The Influence Of Julius Caesar On The Gallic War

Through the representation of justifications for the conquest of Gaul, Julius Caesar’s discourse on the Gallic War was inherently influenced by moral rationale sourced from conceptions pertaining to the social structures of non-Roman populations. While distinguishing the various influences that led to the commencement of the Gallic War from the moment that “sparked” the conflict, Caesar’s commentary on the war ultimately constructs a picture of the conflict sourcing it to the variations in social structures of the various peoples of Gaul.
As demonstrated in Polybios’s Histories, martial conflicts can always be sourced to a particular “starting point”, but said starting point is not the cause of the conflict in itself (Polybios 136). Rather,

Those who could conquer the most land and successfully subjugate those living on said land were extolled. The act of conquest was a sign of bravery and also served as a means of ensuring the safety of the Germans by removing possible threats through oppression (Caesar 130). The application of these values would prove detrimental to Gallic geopolitics, as Germanic intervention in Gaul resulted in multiple instances of extreme violence, creating instability in the region. According to Caesar, Gallic sociopolitical customs stipulating that all tribes were divided into two leading factions and ruled by two tribes resulted in internal conflict. Conflicts between these two leading factions often led to German intervention, which in turn resulted in the subjugation of a certain Gallic population. Such an event had occurred twice, once between the Aedui and Sequanui, and once between the Aedui and Arverni (although the Sequani were also involved in this conflict). In both of these instances, the Aedui, as one of the leading tribes, possessed more influence than the other leading tribe. As a result, the other leading tribe would require aid from the Germans to gain control over the Aedui. In the context of the conflict between the Aedui and the Sequani, the Sequani allied with the Germans, and the combined force proceeded to slaughter the Aedui aristocracy as a means of transitioning

While Caesar hindered the Helvetii from crossing the Rhone due to the fact that the encroachment of a violent populace upon Roman territory served as a threat to both Rome and Roman allies (Caesar 8), his reasons for waging war against the Helvetii, once they proceeded to circumvent Caesar’s orders, were nuanced. In the past, the Helvetii had engaged in warfare with Rome. One of these engagements resulted in the death of both a Roman consul and the father-in-law of Julius Caesar’s grandfather. The Roman soldiers were then “sent under the yoke” (Caesar 9). As a result, the war waged against the Helvetii by Caesar served primarily as an extension of vengeance. Caesar was not only rectifying the defeat of Rome as a whole, but also punishing the Helvetii for killing his kin. While wrathful punishment was certainly the primary reason for the initiation of the conflict, Caesar utilized political customs as a means to further justify his campaigns. Due to the fact that the Helvetii proceeded to pillage Gallic populations that were allied with Rome when marching through the territory of the Sequani (as they were not allowed to cross the Rhone), these allied populations requested aid from the Romans (Caesar 8). As a result, Caesar was able to rationalize his attack against the Helvetii by insinuating that it was customary in Rome to help allies flourish politically and martially (Caesar 29). Therefore, Caesar was