Battle of Bibracte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Bibracte
Part of the Gallic Wars
Julius Caesar and Divico parley after the battle at the Saône. Historic painting of the 19th century by Karl Jauslin.
Date 58 BC Location Saône-et-Loire, France 46°55′0.001″N 4°1′59.999″E / 46.91666694°N 4.03333306°E / 46.91666694; 4.03333306 Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Mainly Helvetii Boii Tulingi Rauraci
Commanders and leaders
Gaius Julius Caesar	Divico
Units involved
Legio VII Legio VIII Legio IX Legio X Legio XI Legio XII
Strength
Present: 6 legions and auxiliaries 40,000 troops Engaged: 4 legions and auxiliaries 30,000 troops	Caesar: 368,000: 90,000 warriors 278,000 non-combatants
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Caesar: 238,000 killed or captured

The Battle of Bibracte was a major fight between the Helvetii people and six Roman legions, led by the famous Roman general Gaius Julius Caesar. It was the second big battle of the Gallic Wars, a time when the Roman Republic was expanding its power into Gaul (modern-day France).

What Led to the Battle?

The Helvetii were a group of Gallic tribes living in what is now Switzerland. In March of 58 BC, they decided to leave their homes and move to a new area. This huge migration, involving many people, worried the Romans. They saw it as a threat, and it was one of the main reasons the Gallic Wars began.

Julius Caesar was the Roman governor of a region called Transalpine Gaul. By the time of the battle, he had between 24,000 and 30,000 trained Roman soldiers, called legionaries. He also had many helper soldiers, known as auxiliaries, some of whom were Gauls themselves.

Caesar marched his army north to the Saône River. He caught the Helvetii in the middle of crossing the river. About three-quarters of them had already crossed, but Caesar attacked and defeated those who had not. Caesar then quickly crossed the river himself in just one day, using a special floating bridge called a pontoon bridge.

He continued to follow the Helvetii but avoided a direct fight, waiting for the perfect moment. There were attempts to talk things out, but Caesar's demands were very harsh. He might have done this on purpose to gain more time. Around June 20, Caesar's army started running low on supplies. His army had crossed the river easily, but his supply wagons had not.

He had to move his army towards Bibracte, a town in the land of his allies, the Aedui tribe. Bibracte was about 18 miles away and was where he expected to get more food and supplies. However, Dumnorix, an Aedui leader who was against the Romans, had been stopping the supplies from reaching Caesar's army. The Roman soldiers were distracted by this supply problem, and the Helvetii took advantage of it, attacking Caesar's rear guard (the soldiers protecting the back of his army).

The Battle Begins

Some soldiers who had left Caesar's allied cavalry (horseback soldiers) told the Helvetii about the Roman army's movements. Because of this, the Helvetii decided to attack Caesar's rear guard. When Caesar saw this, he sent his cavalry to slow down the attack. This action officially started the Battle of Bibracte.

Caesar then arranged his main legions: the Seventh (Legio VII Claudia), Eighth (Legio VIII Augusta), Ninth (Legio IX Hispana), and Tenth (Legio X Equestris). He set them up in a special Roman formation called triplex acies, or "triple battle order," at the bottom of a nearby hill. Caesar himself took the Eleventh (Legio XI Claudia) and Twelfth (Legio XII Fulminata) legions, along with all his auxiliaries, to the top of the hill. His baggage train (wagons with supplies) was also gathered near the top, where it could be protected.

The Helvetii had chased away Caesar's cavalry and secured their own supplies. They began their main attack around noon or one o'clock. According to Caesar, his soldiers on the hilltop easily pushed back the Helvetii's charge. The Romans used their pila (heavy throwing spears or javelins) to break the enemy's lines.

The Roman legionaries then pulled out their swords and charged downhill into the Helvetii. Many Helvetii warriors had pila stuck in their shields, making them heavy and hard to use. They threw their shields away to fight more easily, but this also left them unprotected. The Roman legions pushed the Helvetii back towards the hill where their own supplies were located.

While the Roman legions were chasing the Helvetii across the flat land between the hills, the Boii and the Tulingi tribes arrived with fifteen thousand men to help the Helvetii. They attacked the Romans from the side. At this point, the Helvetii turned back and rejoined the battle with renewed energy.

When the Tulingi and Boii started to surround the Romans, Caesar quickly moved his third line of soldiers to fight off this new attack. He kept his first and second lines busy chasing the Helvetii.

The battle continued for many hours, even into the night. Finally, the Romans managed to capture the Helvetii's baggage train. They also captured a daughter and a son of Orgetorix, an important Helvetian leader.

According to Caesar, 130,000 enemy soldiers escaped, and 110,000 of them survived the retreat. Caesar's army was tired and had many wounded soldiers, so he rested for three days before following the fleeing Helvetii. The Helvetii reached the land of the Lingones tribe within four days of the battle. Caesar warned the Lingones not to help them, which led to the Helvetii and their allies surrendering to the Romans.

What Happened After?

Battle Numbers

Caesar wrote that out of 368,000 Helvetii and their allies, only 130,000 got away, and 110,000 returned home. He claimed he knew these numbers because the Helvetii had a census (a count of their people) in their camp. This census, written on tablets, supposedly showed 263,000 Helvetii and 105,000 allies. Out of this total, exactly one quarter, or 92,000, were warriors.

According to Caesar, the total numbers for the tribes at the start of the war were: