The Romans invaded Gaul in 58 B.C., under the command of Julius Caesar, who was at that time one member of the Triumvirate who ruled Rome (Pompey and Crassus were the other two). Ceasar had an army of around 35,000 men. They fought with the armyof the Helvetii (the Swiss0 who were invading Gaul. About 30,000 helvetii soldiers were killed, and another 130 to 150,000 men, women and children were massacred. Then Caesar fought the Germanic army who were cojnducting a campaign of terror among the local Gauls in Alsace.

In 57 b.C. Caesar fought against the strong anti-Roman coalition that had arisen in Gallia Belgica, who were defeated by him. In 56 B.c. he moved against the tribes of Western Gaul. He now controlled Gaul almost totally. There were more uprising against Caesar, which were crushed, until Gaul was finally subdued in 51 Bc., by which time as many as one million people had been killed.

In 50 B.C. Caesar departed from Gaul, leaving behind him a country broken in will and subdued. Gaul was split into several provinces, and he founded the first of the Italian colonies, Lugdunum (Lyon)..

In the reign of Augustus Gaul was divided into Gallia Narbonensis (the romanised region, closest to Italy), and three imperial province formed along the lines of race, language, and community. In the south was Gallia Aquitania, with its more Iberian or Spanish people. next came Gallia Lugdunensis, the home of the Celts in Gaul, and then Gallia Belgica, with its mix of Celtic and Germanic nations.

The most Romanised of the three provinces, Lugdunensis, was centred around the important city of Lugdunum (Lyon). a mint was also situated there, and the city served as the seat of administration for the legate. Boundaries for the province were established to the east and south by three rivers, the Loire, Saone and Seine. In the first years of Rome's rule, this province was watched most closely because of the traditionally fierce and powerful tribes of the Aedui and Averni.

Gallia Belgica was the most northern province of Gallia, stretching from the Seine to the Rhine, and as far south as the Saone. With its location so near the Rhine, Gallia Belgica was considered the cornerstone of the regional imperials policy. Provincial government was centred at Rheims. while other officials chose Trier (Treveri) as their headquarters.

By Italian standards, Gaul was appallingly underdeveloped and primitive, untouched byoutside influences. Romanization was only marginally successful in Gaul, and the Celts not only survived, but also, with a number of compromises, actually flourished.

The Romans put great importance on the rise and use of large towns and cities, foistering economic life and political control. The Celts transposed their cantonal constituitonal governments into towns, thus perpetuating the status of local nobility. Steps were taken to curb the power of the cantons, the number were reduced from the hundreds of tribes during the Gallic Wars to 64. For the roman magistrates, such a number, divided into three provinces, was more manageable, and the number continued to drop over the succeeding years.

Throughout the provinces, Augustus initiated the Imperial Cult, the idea of worshipping the emperors and rome, which was propigated by the Concilia, the councils of each province who maintained contact between the ruler and the actual people of the many lands that he commanded. The concilium conducted minor secular affairs, but was wholly responsible for holding the annual festival in honor of the emperor and Rome. People from all four Gallic provinces travled to Lugdunum to see the games, ceremonies and feasts.

Each canton or civitals endeavoured to achieve success and prosperity, fostering both the betterment of cities and the continued economic growth of an already bountiful country. The provinces of Gallia produced wheat, olives, oil, wine, cheese, ham, fruits, vegetables and corn. The old Celtic skills in metallurgy and carving were maintained, and Gallic workmanship in jewelery and art was known throughout the provinces. Long periods of peace allowed strides in industry, so that textile, wood and glass manufacutre developed.

Aiding the economy was an advanced network of communication and transportation. Ports loaded ships with items sent from along the many waterways travesing the provinces. The major rivers all contributed to the waterborne commerce, supllementing an extensive road circuit.

The general success of Rome in theprovinces of Gaul served only to heighten heir prime strategic importance. Just beyond the heavily guarded frontier lay the seething tribes of Germany. The legions, however, were never stationed in Gaul, so peaceful had the region become. a form of the Urban Cohorts, or local police, proved sufficient for centuries, although the tribes supplied large numbers of recruits for thelegions and the auxilia.

Until the decline of the empire in the West, Gaul knew little hardship or war, and the use of Latin became commonplace. Attempted revolts in the 1st century A.d. all failed because the tribes on whom they depended for support refused to join them or were split in their loyalties ot rome and knew what a barbarina invasion would mean. In fact, throughout the catastrophes of the 3rd century A.D., Gallia survived better than many regions by virtue of its location as the gateway to Britain, Germany, and Spain. its craftsmen and artists furthered their economic monopoly of foreign markets because war ravaged other areas.

Source(s):

Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire by Matthew Bunson

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