Belgae
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. The name Belgae may come from the
Proto-Celtic *belo which means "bright"and is allied to English word "bale" (as in "bale-fire"), the
Anglo-Saxon "bael", the
Lithuanian "baltas", meaning "white" or "shining" (from which the Baltic takes its name) and Slavic "belo/bilo/bjelo/..." meaning "white" (like town names Beograd, Biograd, Bjelovar, etc all meaning "white city") (See
Beltane). Thus the
Gaulish god-names "
Belenos" (*Bright one) and "
Belisama" (probably the same divinity, originally from *belo-nos = our shining one) may also come from the same source.
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 noted that the Belgae, being furthest from the developed civilisation of Rome and closest to the Germanic people, were the bravest of all Gauls, because "merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind" (
Commentarii_de_Bello_Gallico, I,1).
Whether the Belgae were
Celts or
Germanic tribes occupied
19th century and early
20th century historians. Caesar's sources informed him " that the greater part of the Belgae were sprung from the Germans, and that, having crossed the Rhine at an early period, they had settled there, on account of the fertility of the country," (
De Bello Gallico 2.4) 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 Germanic-speaking people who had adopted the language of the lands into which they migrated. In any case, the Romans were not precise in their
ethnography of northern
barbarians: by "German" Caesar may simply have meant "originating east of the Rhine", with no distinction of language intended.
It is also said that the Belgae were descendants of
Trebata, the legendary founder of
Trier.
Tribes who belonged to the Belgae included the warlike and influential
Bellovaci who took a leading role in the councils of the Belgae, the
Suessiones with territories as well in
Britannia, the warlike
Nervii, the
Atrebates,
Ambiani,
Morini,
Menapii,
Caleti,
Veliocasses,
Viromandui. The
Remi were united with them as neighbours and allies, they reported to Caesar. Caesar says one tribe, the
Atuatuci, were descended from the Germanic
Cimbri and
Teutones, and describes four other allied tribes, the
Condrusi,
Eburones,
Caerosi and
Paemani, as Germanic tribes (although
Ambiorix, a later leader of the Eburones, has a Celtic name). Other tribes that may have been included among the Belgae were the
Leuci,
Treveri,
Tungri and
Mediomatrici.
Posidonius includes the
Armoricani in
Brittany as well.
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 modern
Laon and
Reims) in the territory of the Remi.
The Belgae attacked over the river, but were repulsed after a fierce battle. Realising they could not dislodge the Romans and aware of the approach of the Aedui to the lands of the Bellovaci, the Belgae decided to disband their combined force and return to their own lands. Whichever tribe Caesar attacked first, the others would come to its defence. They broke camp shortly before midnight. At daybreak, satisfied the retreat was not a trap, Caesar sent cavalry to harass the rearguard, followed by three legions, and many of the Belgae were killed.
Caesar next marched into the territory of the Suessiones and besieged the town of Noviodunum (
Soissons). Seeing the Romans'
siege engines, the Suessiones surrendered, and Caesar turned his attention to the Bellovaci, who had retreated into the fortress of Bratuspantium (between modern
Amiens and
Beauvais). They quickly surrendered, as did the Ambiani.
The Nervii, along with the Atrebates and Viromandui, decided to fight (the Atuatuci had also agreed to join them but had not yet arrived). They concealed themselves in the forests and attacked the approaching Roman column at the river
Sambre. Their attack was so quick and unexpected that some of the Romans didn't have time to take the covers off their shields or even put on their helmets. The element of surprise briefly left the Romans exposed. However Caesar grabbed a shield, made his way to the front line, and quickly organised his forces. The two legions who had been guarding the baggage train at the rear arrived and helped to turn the tide of the battle. Caesar says the Nervii were almost anihilated in the battle, and it is effusive in his tribute to their bravery, calling them "heroes".
The Atuatuci, who were marching to their aid, turned back on hearing of the defeat and retreated to one stronghold, were put under siege, and soon surrendered and handed over their arms. However the surrender was a ploy, and the Atuatuci, armed with weapons they had hidden, tried to break out during the night. The Romans had the advantage of position and killed four thousand. The rest, about fifty-three thousand, were sold into slavery.
In
53 BC the Eburones, led by
Ambiorix, along with the Nervii, Menapii and Morini, revolted again and wiped out 15 cohorts, only to be put down by Caesar. The Belgae fought in the uprising of
Vercingetorix in
52 BC.
After their final subjugation, Caesar combined the three parts of Gaul, the territory of the Belgae, Celtae and Aquitani, into a single unwieldy province (
Gallia Comata, "long-haired Gaul") that was reorganized by
Augustus Caesar into its traditional cultural divisions. The
province of
Gallia Belgica was bounded on its east by the Rhine and extended all the way from the North Sea to
Lake Constance (
Lacus Brigantinus), including parts of what is now western Switzerland, with its capital at the city of the Remi (Reims). Under
Diocletian,
Belgica Prima (capital, Augusta Trevirorum,
Trier) and
Belgica Secunda (capital
Reims) formed part of the
diocese of Gaul.
The Belgae had made their way across the
English Channel into southern Britain in Caesar's time (
De Bello Gallico ii:4 and v:12). Caesar tells us they had first crossed the channel as raiders, only later settling on the island.
A large number of coins of the
Ambiani dating to the mid-
2nd century BC have been found in southern Britain, and within memory of Caesar's time a king of the
Suessiones called
Diviciacus was not only the most powerful king of Belgic Gaul but also ruled territory in Britain.
Commius of the
Atrebates, Caesar's former ally, fled to Britain after participating in Vercingetorix's rebellion and either joined or established a British branch of his tribe. Based on the development of imagery on coins, it seems likely that, by the time of the
Roman conquest, most of the tribes of south-eastern Britain were Belgic or at least ruled by a Belgic aristocracy.
The later
civitates (administrative divisions) of
Roman Britain included one bearing the name of the Belgae, whose towns included Magnus Portus (
Portsmouth) and Venta Belgarum (
Winchester).
It is possible that a branch of the Belgae also settled in
Ireland, represented by the historical
Builg and the mythological
Fir Bolg.
*
Julius Caesar,
De Bello Gallico*
Sextus Julius Frontinus,
Strategemata*
Ptolemy,
Geography*John Creighton (2000),
Coins and power in Late Iron Age Britain, Cambridge University Press
*
T. F. O'Rahilly (1946),
Early Irish History and Mythology, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
*
Belgae at
Roman-Britain.org
