The Romans slaughtered the Helvetians who had not crossed the river, then built a pontoon bridge to facilitate their own crossing. Caesar caught up with the Helvetians as they were in the process of crossing the Saone river by this time, almost three-quarters of the Helvetians had crossed to the other side. Now, with 24,000 to 30,000 troops under his command, Caesar set off in pursuit of the Helvetians, who were now marching away from Roman territory. With this in mind, even as Caesar negotiated with the Helvetians over passage through Roman lands, he was also gathering additional soldiers. By defeating the Helvetians, Caesar believed that he could both enhance his political career and pay off his debts with the spoils he collected. Julius Caesar saw in the migration of the Helvetians an opportunity that was too good to ignore. The Helvetians, therefore, turned to the north, avoiding Roman territory entirely seemingly resolving the crisis.ĥ8 BC: Caesar’s Gallic Wars Begin Gold Aureus of Julius Caesar with a woman and Gallic Trophies, 48-47 BC, via the British Museum, London As such, Caesar denied the Helvetian’s request to pass through Transalpine Gaul. It was feared that the Helvetian migration would plunge Gaul into chaos and that the warlike Germanic tribes would move into the vacant Helvetian lands. Under increasing pressure from the Germanic tribes to their North and East, the Helvetians planned a mass migration that would take them through Transalpine Gaul and the territory of the Aedui, a tribe allied to Rome. The Helvetians were a Gallic tribal confederation on the Swiss plateau. However, when the governor of Transalpine Gaul died suddenly, Caesar was awarded the governorship of this province as well.Īs governor of Transalpine Gaul, Caesar soon found himself approached by envoys from the Helvetian tribe, which disrupted his plans. To this end, he had four veteran legions under his command: Legio VII, Legio VIII, Legio IX, and Legio X. His plan appears to have been a war of conquest in the Balkans, possibly directed at the kingdom of Dacia. Hoping to recoup his losses, Caesar used his position in the First Triumvirate to secure himself the governorship of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum for a five-year term. The end of his term as Consul in 59 BC saw Caesar in deep financial debt. Julius Caesar Plots A War Vignette with profiles of the three Triumvirs by Raphael Morghen after Giovanni Battista Mengardi, 1791-94, via the British Museum, London
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