An Arverni is a member of an ancient Gallic tribe living in the modern-day region of Auvergne in France - a group which opposed the Romans on several occasions.
The Romans thought of it is as one Gallic War which had several campaigns - including the Helvetii, Suebi, Belgae, then the Veneti, Britons, Catuvellauni, Eburones, Arverni.
Julius Caesar was tremendously popular with the middle and lower classes of Rome. This was because he was a popularis. The populares (plural) were a political faction which championed the cause of the poor and tried to introduce reforms to help them. It was opposed by the optimates, a conservative political faction which favoured the aristocracy and opposed reforms. The power base of the optimates was the senate. The optimates were unpopular with the masses because they opposed reform and were the representatives of an aristocracy which was seen as corrupt. Caesar was seen as the hero of ordinary people and the poor. To them he stood up to the senate. Caesar implemented an agrarian reform which redistributed land to the poor. He issued a debt restructuring law, which eliminated about a fourth of all debts owed. He abolished a corrupt tax system which tendered tax collection to private individuals who "farmed" tax collection to line their pockets. He reverted to an earlier system which allowed cites to collect the taxes themselves. He gave greater legal rights to the conquered peoples. He also donated money to the poor.
While Julius Caesar was governor of the province of Gaul (which then only included southern France, there were rivalries between Gallic peoples beyond this province. In 63 BC, the Sequani and Arverni helped by the Suebi (a Germanic people) defeated and massacred the Aedui who were allies of Rome. They asked Rome for help. The Romans feared that these peoples were going to migrate south, towards Italy. Caesar moved into central Gaul. In response, the Gallic peoples of north-eastern Gaul armed themselves. This led to the Gallic Wars (58-50 BC) in which Caesar conquered Gaul, - which also included Belgium and Holland south of the river Rhine. Caesar also conducted two expeditions in southeastern England .
Ancient Rome had many foes during her 1,200 years of history. In the early days when Rome was still only a regional power the enemies were the neighbouring Sabines, other Latin cities, the Aequi and the Volsci. The Etruscan cities of Tarquinii and Vulsci in southern Etruria fought against the Romans. The main Etruscan enemy of Rome was the city of Veii (which was only 10 miles from Rome) until the Romans destroyed it in 396 BC. Rome was at war three times with the Samnites of Southern Italy. During the last of these wars Rome also fought the Umbrians and the Senone Gauls. Thy Etruscan cites of Ortona Clusium, Volsiniiand Perusia and Arretium fought the Romans in 310 BC, 294 BC and 283 BC. The Greek King of Epirus tried to invade southern Italy, but Rome defeated him. The Gauls of northern Italy tried to attack the Romans, but they were conquered.In 9 AD, the Cherusci of north-western Germany led and alliance with the, Bructeri, Marsi, Sicambri, Chauci and Chatti . They defeated three Roman legions.Rome's main enemy in the 3rd and 2nd century BC were the Carthaginians. From 113 BC to 101 BC the Romans Cimbrian War fought a war against the Cimbri and the Teutones, two Germanic peoples who attacked the empire. The main enemy in the early 1st century BC was Mithridates VI, the king of Pontus (in north-eastern Turkey. From the late 1st century BC and through the rest of Roman history the most powerful enemy were the Persians.In From 88 to 105 BC the Dacians (who lived in Romania and Moldova) attacked the Roman Empire. The emperor Trajan conquered Dacia. The Jews rebelled against the Romans several timesFrom the late 2nd century AD onwards other enemies were Iranian speaking peoples (the Scythians and the Iazyges) who lived east of the Roman empire and Germanic peoples (the Franks, Alemanni, Marcomanni, and Quadi) who lived north of the empire and the Visigoths (a Germanic people who lived to the east of the empire). These peoples carried out many invasions into the empire in the late 2nd century BC and in the Third century BC. They were all repelled, but at a great cost. In the fifth century BC the Huns attacked the Balkan Peninsula (south-eastern Europe) three times and tried to invade Gaul. Later in that century, the Vandals, Sueves, Burgundians (Germanic peoples) and the Alans (an Iranian speaking people) invaded the western part of the Roman Empire. The Alemanni took advantage of this to take over Switzerland and north-eastern France. The Franks soon pushed into northern and central France. The Angles, Saxon, Jutes and Frisians(Germanic peoples) migrated to Britain in waves.
The Arverni tribe, located in the Auverne region of central France.
The Romans thought of it is as one Gallic War which had several campaigns - including the Helvetii, Suebi, Belgae, then the Veneti, Britons, Catuvellauni, Eburones, Arverni.
Julius Caesar was tremendously popular with the middle and lower classes of Rome. This was because he was a popularis. The populares (plural) were a political faction which championed the cause of the poor and tried to introduce reforms to help them. It was opposed by the optimates, a conservative political faction which favoured the aristocracy and opposed reforms. The power base of the optimates was the senate. The optimates were unpopular with the masses because they opposed reform and were the representatives of an aristocracy which was seen as corrupt. Caesar was seen as the hero of ordinary people and the poor. To them he stood up to the senate. Caesar implemented an agrarian reform which redistributed land to the poor. He issued a debt restructuring law, which eliminated about a fourth of all debts owed. He abolished a corrupt tax system which tendered tax collection to private individuals who "farmed" tax collection to line their pockets. He reverted to an earlier system which allowed cites to collect the taxes themselves. He gave greater legal rights to the conquered peoples. He also donated money to the poor.
While Julius Caesar was governor of the province of Gaul (which then only included southern France, there were rivalries between Gallic peoples beyond this province. In 63 BC, the Sequani and Arverni helped by the Suebi (a Germanic people) defeated and massacred the Aedui who were allies of Rome. They asked Rome for help. The Romans feared that these peoples were going to migrate south, towards Italy. Caesar moved into central Gaul. In response, the Gallic peoples of north-eastern Gaul armed themselves. This led to the Gallic Wars (58-50 BC) in which Caesar conquered Gaul, - which also included Belgium and Holland south of the river Rhine. Caesar also conducted two expeditions in southeastern England .
Ancient Rome had many foes during her 1,200 years of history. In the early days when Rome was still only a regional power the enemies were the neighbouring Sabines, other Latin cities, the Aequi and the Volsci. The Etruscan cities of Tarquinii and Vulsci in southern Etruria fought against the Romans. The main Etruscan enemy of Rome was the city of Veii (which was only 10 miles from Rome) until the Romans destroyed it in 396 BC. Rome was at war three times with the Samnites of Southern Italy. During the last of these wars Rome also fought the Umbrians and the Senone Gauls. Thy Etruscan cites of Ortona Clusium, Volsiniiand Perusia and Arretium fought the Romans in 310 BC, 294 BC and 283 BC. The Greek King of Epirus tried to invade southern Italy, but Rome defeated him. The Gauls of northern Italy tried to attack the Romans, but they were conquered.In 9 AD, the Cherusci of north-western Germany led and alliance with the, Bructeri, Marsi, Sicambri, Chauci and Chatti . They defeated three Roman legions.Rome's main enemy in the 3rd and 2nd century BC were the Carthaginians. From 113 BC to 101 BC the Romans Cimbrian War fought a war against the Cimbri and the Teutones, two Germanic peoples who attacked the empire. The main enemy in the early 1st century BC was Mithridates VI, the king of Pontus (in north-eastern Turkey. From the late 1st century BC and through the rest of Roman history the most powerful enemy were the Persians.In From 88 to 105 BC the Dacians (who lived in Romania and Moldova) attacked the Roman Empire. The emperor Trajan conquered Dacia. The Jews rebelled against the Romans several timesFrom the late 2nd century AD onwards other enemies were Iranian speaking peoples (the Scythians and the Iazyges) who lived east of the Roman empire and Germanic peoples (the Franks, Alemanni, Marcomanni, and Quadi) who lived north of the empire and the Visigoths (a Germanic people who lived to the east of the empire). These peoples carried out many invasions into the empire in the late 2nd century BC and in the Third century BC. They were all repelled, but at a great cost. In the fifth century BC the Huns attacked the Balkan Peninsula (south-eastern Europe) three times and tried to invade Gaul. Later in that century, the Vandals, Sueves, Burgundians (Germanic peoples) and the Alans (an Iranian speaking people) invaded the western part of the Roman Empire. The Alemanni took advantage of this to take over Switzerland and north-eastern France. The Franks soon pushed into northern and central France. The Angles, Saxon, Jutes and Frisians(Germanic peoples) migrated to Britain in waves.
During the Caesar's Gallic War, the major challenge to him was posed by Vercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni. He united the Gauls in a revolt against Caesar's forces during the last phase the Gallic Wars. The various Gallic tribes realised that they needed unity against the Romans. They held a council at Bibracte (a fortified town near modern Autun in Burgundy, eastern France) in 52 BC where Vercingetorix was elected commander of a combined Gallic force. The Carnutes killed all Roman settlers in Cenabum (modern Orleans). The same then occurred in all major Gallic towns. Caesar who was in Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy) gathered troops and crossed the Alps (which were covered with snow) and reached central Gaul in record time, catching the Gaul by surprise. He sent four legions to fight in the north and he pursued Vercingetorix himself with six legions. The two armies joined at Gergovia a hill fort (the hill is in the modern town of La Roche-Blanche, near Clermont-Ferrand, in south central France). Vercingetorix held a strong defensive position and defeated the Romans; 700 Romans were killed and 6,000 were injured. Caesar withdrew his troops. The summer campaign was characterised by clashed between the two opposing cavalries. Caesar managed to scatter the Gallic army. Vercingetorix realised that major open battles were unfavourable and regroup Alesia (a fortified hill town in Burgundy, eastern France). Caesar besieged Alesia. The Gauls outnumbered the Romans by four to one. This siege was one of the most epic ones in history. The Romans built a circumvallation (a fortification facing the town) 18 kilometres long and 4 metre high, with a ditch 4 ½ metres deep and regularly spaced watch towers in three weeks to encircle the town. A Gaul cavalry detachment managed to escape. Caesar built a contravallation (a fortification facing outwards for protection against enemy attacks by relief forces from outside) 21 kilometres long. Massive attacks on the Romans were launched, with relief forces attacking the contravallation and Vercingetorix making sorties with thousands of men (the biggest one had 60,000 men). The Romans managed to hold out and the Gauls, now beginning to starve, surrendered. During Caesar's Civil War (49-45 BC) Pompey the Great led the forces of the senate against Caesar. Feeling that his forces could not stand up to the veterans of Caesar's Gallic Wars, he fled to Brundisium (modern Brindisi) a port in southern Italy which was used to sail to Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. When Caesar pursued him there, he fled to Greece to levy more troops there. From Brundisium, Caesar headed for Spain which he reached in an astonishingly fast march (he took only 27 days). There he defeated senatorial armies led by Lucius Afranius (Afranius) and Marcus Petreius (Petreius) at the Battle of Ilerda (June 49 BC). Caesar sent his general Gaius Scribonius Curio to confront Publius Attius Varus and King Juba I of Numidia whom he defeated at the Battle of the Bagradas River (August 49 BC). Caesar returned to Rome, levied a new army and headed to Albania to confront Pompey. Pompey, whose forces outnumbered Caesars', nearly routed Caesar and forced him to retreat at the Battle of Dyrrachium in Albania (July 48 BC). However, Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in Greece (August 48 BC). Pompey fled to Alexandria (Egypt). King Ptolemy XIII of Egypt had Pompey killed and presented his head to Caesar when he reached Alexandria. Caesar was disgusted and sided with his sister, wife and co-rules, Queen Cleopatra VII. He got caught in a local civil war and was besieged by Cleopatra's younger sister, Arsinoe IV (late 48 BC-early 47 BC) but was relieved by the arrival of the troops of Mithridates I the king of Pergamon, in western Turkey, and Antipater I, king of Judaea . Caesar then went to northeast Turkey to deal Pharmaces II who had usurped the throne of Pontus, a Roman client state. Caesar defeated Pharmaces II at the bettle of Zela (August 47 BC). This is where Caesar said his most famous sentence: "I came, I saw, I conquered." Next Caesar had to confront forces loyal to the senate in Tunisia. He defeated Titus Labienus at the Battle of Ruspina (January 46 BC) and Quintus Caecillius Metellus Scipio and king Juba of Numidia at the Battle of Thapsus (April, 46 BC). Caesar then headed to Utica where Cato the Younger was garrisoned. Cato committed suicide. Tunisia was pacified and Caesar returned to Rome in July. Filially, Caesar headed for Spain to confront the forces of the sons of Pompey, Gnaeus Pompeius and Sextus Pompeius, and Titus Labienus, who had fled there after his defeat in Tunisia. Caesar won the final battle of the civil war, the Battle of Munda in March 45 BC