cologne ) for the year 346 AD