Commius

Commius (Commios, Comius) was a historical king of the Belgic nation of the Atrebates, initially in Gaul, then in Britain, in the 1st century BC. Commius - Ally of Caesar. When Julius Caesar conquered the Atrebates in Gaul in 57 BC, as recounted in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico, he appointed Commius as king of the tribe. Before Caesar's first expedition to Britain in 55 BC, Commius was sent as Caesar's envoy to persuade the Britons not to resist him, as Caesar believed he would have ...

Including:

• Commius - Ally of Caesar
• Commius - Enemy of Caesar
• Commius - King in Britain
• Commius - Sources

Read more here: » Commius: Encyclopedia - Commius

In 52 BC the Atrebates joined the pan-Gaulish revolt led by Vercingetorix, and Commius was one of the leaders of the army that attempted to relieve Vercingetorix at the Siege of Alesia. After Vercingetorix was defeated Commius joined a revolt by the Bellovaci and persuaded some 500 Germans to support them, but this too was defeated and Commius sought refuge with his German allies. In 51 BC he returned to his homeland with a small mounted war-band for a campaign of agitation and guerrilla warfare. That winter Mark Antony, a legionary l ...

See also:

Commius, Commius - Ally of Caesar, Commius - Enemy of Caesar, Commius - King in Britain, Commius - Sources

Read more here: » Commius: Encyclopedia II - Commius - Enemy of Caesar

Image:Belgicaromana.gif The Belgae were a group of nations or tribes living in north-eastern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 1st century BC, and later also attested in Britain. Their name survives in modern Belgium. Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico divided the people of Gaul at the time of his conquests (58 - 51 BC) into three broad groups: the Aquitani, Galli (who in their own language were called Celtae) and Belgae, all of whom had their own customs and language. He n ...

Including:

• Belgae - Origins of the Belgae
• Belgae - Conquest of the Belgae
• Belgae - The Belgae outside Gaul

Read more here: » Belgae: Encyclopedia - Belgae

The Atrebates (meaning settlers) were a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain before the Roman conquests. Atrebates - The Atrebates in Gaul. The Gaulish Atrebates lived in or around modern Artois in northern France. Their capital, Nemetocenna, is now the city of Arras. In 57 BC they were part of a Belgic military alliance in response to Julius Caesar's conquests elsewhere in Gaul, contributing 15,000 men. Caesar took this build-up as a threat and marched against it, but the Belgae had the advantage ...

Including:

• Atrebates - The Atrebates in Gaul
• Atrebates - The Atrebates in Britain

Read more here: » Atrebates: Encyclopedia - Atrebates

The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia was a conflict fought in September 52 BC around the Gallic oppidum of Alesia, a major town centre and hill fort of the Mandubii tribe, situated probably at Chaux-des-Crotenay (Jura). Earlier research located Alesia atop Mont Auxois, above modern Alise-Sainte-Reine in France, but this location does not fit Caesar's description of the battle. Alise-Sainte-Reine is still the official location of Alesia. This battle was fought by the army of the Roman Republic commanded by Julius Caesa ...

Including:

• Battle of Alesia - Prelude
• Battle of Alesia - Siege and battle
• Battle of Alesia - Aftermath
• Battle of Alesia - Issues in historical reconstruction of the events

Read more here: » Battle of Alesia: Encyclopedia - Battle of Alesia

A Briton, in broad terms, is an inhabitant of the geographical region of Great Britain[1][2][3]. The usage of the term is sensitive in some areas, particularly those relating to the Irish people and the Scottish people, and can vary in exact meaning depen ...

Including:

• Briton - Common usage
• Briton - Famous Ancient Britons

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Vespasian took a force westwards subduing tribes and capturing oppida as he went, going as least as far as Exeter and probably reaching Bodmin. The Ninth Legion was sent north towards Lincoln and within four years of the invasion it is likely that an area south of a line from the Humber to the Severn Estuary was under Roman control. That this line is followed by the Roman road of the Fosse Way has led many historians to debate the route's role as a convenient frontier during the early occupation. It is more likely that the border between Roman and Iron Age ...

See also:

Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions, Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43, Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued, Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

Read more here: » Roman conquest of Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued

Commius soon established himself as king of the British Atrebates, a kingdom he may have founded. Their territory comprised modern Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey, centred on the capital Calleva Atrebatum (modern Silchester). The settlement of the Atrebates in Britain was not a mass population movement. Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe argues that they "seem to have comprised a series of indigenous tribes, possibly with some intrusive Belgic element, given initial coherence by Commius". It is possible that the name "Atrebates", as with ...

See also:

Atrebates, Atrebates - The Atrebates in Gaul, Atrebates - The Atrebates in Britain

Read more here: » Atrebates: Encyclopedia II - Atrebates - The Atrebates in Britain

Alesia was a hill-top fort surrounded by river valleys, with strong defensive features. As a frontal assault would have been suicidal, Caesar decided upon a siege, hoping to force surrender by starvation. Considering that about 80,000 men were garrisoned in Alesia, together with the local civilian population, this would not take long. To guarantee a perfect blockade, Caesar ordered the construction of an encircling set of fortifications, called a circumvallation, around Alesia. The details of this engineering work are known from Caesar's ...

See also:

Battle of Alesia, Battle of Alesia - Prelude, Battle of Alesia - Siege and battle, Battle of Alesia - Aftermath, Battle of Alesia - Issues in historical reconstruction of the events

Read more here: » Battle of Alesia: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Alesia - Siege and battle

Caesar conquered the Belgae, beginning in 57 BC. He writes that the Belgae were conspiring and arming themselves in response to his earlier conquests, and in response to this threat he raised two new legions and ordered his Gallic allies the Aedui to invade the territory of the Bellovaci. Wary of the numbers and bravery of the Belgae, he initially avoided a pitched battle, resorting mainly to cavalry skirmishes to probe their strengths and weaknesses. Once he was satisfied his troops were a match for them, he made camp on a low hill protected by a marsh at the front and the river Aisne behind, near Bibrax (between mod ...

See also:

Belgae, Belgae - Origins of the Belgae, Belgae - Conquest of the Belgae, Belgae - The Belgae outside Gaul

Read more here: » Belgae: Encyclopedia II - Belgae - Conquest of the Belgae

The rebellion of Carausius in AD 286 led to Britain breaking away from the Roman Empire and it was not for another ten years that an expedition to retake the province was launched by Emperor Constantius Chlorus. The emperor commanded one force and a second was put under the command of a praetorian prefect named Asclepiodotus. Constantius' contingent was turned back by storms but Asclepiodotus' troops successfully landed near Southampton. He burnt his boats and marched toward Londinium (London). Caraousis' successor, Allectus confronte ...

See also:

Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions, Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43, Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued, Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

Read more here: » Roman conquest of Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

The Gaulish Atrebates lived in or around modern Artois in northern France. Their capital, Nemetocenna, is now the city of Arras. In 57 BC they were part of a Belgic military alliance in response to Julius Caesar's conquests elsewhere in Gaul, contributing 15,000 men. Caesar took this build-up as a threat and marched against it, but the Belgae had the advantage of position and the result was a stand-off. When no battle was forthcoming the Belgic alliance broke up, determining to gather to defend whichever tribe Caesar attacked. Caesar subsequently marched ag ...

See also:

Atrebates, Atrebates - The Atrebates in Gaul, Atrebates - The Atrebates in Britain

Read more here: » Atrebates: Encyclopedia II - Atrebates - The Atrebates in Gaul

By the 40s AD the Catuvellauni had displaced the Trinovantes as the most powerful kingdom in south-eastern Britain, taking over the former Trinovantian capital of Camulodunum (Colchester), and were pressing their neighbours the Atrebates, ruled by the descendants of Julius Caesar's former ally Commius. Verica, the king of the Atrebates and an ally of Rome, was ousted and appealed to the emperor Claudius for aid. In response Claudius mounted an invasion of the island in 43. Aulus Plautius, a distinguished senator, was given charge of four leg ...

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Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions, Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43, Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued, Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

Read more here: » Roman conquest of Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43

Augustus prepared invasions in 34 BC, 27 BC and 25 BC. The first and third were called off due to revolts elsewhere in the empire, the second because the Britons seemed ready to come to terms. According to Augustus's Res Gestae, two British kings, Dumnovellaunus and Tincomarus, sent supplications to Rome during his reign, and Strabo's Geography, written during this period, says that Britain paid more in customs and duties ...

See also:

Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions, Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43, Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued, Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

Read more here: » Roman conquest of Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions

Alesia proved to be the end of generalized and organized resistance to the Roman invasion of Gaul. The country was then subdued, becoming a Roman province and was eventually subdivided into several smaller administrative divisions. Not until the third century would another independence movement occur (see Gallic Empire). The garrison of Alesia was taken prisoner as well as the survivors of the relief army. They were either sold into slavery or given as booty to Caesar's legionaries, except for the members of the Aedui and Averni tribes, which were released and pardoned to secure t ...

See also:

Battle of Alesia, Battle of Alesia - Prelude, Battle of Alesia - Siege and battle, Battle of Alesia - Aftermath, Battle of Alesia - Issues in historical reconstruction of the events

Read more here: » Battle of Alesia: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Alesia - Aftermath

Whether the Belgae were Celts or Germanic tribes occupied 19th century and early 20th century historians. Caesar claims that most of the Belgae were descended from tribes who had long ago crossed the Rhine from Germania. However most of the tribal and personal names recorded are identifiably Celtic. It seems likely that the Belgae had a mixture of Celtic and Germanic ancestry. Perhaps they were Germanic people ruled by a Celtic élite, or were a political alliance of Celtic and Germanic tribes, or, like the later Normans, were a formerly Ger ...

See also:

Belgae, Belgae - Origins of the Belgae, Belgae - Conquest of the Belgae, Belgae - The Belgae outside Gaul

Read more here: » Belgae: Encyclopedia II - Belgae - Origins of the Belgae

Julius Caesar had been in Gaul since 58 BC. It was customary for consuls, Rome's highest elected officials, at the end of their consular year, to be appointed governor of one of Rome's provinces by the Roman Senate, and following his first consulship in 59 BC, Caesar was appointed governor of Cisalpine Gaul (the region between the Alps, the Apennines and the Adriatic), and Transalpine Gaul ("Gaul beyond the Alps"). With a proconsular imperium, he ha ...

See also:

Battle of Alesia, Battle of Alesia - Prelude, Battle of Alesia - Siege and battle, Battle of Alesia - Aftermath, Battle of Alesia - Issues in historical reconstruction of the events

Read more here: » Battle of Alesia: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Alesia - Prelude

In 54 BC, Caesar returned with a larger force. According to some Caesar's own account the fleet comprised some 800 ships, many of which were built to Caesar's specifications: broader and lower for easier beaching. Men of all ranks across the Roman Republic swarmed to join the expedition. The Britons did not oppose the landing, apparently intimidated by the size of the fleet. Caesar made an immediate night march inland, driving the Britons back, but when his ships were o ...

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Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions, Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43, Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued, Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

Read more here: » Roman conquest of Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC

In 55 BC, Julius Caesar landed on the coast, perhaps in what was intended as a reconnaissance mission. During his campaigns in Gaul, as recorded in Gallic Wars, he had determined that the Gauls were receiving aid from Britain. Towards the end of the summer, he decided that it would be useful to get some reliable information about the people, localities and harbours of the island, since little useful information was available from the Gauls or the merchants who visited it. First he sent out Caius Volusenus in a ship of war to investiga ...

See also:

Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 54 BC, Roman conquest of Britain - Aborted invasions, Roman conquest of Britain - Aulus Plautius: AD 43, Roman conquest of Britain - The conquest continued, Roman conquest of Britain - Asclepiodotus : AD 296

Read more here: » Roman conquest of Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman conquest of Britain - Julius Caesar: 55 BC

By about 30 BC Commius had established himself as king of the Atrebates in Britain, and was issuing coins from Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester). It is possible that Commius and his followers founded this kingdom, although the fact that, when Caesar was unable to bring his cavalry to Britain in 55 BC, Commius was able to provide a small detachment of horsemen from his people, suggests that there were ...

See also:

Commius, Commius - Ally of Caesar, Commius - Enemy of Caesar, Commius - King in Britain, Commius - Sources

Read more here: » Commius: Encyclopedia II - Commius - King in Britain