Suebian conquest

Byzantion

Let´s say during the Suebian Rhine crossing Ceasar is not available because his military and political career is somehow averted (maybe his political enemies managed to undermine his position). What if Suebian chieftain Ariovist conquered Cisalpine Gaul, Helvetia and parts of Northern Italy.
Would the celtic tribes been pressured to invade Roman territory ?

Could it be possible, that 500 years before Clovis (Chlodvig) a Germanic tribe manage to establish a Kingdom in Gaul ?
 
SlyDessertFox

SlyDessertFox

It is my understanding that Ariovistus wasn't interested in any permanent conquering, as much as he was just interested in finding a place to settle...which he did until Caesar came along (around modern day Alsace). I should also point out Ariovistus was not likely the leader of the Suebi-just that he was Suebi (whatever that entailed since the Romans liked to group a lot of different tribes as Suebi) and that he led a band of warriors. It's unlikely he led any substantial group of people larger than the warriors he had on hand to fight Caesar. That's enough to influence local politics and extract some land from a few rival tribes, but nothing more.
 
LSCatilina

LSCatilina

It's still to be proven that Ariovistus actually went into a conquering campaign in first place. Details that Caesar gives about him sounds weird : "let's share the domination of Gaul", the alliance-wheel turn of Sequani, and eventually a nice casus-belli for Rome, in the form of a cry for help.

Dio Cassius is quite interesting on this.

Now Ariovistus was the ruler of those Germans; his authority had been confirmed by the Romans and he had been enrolled among their friends and allies by Caesar himself during his consulship. In comparison, however, with the glory to be derived from the war and the power which that glory would bring, the Roman general heeded none of these considerations, except in so far as he wished to get some excuse for the quarrel from the barbarian, so that he should not appear to be in any way the aggressor against Ariovistus.

Therefore he sent for him, pretending that he wished to have a conference with him. Ariovistus, instead of obeying, replied: "If Caesar wishes to say anything to me, let him come to me himself. I am not inferior to him, anyway, and the man who has need of another should himself go to that person."

Thereupon Caesar became angry on the ground that he had thereby insulted all the Romans, and he immediately demanded of him the hostages of the allies and forbade him either to set foot on their land or to bring any reinforcements from home.

This he did, not with the idea of scaring him, but because he hoped to enrage him and by that means to gain a good and plausible pretext for the war. And this was what happened.

The barbarian, angered by these demands, made a long and harsh reply, so that Caesar no longer bandied words with him, but straightway, before any one was aware of his intentions, seized on Vesontio, the city of the Sequani.
Click to expand...

Now, it's to be noted that Ariovist was passably celtised, up to his name, and the relationship he have with Gallic tribal states are not that different from what existed between, say, Arverni and Rutheni before.
Should Ariovistus maintain his domination in Rheinish Gaul, the changes would be limited, going in the sense of a deeper celtisation of Germans (who had been quite influenced already by celtic feature, up to institutions or culture. Many of such deemed germanic are now at least considered as possibly gallic, if not certainly).

Admitting it was its goal (and not to resolve a more focused conflict, as Stabo points) : basically, an hegemony that would challenge Aedui's, including Sequani among other peoples. It's really unlikely he would go against "Narbonensis" or Cisalpine Gaul, needing Roman support for his projects in Gaul and probably not that ignoring about the power balance.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top