Battle of Alesia

Arar - Bibracte - Alsace - Sambre - Axona - Octodurus - Avaricum - Gergovia - Lutetia - Armançon - Alesia - Uxellodunum

The Battle of Alesia was the decisive battle in the late summer of 52 BC between the Roman general Gaius Julius Caesar and the Gauls ( Celts ) under the leadership of Vercingetorix. Winner of the debate was Caesar, who consolidated the Roman dominion in Gaul for centuries.

The history

The Romans invaded in 58 BC in the southern area of ​​settlement of the Gauls one. The commander of the Roman army, Gaius Julius Caesar, here had the opportunity through a military success to advance his political career. The Roman military successes came very quickly and the Romans invaded in subsequent years up to Britain before. Only in the year 52 BC Caesar and his troops met with serious resistance. The already long subjected believed Gauls united under Vercingetorix and rebelled against Rome. Roman merchants in Cenabum fell to the Gauls in the first days of the war victims. The rebels threatened Gallia Narbonensis.

Caesar, who was the administration of justice in Italy, raised from troops and secured the Roman province. To reach its troops stationed in winter camps, he moved over the snow-covered Cevennengebirge ago. This served as a distraction and he was able to pull his army in the field of Lingones. Having had ended the first meeting of Vercingetorix and Caesar's cavalry at Kavallerievorhut Noviodunum a success for the Romans, the Arvernerfürst decided to new tactical action. With its strategy of " scorched earth " he tried to cut off supplies from the Romans. Twenty located within Caesar's army villages were destroyed by fire. But the Romans proved to be extremely tough. They stood by, the 25 -day-long siege of Avaricum and secured thereby in this oppidum abundant inventories.

However, it was subsequently ago Gergovia - capital of the Arverni - a defeat for Caesar. Every seventh centurion fell. Since the Julier was cut off from reinforcements from Italy, he had to order for cash, auxiliary troops from Germania. As Vercingetorix gave up his successful defensive tactics and his hand went over to the attack, he had to suffer a bitter defeat against Caesar. He then retired with his troops to Alesia back.

The Battle

Caesar pursued the fleeing Vercingetorix and closed it by extensive siege works in Alesia. Vercingetorix and Caesar commanded about 20,000, about 70,000 soldiers. Vercingetorix managed prior to inclusion still send away his cavalry, as they would have unnecessarily strained inventories during a siege. The riders also received the order to call the Gallic tribes to prepare a relief army.

Quick Caesar himself became besieged, because now he was surrounded by the advancing Gallic relief army ( about 50,000 ). With extensive entrenchments Caesar presented on a 16 -km-long siege inner ring ( Circumvallation ) and a second, 21 km long, outward -looking defense ring ( Contravallation ) to defend themselves against these enemies. This Schanzanlangen contained towers, traps, ditches, ramparts, pitfalls and obstacles against cavalry attacks.

After thirty days, the food went in Alesia low. Vercingetorix sent all combat incompetents (the elderly, women, children) out of the city because they could no longer be fed. In his De Bello Gallico Caesar reports bluntly of his decision not to let the civilians pull through his lines, so that they all died slowly and painfully before the eyes.

Finally, the Gallic relief army Alesia had reached and began his attack. For Alesia, this was the signal for an escape attempt. With determined advances and clever organization of the troops succeeded Caesar Titus Labienus and his deputy in that " two-front battle," both cut off the escape attempts from Alesia as well as keep the outer Gallic army. After Caesar's Germanic horseman had scattered the relief army, was gathering again this and attacked at a weak point of the outer Schanz work. The Gallic armies broke through the attachment and attacked the Roman troops from the front and the rear. Caesar motivated by his appearance on the battlefield, the Roman legions, took four cohorts and led them into battle. At the same time he ordered some cohorts to evade the battlefield widely. When the Roman troops invaded the Gallic legions in the back, they fled, but for a while were being persecuted by the Romans. Vercingetorix retired after he got news of it, according to Alesia back. A little later there was Vercingetorix, in the hope that Caesar him and his people will not sell into slavery.

Six years later, when Caesar returned to Rome to celebrate his victories in Gaul, Egypt, Asia Minor and Africa in a triumphal procession, Vercingetorix, who previously was in prison, was dragged in chains through Rome and then strangled on the orders of Caesar in Tullianum.

Later estimates

Beginning with the battle Napoleon was doubted Caesar's description. Terrain, positioning and flow of battle, speak for equally strong armies, not for a numerical superiority of the Gauls. In particular, the flank march with bypass would not have been possible against a numerically superior opponent. The order of battle of the Gauls had at Caesar's figures and the terrain over 100 man must have been deep, which is a military absurdity. This is not an isolated case. Caesar had generally a tendency to exaggerate the strength of enemy troops.

Alesia in popular culture

The Gallic resistance under Vercingetorix, which ended in the defeat at Alesia, was especially in the 19th century, a national myth in France, comparable to the glorification of Arminius in Germany.

In today's popular culture, the Battle of Alesia is mentioned in the following works:

• Repeated references in the comic book series Asterix ( Majestix: " I know of no Alesia Alesia ?" )
• Novel by Colleen McCullough: Rubicon from the year 1997.
• Vercingetorix movie with Christopher Lambert from 2001.
• Music CD of the band Ex Deo, titled Romulus (2009 ) with several songs, such as Storm the Gates of Alesia and Legio XII.
• The two-part TV movie Julius Caesar (2002) treated the battle as a major success of Caesar.
• Music CD of the band Eluveitie entitled Helvetios with the song Alesia