Why Did Caesar Attack The Gauls Research Paper

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Why did Caesar attack the Gauls? It wasn’t until the spring of 58 BC, that Julius Caesar took over his duty as governor of Cisalpine and Gaul. During his tenure as governor, Caesar became aware of a chieftain leader by the name of Ariovistus. Ariovistus, was a leader of the Germanic people who yearned to make himself king and ruler over all of Gaul. Caesar suspected the possibility of an attack by the Gauls, and how an attack might pose a serious threat to Roman security. Well aware of the situation at hand, Caesar realized that drastic measures had to be taken in order to protect and preserve the well-being of Italy; otherwise, Italy itself might become vulnerable to an attack. Caesar, well informed in the art of warfare understood that waiting for permission from the senate to launch a full scale attack on the Gauls would be a complete waste of time. At his own expense, Caesar raised and equipped numerous legions; providing the necessary weapons and armor to wage war. Over the course of the next couple of years, Caesar had raised a force of 10 legions, roughly 50,000 men, as well as 10,000 to 20,000 allies …show more content…

Julius Caesar would spend the next seven years waging war against the Gauls. One of the first battles that Caesar engaged in during the Gallic War was against the Helvetti tribe. The Helvetti were a powerful tribe who lived in-between the Alps and the Jura Mountains, and it wasn’t until they decided to abandon their position and try to relocate to another location did Caesar take notice. Fearing that their relocation could potentially destabilize and disrupt Roman trade, Caesar acted to swiftly stop the Helvetti in their tracks and drive them back into the