Veneti (Gaul)

The Veneti ( Venetes ) were a Celtic tribe that had settled since the 5th century BC on the coast of Armorica, west of the later Roman Gallia Lugdunensis. Their settlement area lay in today Morbihan in Brittany.

Sea People

Among all the Veneti Gauls in naval affairs were most versed of Gaius Julius Caesar, they were a kind of supremacy rumored on their stretch of coastline of the Atlantic. Their capital city was Dariorigum, later Venetis, today Vannes.

Fight against Caesar

The Veneti submitted themselves first in the year 57 BC the troops of Publius Licinius Crassus, who acted on behalf of Caesar. However, in the following winter, it came as a result of the Roman demand for grain shipments to the uprising, which spread rapidly. The Venetians took Roman officers as hostages, they wanted to trade for the hostages provided by them to the Romans. Caesar saw the rebellion as a breach of contract and was built in great haste on the Loire galleys that were conducted along with other Celtic ships under the command of Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus against the Veneti. Caesar himself advanced with the infantry in front against the territory of the Veneti. Due to its geographical situation, however, the conquest designed very lengthy and the Venetians succeeded again and again to supply besieged cities by water and - if their base was in sieges by the Romans, for example, by the construction of dams, threatened - avoid over lake to another. The bases of the Veneti on the coasts were mostly at low tide peninsulas, at high tide but surrounded by water. When at last appeared the long detained by storms on the Loire estuary fleet, they took over the fighting. It came 56 BC to battle, the observed Caesar of the peninsula Rhuys from. Although the high-sided sailing ships of the Veneti better suited for the ocean and were in the majority, the Romans succeeded to cut their sails with mounted on long poles sickles and destroy the ships. Due to a wind, the entire fleet of the Veneti was ultimately destroyed and they surrendered. The entire Brittany was conquered. In contrast to usual - presumably to punish the obstinate resistance - let Caesar the entire council execute and enslave the population.