Vercingetorix - The Legendary Chieftain Of Arverni | Celtic Mythology And Folklore

In Celtic history, Vercingetorix, was a king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who is most known for uniting the Gauls in a revolt against Roman forces during the last times of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. The name Vercingetorix, literally translates to either Great Warrior King, or King of Great Warriors, in Gaulish or Celtic dialect. Vercingetorix, was the son of Celtilus, the Arvernian leader of the Gallic tribes. Celtilus, was put to death by his own countrymen for seeking to rule all of Gaul. And his noble son, Vercingetorix, was supposed to claim the throne. But having tried to rouse his subjects and dependents to join the revolt against the Romans, Vercingetorix, and his followers were expelled by his uncle, Gobernicio. And Gobernicio did so to the rest of the nobles, because they thought opposing Caesar was too great a risk. Unshaken and still determined, the noble Vercingetorix, raised an army of the poor, defeated his uncle and took back Gergovia city of Arverni, and his throne in 52 BC. Immediately he became king and chieftain of Arverni, Vercingetorix, formed an alliance with other Gallic tribes, combined and took command of all the forces, then, led them in the Celts most recognized revolt against Roman power. King Vercingetorix, was a strict disciplinarian. He adopted more current tactics of warfare, and the taking of hostages. When he began the revolt, Vercingetorix, adopted the policy of retreating to natural fortifications, and the strategy of a scorched earth, which involves burning towns to prevent the Roman legions from living off the land. He scorched much of the land marching north, with his army from Gergovia, in an aim to deprive Caesar of the resources and safe shelter of the towns and villages, along Caesar's march south. However, there was one town Vercingetorix did not torch. It was the city of Avracham, mainly due to the town's strong defenses. Knowing that the town of Avracham was a Gallic settlement directly in Caesar's path, he left the town to their fate, to be crushed by the Romans. So, Vercingetorix, paused his menacing advancements for a short while, and he and his men camped outside of Avracham, waiting till the city is overrun by Caesar's forces, to continue his revolt. And as he expected, the Romans reached Avracham, laid an intense and laborious siege for 25 days, before they were able to breach the town's defenses, and eventually captured the capital. The Romans slaughtered nearly the entire 40,000 population of Avracham, leaving only about 800 alive. Incidentally, the Romans' next and major stop, was at Gergovia, capital city of the Arverni and Vercingetorix's homeland. This brought about the historical battle of Gergovia. Without wasting a moment, King Vercingetorix, made first move in the battle of Gergovia, by slaughtering the Roman natives who had settled in their territory. Having prepared for this encounter long enough, Vercingetorix, and his warriors crushed Caesar's mighty legions and allies. He slaughtered thousands of the Roman army, inflicting heavy losses. So, Caesar's Roman legions withdrew. Vercingetorix, emerged victorious in the battle of Gergovia. Few years later, Vercingetorix, then decided to join Caesar, but that decision might have been a mistake. For Caesar sought nothing but revenge, for the humiliation, and great loss his army suffered in the battle of Gergovia. The King's attempt to unite the Gauls against Roman invasion came too late. His attempt only resulted in a cavalry battle, where the Romans dealt their first huge blow against the Gauls. King Vercingetorix, retreated and moved to another settlement, called Alesia, where he made his last stand against the Romans, in the historical battle of Alesia. In the epic battle of Alesia, the Romans besieged and defeated the Gaulish forces. In order to save as many of his men as possible, King Vercingetorix, surrendered himself to the Romans. However, some records tell a slightly different version of the Gauls' defeat. The records say that the Romans never broke through the Gauls' defences nor truly defeated them, and that the major loss the Gauls suffered in the battle of Alesia, was the loss of their king, who had surrendered, supposedly in an effort to continue to pursue peace between the Gauls and Romans. It happened that during the battle, in September, 52 BC, Caesar built a fortification around the city to besiege it. But, Caesar's army was already surrounded by the rest of Gaul, as King Vercingetorix, had summoned his Gallic allies to attack the besieging Romans. So, Caesar built another outer fortification against the relief armies. Initially, the Gallic attacks were unsuccessful, because their leader, Vercingetorix, was cut off from them on the inside, and so, wasn't there to guide them. Luckily, the attacks revealed a weak point in the Roman fortifications, and Vercingetorix, the tactical leader, combined forces on the inside and the outside, and broke through the fortifications, pushing the Romans back. Caesar, then personally led his last reserves into battle, and finally managed to prevail, pushing the Celtic tribes into defensive mode. Surprisingly, just then, Vercingetorix, surrendered in a dramatic style. Riding his beautifully adorned horse out of Alesia, the king of the Gauls went around Caesar's camp before dismounting in front of Caesar, stripping himself of his armor and sitting down at his opponent's feet. There, he remained motionless until he was taken away by the almost surprised Romans. Vercingetorix, was imprisoned in the Tullianum in Rome for five years, before being publicly displayed, following Caesar's triumph in 46 BC. After the triumph, he was executed by strangulation in his prison, on Caesar's orders, that same year. Although Vercingetorix, the powerful and tactical chieftain of the Gauls, had died, his memory still lived on, and inspired subsequent Celtic leaders. To this very day, Vercingetorix is considered a hero in Arverni, his native region.