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Short description

Auxiliaries from Gallia Belgica, armed with spears and javelins and carrying large oval shields.

Description

The Emperor Augustus' reforms of the Roman army resulted in the creation of the Auxilia cohorts that were recruited from the free non-citizens (or "peregrini") of the Empire. These were needed to add extra manpower to the Imperial army but at a far lower cost than a legion of citizen-legionnaires. The auxilia were recruited from every corner of the empire, and their unit names usually reflect the tribe or area from which they came. The auxiliary cohorts were either "quingenaria" ("five-hundred-strong") or "milliaria" ("one-thousand-strong"), which were 480 men, and 800 men strong respectively. Though some units were recruited especially as light troops, skirmishers, or archers, most units of auxilia were heavy infantry that fought in much the same way as their legionary counterparts.

"Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres…" - these are the opening words of Julius Caesar's most famous piece of written work, read by students of the classical languages all over the word - his Commentarii de Bello Gallico. It translates as "All of Gaul is divided into three parts" - with the first of these, in the north, being occupied by the Belgae ("…the other being the Aquitani [in the west], and the third, who, in their own language call themselves Celts, we know as the Gauls…" [in the centre, south and east of Gaul]). Caesar states that the Belgae were the strongest or bravest of the three groups, because "they are furthest from [Romano-Hellenic] civilisation and the sophistication of the Province ["The Province" being Gallia Cisalpania, later Gallia Narbonensis, on the Mediterranean coast, which the Romans had controlled since around 118 BC - some sixty years before Caesar began his Gallic campaigns], and merchants least frequently visit them [again, Caesar refers to merchants from the Mediterranean civilisations, such as Roman and Italian traders from Gallia Transalpania, or Greeks from Massalia, a colony in southern Gaul], and so they rarely import those things which tend to effeminate the mind [such as wine, for example]. They are also closest to the Germans, who live beyond the Rhine, with whom they incessantly wage war…" The Belgae were regarded by Caesar as a sort of half-way-house between the Gallic culture of the Celts that lived west of the Rhine, and the Germanic tribes to the east. He even describes some of the Belgic tribes as being Germanic tribes that had migrated across the Rhine, settled, and adopted the Gallic language, culture and customs to a greater or lesser degree. This, to the Romans minds, made them even better warriors than even the neighbouring Gauls. Caesar also noted that some of the Belgae had already settled in Britannia, and so later the Romans set up Venta Belgarum (modern Winchester) in the province of Britannia Superior as their main urban centre following the Roman invasion in 44 AD.

As the winter of 58 BC drew near, Caesar decided to end the first year of his Gallic campaign (that had resulted in the defeat of the Helvetii and also the Germanic tribes under Ariovistus) by placing his troops in winter quarters to the far north of Gallia Transalpania. The Belgae were understandably disturbed by the fact that Caesar's troops would be stationed near their territory when the campaigning season began in March the following year, so they began to form a league against him. They began stockpiling weapons and provisions for war, and Caesar used this as a pretext to invade their lands.

Caesar stated in his Gallic Wars that the Belgae could raise a combined army of some 300,000 men. This figure, like most in Roman works, is probably significantly inflated, but it is clear that Caesar's army of eight legions and supporting auxiliary troops (40,000-45,000 men) was badly outnumbered. In 57 BC, he moved north to meet the Belgic army, crossing the River Axona (now the River Aisne) as he did so. He gave orders to the leader of the Aedui tribe, Divitiacus, to advance towards the lands of the Bellovaci tribe, and so draw their warriors away from the main Belgic army to defend their homeland. Having crossed the river, he left a small contingent of six cohorts (around 3000-4000 men) on the south bank, with orders to construct a fortified camp (and so secure Caesar's line of supply), and pushed the rest of his army up to the top of a hill on the northern bank of the river, and fortified that too.

In response to this, the Belgae, led by King Galba of the Suessiones, besieged Bibrax, an oppidum belonging to the Remi tribe (who were described as the most pro-Roman tribe in all of Gaul). The town resisted for the first day, but the defenders were hard pressed and knew that without assistance, they would be overwhelmed the following day. When the Remi's messenger arrived and told Caesar what had happened, he sent his light troops, consisting of Balearic slingers and Cretan archers, into the town (which was only eight miles from the main Roman camp on the hill) after nightfall. This convinced the Belgae that they would no longer be able to take the town by force, and so they moved to a site only two miles away from the main Roman camp. Over the next few days, the two armies engaged in minor cavalry skirmishes, which apparently convinced Caesar that he could defeat the Belgae in battle. The hill, on which the main Roman camp was perched, had a wide, gentle slope in front of it, on which Caesar could deploy his entire army, with steeper slopes either side, which would prevent his army from being outflanked by the much larger Belgic army. To further strengthen his position, ordered that trenches, each 400 paces long, be dug from the camp down either side of the slope on which Caesar deployed his army, and at the end of either trench, a small fort was built in which Caesar placed his legions' artillery. Caesar's army was clearly in a superior defensive position, and so he hoped that the Belgae would cross the marsh that lay between the two armies attack him, becoming disorganised in the process, making their troops easy meat for the disciplined Roman legionnaires. The Belgae, however, were clearly not foolhardy enough to charge uphill against Caesar's troops, and so remained on their side of the marshes. There were once again some skirmishes between the cavalry screens of the two armies, and it seems that Caesar's troops gained the upper hand, because although he did not send his army across the marsh to attack the Belgae, he seemed confident enough to march his troops back to camp without fear of sudden assault by the Belgae.

Realising that Caesar's legions would not be drawn out of their defensive position so easily, the Belgae then circumvented Caesar's defences, crossing the river Axona via a nearby ford, in order to take the bridge to the rear of the Roman camp, and thus cut Caesar's line of supply. This attempt to outflank the Roman army was spotted, however, and Caesar sent his legate Titurius with all his cavalry (mostly Gallic or Numidian), his Cretan archers and Balearic slingers across the bridge and then along the southern bank of the river to attack the Belgae as they tried to cross the ford. The few Belgae that had already crossed the river were in disarray as Caesar's cavalry swooped in and cut them to pieces. The tribesmen who were still crossing the ford were showered with arrows and slingshot as they attempted to help their comrades stranded on the southern bank. Those that did succeed in crossing were swiftly cut down by Caesar's horsemen. The Belgae realised that this attempt to flank Caesar's army had failed, and that any attempts to storm Caesar's fortifications or block him from crossing the river would be in vain, and so after a brief council of war, they decided to return to their homelands, and fight Caesar once they knew where he was headed. The disorganised nature of the Belgae's retreat was spotted by Roman scouts, but Caesar was hesitant to pursue, fearing that this disorderly retreat was simply a ruse designed to lure his forces into an ambush. However, when his scouts reported the following day that the Belgae were still in retreat, Caesar sent three legions along with cavalry and light troops after them. The Roman troops surprised the rear of the column and killed as many of the Belgae as daylight allowed, before returning to camp at dusk. Caesar claims that between the cavalry skirmishes, the battle at the ford and the attack on the retreating Belgae, he lost less than 1,000 men, whereas the Belgae lost in excess of 10,000. While we must look upon the figures of the number of enemies slain with great caution, it is not unlikely that the Belgae suffered comparatively heavy losses. As the Belgic army retreated, the individual tribal contingents that made up the army returned to their homelands, whilst remaining under arms, so that the army could be reassembled when Caesar's next moves became clear. However, Belgae had not counted on Caesar's legendary marching speed, and in dividing their forces, the Belgic tribes became easy targets. Over the next few weeks, he accepted the surrender of the Suessiones, Bellovaci, and Ambiani, along with many others, but the Nervii, the Atrebates, the Aduatuci, and the Viromandui, who were the most northerly tribes of Gallia Belgica, refused to give in. Estimates of their forces vary from the unlikely 150,000 men given by Caesar to a mere 25,000 men. Caesar marched on the territory of the Nervii in the July of 57 BC. Clearly overconfident, after three days without contact with the enemy, he ordered his legions to make camp on the bank of the river Sabis. Caesar's army had been marching in its usual formation - with his six battle-hardened legions in front (legiones VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII), followed by his baggage train, escorted by the two legions he'd raised in the winter of 58/57 BC, just before he began his campaign against the Belgae (Legiones XIII and XIV). As the legions began building their camp, Caesar sent his cavalry out across the shallow river to engage the few Belgic horsemen he could see on the field between the river and the forests beyond. After a while the Belgic cavalry retreated into the woods. Seeing this, Caesar neglected to post any cohorts on guard in front of his toiling legions. As Caesar's baggage train finally appeared, the Belgae, who had until this point remained hidden in the forest across the river, rushed out of the trees, overrunning Caesar's cavalry picket. They charged across the river, and within minutes had engaged Caesar's entire line. The Romans were thrown into chaos - many of the troops that were building the camp did not have time to grab their shields and don their helmets, and almost none of the troops were formed up properly in their normal centuries. Most Romans simply rallied around the nearest signum or aquila and started fighting back. Caesar's right was hardest pressed - Legio XII had lost nearly all of its centurions and the fourth cohort had lost its standard. The Belgae fought in three separate tribal contingents, with the Nervii (who were by far the most numerous) on the left, facing off against Caesar's right, composed of the Legiones XII and VII, the Viromandui in the centre, facing Caesar's Legiones XI and VIII, and the Atrebates on the right, facing Legio IX and Caesar's best and personal favourite, Legio X. The Atrebates were counter-charged by the legions on the Roman left, and were slaughtered, while Legiones XI and VIII steadily drove the Viromandui back. With the centre and right of the Roman line advancing, a gap opened up between the embattled Legiones XII and VII and the rest of the army. The Nervii surged around these two legions, forcing them together, and some of the Belgae pushed onwards to take the Roman camp. Caesar realised that his men were in danger of being overwhelmed by the press of numbers - the legionnaires were being packed together, and so they were unable to fight themselves effectively - and so, grabbing a shield from a rear-ranker of Legio XII, he ordered the two legions to push outwards to that they had enough space to fight, and to fight back-to back as one combined unit. Caesar's arrival raised the wavering spirits of his men, especially as he chose to stand with them on foot. Meanwhile, Legiones IX and X had managed to cross the river, engage and defeat the Belgic reserves, and had reached the Belgae's camp. They quickly began to loot the place, but the legate in charge, Titus Labienus, upon looking back and seeing that Caesar's left was still hard pressed, ordered his troops to stop looting, and turn around to help defeat the Nervii. It was at this point that the Roman legions guarding the baggage train, Legiones XIII and XIV, arrived on the battlefield. They cleared the Roman camp of enemies, and then proceeded to link up with the two legions on Caesar's left, breaking the encircling ring of Nervii to reach them. At this point, the Viromandui were overcome by Legiones XI and VIII, who then wheeled about to engage the Nervii. The Nervii were surrounded by the Roman legions and made a heroic last stand before being cut down. The Nervii were forced into submission after this battle, but their army was not totally destroyed. The last remaining Belgic tribe to oppose the Romans were the Aduatuci, who had sent troops to help the Nervii, but their army did not arrive in time to influence the course of the Battle of the River Sabis. They then retreated to a hillfort, which they defended against the initial Roman assaults with considerable skill until they surrendered when the Romans built siegeworks around the hill-fort. They surrendered their weapons to Caesar, who in return ensured that the Aduatuci were not harmed. However, it seems that the surrender was just a ruse, as they made a night attack on the Romans using weapons that were either improvised or concealed from the Romans. This attack was quickly defeated, and Caesar, outraged that a treaty of surrender had been violated, had the remaining Aduatuci sold into slavery.

The Roman army in Gaul was divided following Caesar's campaigns in 56, 55, and 54 BC, and the legions went to winter quarters in different parts of the province. The Roman troops were to have their supplies provided by the local tribes. Of especial importance were their supplies of grain. The tribes were loath to listen to increasingly unreasonable Roman demands. Matters came to a head in the winter of 54/53 BC, when the Eburones, led by their prince Ambiorix, along with the remains of the Nervii army, and some other Belgic tribes, surrounded a Roman camp containing a Roman force of fifteen cohorts (some 7,500 men). They lured the Romans out of their camp with promises of safe passage, and then ambushed and annihilated them. Another fort, under the command of Quintus Tullius Cicero (brother to the famous orator), was besieged by the Nervii, but held out until reinforcements arrived. Caesar's response was swift and brutal. By the end of the year, the Eburones had ceased to exist as a tribal entity. Soon, their territory was occupied by another tribe - the Tungri.

Following Vercingetorix's revolt in 52 BC, which culminated in the epic siege of the oppidum of Alesia, the Romans declared all of Gaul pacified. Though sporadic revolts did occur, by the time Caesar's great-nephew and adopted heir Octavian became Rome's first Emperor and was granted the title Augustus by the Senate, things had largely become settled. However, Gaul was, at the time, one giant province known as "Gallia Comata". This proved far too unwieldy for the imperial administration, and so, following a census in 27 BC, Marcus Agrippa (Augustus' trusted friend and main military commander) broke Gaul up into the same three ethnically distinct parts that were described by Caesar - Gallia Aquitania in the west, Gallia Belgica in the northeast, and Gallia Lugdunensis in the centre. The easternmost parts of Gallia Lugdunensis and Gallia Belgica, which bordered the river Rhine and were occupied mainly by Germanic tribes, were separated into two new provinces - respectively, Germania Superior (Upper Germany) in the south, and Germania Inferior (Lower Germany) in the north. These were so called, because Germania Superior was further upstream of the river Rhine (i.e. closer to its source) and also, therefore, closer to Rome.

With this re-structuring complete, the Romans could now focus on Romanising this vast new expanse of territory. Colonies of veterans were founded by discharged legionnaires, and new oppida were built on the Roman model of grid-patterned streets and stone buildings. A massive road system was constructed to link all of these new settlements to each other and to other parts of the Empire.

Gallia Belgica was first ruled from Durocortorum, chief oppidum of the Remi, the tribe that had so faithfully supported Caesar during his campaigns in Gaul. Their name now survives in Durocortorum's modern name - Rheims. However, in 16 BC, the city of Augusta Treverorum ("the city of Augustus in the lands of the Treveri" - modern day Trier) was founded and declared capital of Gallia Belgica by the Emperor. Other cities that were Romanised or created by the Romans within the province included Nemetacum (capital of the Atrebates - modern Arras), Caesaromagnus (which was set up in the territory of the Bellovaci - modern Beauvais), Tervanna (founded as the primary urban centre for the Menapii - modern Thérouanne), Bagacum (founded as the primary urban centre for the Nervii - modern Bavay), Noviodumum (capital of the Suessiones - modern Soissons), Samarobriva (capital of the Ambiani - modern Amiens), Castellum Menapiorum (founded as the primary urban centre for the Menapii - modern Cassel), Augusta Veromanduorum (founded as the primary urban centre for the Viromandui - modern Saint-Quentin) and Divodorum (capital of the Mediomatrici - modern Metz).

Gallia Belgica was relatively peaceful for most of Augustus' reign, though it is thought that some of the auxiliaries that accompanied Varus on his ill-fated march through the Teutoburg Forest could have been from Gallia Belgica. It is thought that at least some of these auxiliaries turned on Varus' beleaguered legionnaires when they realised that their position was hopeless, and then remained with the Germanic tribesmen on the far side of the Rhine rather than return home. This is possible, but it is just as possible that they fought and died alongside their legionary comrades. In either case, very few survivors, whether auxiliaries or legionaries, made it back to the Rhine forts to report what had befallen Varus and his troops. There was a minor rebellion in 21 AD when some of the Treveri, led by Julius Florus, allied with the Aeduan leader Julius Sacrovir, revolted against Roman rule. Luckily for the Treveri, another nobleman of the Treveri, Julius Indus, defeated Florus and so restored order fairly quickly. The Romans restored their links with the Treveri in short order, but the Aedui were annihilated.

This was not the last time that the Belgic tribes would rise up in revolt against Rome. In the year 69 AD, the Germanic tribe known as the Batavi, that provided large numbers of excellent auxiliaries to the Roman army, rose in revolt. As Rome was embroiled in a civil war, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for the Batavians to throw off the yoke of Roman rule, and their initial military successes against Roman reprisals incited more and more tribes to join the revolt - the Gallic and Belgic auxiliaries of the Rhine garrisons either turned traitor or they were wiped out. The Treveri under Julius Classicus and Julius Tutor and the Lingones under Julius Sabinus joined the revolt early in 70 AD, but by the end of the year the rebellion had been suppressed, but most of the tribes within the Roman Empire emerged largely unscathed. A few rebellious Treveri nobles fled across the Rhine, but by and large, the province did not suffer in any real way following the revolt.

Despite the large amount of urbanisation, and the creation of several colonies (Augusta Treverorum was granted the title and status of "Colonia" and its inhabitants made Roman Citizens), the majority of the provincials were "peregrini", i.e. they were free non-citizens of the Empire. It was from this vast swathe of the population that the auxilia were recruited. The Belgae, like their Gallic and Germanic neighbours, were recruited en masse by the Romans because of their traditional fighting prowess and their typically large stature. Cohorts were generally named by tribe, such as the Cohortes Lingonum, Menapiorum, Morinorum, Nerviorum and Tungrorum. Of these, the Lingones, the Nervi and the Tungri provided the majority of the infantry cohorts, with the Menapii and Morini only being able to provide a single cohort each, both of which were attested as having served in Britannia. The Lingones provided five cohorts of infantry to the Roman army - Cohortes I-IV Lingonum were Cohortes Equitatae, which meant that they each had a detachment of 120 cavalrymen (divided into four "turmae" or squadrons of thirty, each led by a decurion) permanently attached. Cohors V Lingonum was not a Cohors Equitata, and was stationed in Dacia, suggesting perhaps that it was raised by Trajan in preparation for his Dacian campaign. Cohortes I-III and VI Nervorum were definitely stationed in Britannia, and Cohors IV Nervorum was probably stationed there as well. The existence of a Cohors V Nervorum has not been attested (though, given the numbering of the cohorts, it is probable that they existed, and very possible that they were also stationed in Britannia as well). The Tungri provided a large number of troops to the Roman army: Cohors I Tungrorum Milliaria and Cohors II Tungrorum Milliaria Civium Romanorum Equitata were both stationed in Britain and were used to push the Roman frontier north - both of these cohorts, along with four cohorts of Batavians were present at the battle of Mons Graupius in 83/84 AD, fought against the Caledonii somewhere in southern Scotland. The Romans formed up with their auxiliaries in line in front of their legionnaires. The auxiliaries were ordered forward, and these soldiers managed to almost single-handedly break the Caledonian line. Their progress was so rapid that they were very nearly encircled, but this didn't stop the Tungri and Batavi soldiers from fighting with the Germanic ferocity for which they were famed. Auxiliary cavalry then broke the encirclement and put the enemy to flight. The legionnaires did not even have to begin to advance towards the enemy. According to Tacitus, the 20,000 strong Roman army killed 10,000 of the 30,000 Caledonian tribesmen that opposed them, whilst only losing 360 of their own men. Tacitus states that the battle was won without a drop of Roman blood being spilt (evidently Cohors II Tungrorum Milliaria Equitata had yet to earn their citizenship -perhaps it was awarded after this battle, which is not unlikely given the spirit and fighting skill they displayed during the battle). Other Tungrian cohorts were stationed in other parts of the Empire -Cohors IV Tungrorum Milliaria was stationed in Africa, and a Cohors IV Veterana was stationed in the Alpine province of Raetia. Evidence for a Cohors III Tungrorum (Milliaria or Quingenaria) is scant to non-existent, though, again, judging by the numbering, it is probable that such a cohort existed.

These troops are tough, solid fighters, equally capable in defence or attack. These soldiers are armed with spears, equally effective against infantry and cavalry, and javelins, which are thrown before moving into contact. Protected by solid iron helmets of Gallic design, chainmail armour, and the large oval "clipeus" shield, these troops fight in a very similar manner to their legionary counterparts - using their shields as weapons almost as much as their spears. These troops combine their native Belgic ferocity and bravery with Roman discipline, equipment and tactics, creating excellent soldiers. They will fight well under almost any conditions, and against any enemies - no matter whether they are ferocious Caledonian tribesmen, falx-wielding Dacians, or Berber raiders from the deserts of Africa, these Belgic auxiliaries will fight hard, and in most cases, win the day, and because of this, they are excellent troops for a Roman commander to have under his command.