Everything about The Belgae totally explained
The
Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern
Gaul in the 1st century BC, and later also attested in
Britain. They gave their name to the Roman province of
Gallia Belgica, and later, to the modern country of
Belgium, where they're colloquially known as the "Old Belgians".
Origins of the Belgae
Julius Caesar describes Gaul at the time of his conquests (58 - 51 BC) as divided into three parts, inhabited by the
Aquitani,
Galli (who in their own language were called
Celtae) and
Belgae, all of whom had their own customs, laws and language. He noted that the Belgae, being furthest from the developed civilization of Rome and closest to the Germanic people, were the bravest of the three groups, because "merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind".
Caesar's sources informed him "that the greater part of the Belgae were sprung from the Germanic peoples, and that, having crossed the Rhine at an early period, they'd settled there, on account of the fertility of the country". He also says that the Germanic people who lived to the west of the Rhine were allied to the Belgae, and describes four of the tribes who made up the Belgic alliance, the
Eburones,
Condrusi,
Caerosi and
Paemani, as Germanic. On the other hand, most of the Belgic tribal and personal names recorded are identifiably
Gaulish, including that of
Ambiorix, a leader of the Eburones, one of the tribes named as Germanic. Surviving inscriptions also indicate that Gaulish was spoken in Belgic territory. It seems that, despite their Germanic ancestry, the Belgic tribes had adopted a variety of the Gaulish language by Caesar's time.
The medieval
Gesta Treverorum compiled by monks of
Trier claims that the Belgae were descendants of
Trebata, a legendary founder of
Trier, otherwise unattested.
Tribes of the Belgae
Caesar names the following as Belgic tribes:
The later mentioned
Tungri could simply be another name for the Eburones, as Caesar had officially wiped out this tribe. Other tribes that may have been included among the Belgae were the
Leuci,
Treveri and
Mediomatrici.
Posidonius includes the
Armoricani in
Brittany as well.
Conquest of the Belgae
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 couldn't 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 wasn't 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 hadn't yet arrived). They concealed themselves in the forests and attacked the approaching Roman column at the river
Sabis, previously thought to be the
Sambre, recently the
Selle is thought to be more probable . 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 annihilated in the battle, and is effusive in his tribute to their bravery, calling them "heroes" (for more details see
Battle of the Sabis).
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'd 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 the emperor
Augustus 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 outside Gaul
The Belgae had made their way across the
English Channel into southern Britain in Caesar's time. Caesar tells us they'd 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 the remains of a possible Belgic fort have been unearthed in Kent. Within memory of Caesar's time, a king of the
Suessiones called
Diviciacus wasn't 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, some of the tribes of south-eastern Britain were Belgic or were 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.
Etymology
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" (which gives town names like 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.
Another proposed etymology of the name Belga(e) is:
*bel =
proto-Indo-European word for
round, inflated object (compare 'ball'), in the figurative sense: "circle, army, alliance", and
-*ga, a Gaulish word for "man, warrior".
Bel-gae would then mean "men of the alliance". The origin of the word would then be Gaulish. This meaning would match the description of Caesar.
Further Information
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