Litaviccus
Encyclopedia
Litaviccus was a member of the Gallic
tribe of Haedui. He played an important role at the Siege of Gergovia. Though the Haedui at first supported Julius Caesar
in his struggle against Vercingetorix
, they defected from the Romans and joined Vercingetorix.
According to Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico
, the Haedui had been roused into this betrayal by Convictolitavis
, the leader of the Haedui. During the siege of Gergovia, Litaviccus was given command over 10,000 men who were sent to aid Caesar. During the march, however, Litavccus gave a speech to his soldiers where he claimed the Romans had killed the nobles of the Haedui, and that they had the same planned for the rest of the tribe. This convinced the soldiers to desert the Romans and instead join Vercingetorix.
Though the army of Litaviccus was very small compared to the Legion
s of Caesar, Caesar was nonetheless forced to remove a part of his soldiers at Gergovia to deal with Litaviccus.
Litaviccus' rebellion did not last long; when Caesar presented the according to Litaviccus murdered nobles of the Haedui, the soldiers realized they had been lied to and surrendered, after which Litaviccus escaped and fled to Gergovia.
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
tribe of Haedui. He played an important role at the Siege of Gergovia. Though the Haedui at first supported Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
in his struggle against Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who united the Gauls in an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars....
, they defected from the Romans and joined Vercingetorix.
According to Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
, the Haedui had been roused into this betrayal by Convictolitavis
Convictolitavis
Convictolitavis was a prominent member of the Celtic civitas of the Haedui during the Gallic Wars. He played a significant role in the pan-Gallic rebellion of 52 BC, as narrated by Julius Caesar in Book 7 of his Commentarii de Bello Gallico.In the seventh year of the war, Caesar was surprised by...
, the leader of the Haedui. During the siege of Gergovia, Litaviccus was given command over 10,000 men who were sent to aid Caesar. During the march, however, Litavccus gave a speech to his soldiers where he claimed the Romans had killed the nobles of the Haedui, and that they had the same planned for the rest of the tribe. This convinced the soldiers to desert the Romans and instead join Vercingetorix.
Though the army of Litaviccus was very small compared to the Legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
s of Caesar, Caesar was nonetheless forced to remove a part of his soldiers at Gergovia to deal with Litaviccus.
Litaviccus' rebellion did not last long; when Caesar presented the according to Litaviccus murdered nobles of the Haedui, the soldiers realized they had been lied to and surrendered, after which Litaviccus escaped and fled to Gergovia.