Divico

Divico (c. 130 BC; † after 58 BC) was a leader of the tribe of the Helvetic part Tigurini.

History

107 BC defeated according to Caesar ( De bello Gallico, I, 12-14) the Tigurini under Divico the Romans under Lucius Cassius Longinus at the Battle of Agen. In 58 BC, he brought in old age as the successor of Orgetorix the Helvetii to Geneva, where Gaius Iulius Caesar forced to dodge to the north. After a Roman attack on the Saône Divico led to the Legation, who negotiated with Caesar ( cf. Caes. Gall. 13.2 to 14.7 I ).

Caesar handed down from these negotiations the proposition that the Helvetii presented no hostages, but were used to taking such as the Romans yes know from personal experience: Ita Helvetios a maioribus suis institutos esse, uti obsides accipere, non dare consuerint; eius rei populum Romanum esse testem. ( Caes. B Gall. 14.7 I ). With this reference to the defeat of the Romans against the Tigurini Divico let negotiations fail, in which Caesar had offered the Helvetii against the provision of hostages and compensation for prepared looting and devastation peace agreement. Shortly thereafter, the Helvetii were defeated at the Battle of Bibracte; the survivors forced Caesar to return to their homeland and rebuild their villages.

Glorification in the 19th century

In the 19th century Divico stood as a national hero of modern Switzerland to compete with William Tell. Numerous historical paintings glorified his deeds, the literature took on the fabric. Conrad Ferdinand Meyer wrote about the poem " A yoke on Leman " for the glory of Divico victory over the Romans.

On the one hand Divico was known before the reception of the Tell legend by Schiller during educated bourgeoisie, since Caesar's writings were required reading in high school. On the other hand, he represented all other virtues: He was considered a courageous, fearless, proud, defiant and wise - and he was descended from the nobility or the guide layer. Tell other hand, was a suspicious character, a tyrannicide, revolutionary, a " man of the people ", a single fighter for the conservative bourgeoisie.

In the 20th century, however, William Tell Divico suppressed almost completely, only in the context of spiritual defense, he experienced a renaissance. During this time, especially the stubborn will to resist was highlighted, the Divico against Caesar is said to have applied to the day. Thus, a reference was made to the resistance of Switzerland against the overpowering Third Reich during the period of National Socialism. In the postwar period Divico increasingly sank into oblivion, especially since been received in history lessons in Swiss schools in the 1980s, less and less on the intellectual defense.