Gaul

Initially, the Romans isolated the following parts of Gaul:

• Cisalpine Gaul ( lat. Gallia Cisalpina ) is part of northern Italy , enclosed between the Alps, the Macra riverbed, the Apennines and the Rubicon riverbed. The name of the territory is translated: "Gaul, located on this side of the Alps" ( lat. Cis - "on this side", lat. Alpina - adj. "Alpine"). This name is due to the fact that Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul was on the same side of the Alps with the Roman state. Another name - "Near Gaul" ( lat. Gallia Citerior ). In turn, Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul was divided into the following parts:
  • Zizpadanskaya Gaul ( lat. Gallia Cispadana , that is, “Gaul, located on this side of the Pad River”) - part of Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul to the south of the Pad River ( lat. Padus , the modern name - “Po”);
  • Transadan Gaul ( Latin Gallia Transpadana , that is, "Gaul, located across the river Pad." Lat. Trans - "on that side") - part of Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul north of the River Pad;

• Transalpine Gaul ( Latin Gallia Transalpina ), that is, "Gaul, located beyond the Alps" - part of Gaul, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees, the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel , the Rhine and the Alps. Another name - Far Gaul ( lat. Gallia Ulterior ).

The first mention of the word "Gauls" is attributed to some sources by Cato the Elder , who used it in 168 BC. er in one of his speeches to designate the Celts who captured the Padan Plain ^[2] . However, there is evidence that this word was in use in Rome for about 250 years BC. er

It is believed that the Latin word "Gallia" ( lat. Gallia ) is derived from the Greek name of the locality Galatia ( Galatia ) in the territory of modern Turkey , where in the IV — III century BC. er The Celtic tribes settled, differing from other settlers in the “milky” whiteness of their skin, which was the reason for their naming ( Greek Γαλάται [galatai], [galatae] from the word “milk” Greek ά γάλα , [gala]) ^{[3] [4]} .

At the same time, nowadays there is a strong opinion that the French word "Gaul" ( Fr. Gaule ) came into the language not from a Latin , but from a German dialect . According to one version, the word goes back to the ancient German word “ walha ” (plural ch. From walh ), which can be translated as a “foreigner” and by which the Germans designated non-Germanic languages ​​(i.e. equally Celtic and Romans ) . The basis for such conclusions is that when French words were borrowed from Germanic origin, the letter “w” began to be pronounced “g” (for example, “war”: german. Werra => fr. Guerre ), and the letter combination “al” before consonants, as a rule, it is transformed into diphthong “au” (for example, “horse”: fr. cheval in mn. fr. chevaux ).

In the Renaissance, the word “Gauls” ( Latin Galli , plural from Latin Gallus ) became associated with its Latin homonym “rooster” ( Latin gallus ), which later became the symbol of France (the successor to the Celtic heritage), taking the place "Horse", since ancient times was the symbolic animal of the Gauls themselves.

An asteroid (148) was named after Gaul. Gaul was discovered in 1875 by French astronomers Brothers Paul and Prosper Henri at the Paris Observatory.

The history of Gaul is in its essence a story of its conquest by the Romans ^[5] .

Conventionally, in the Roman conquest of Gaul, there are three stages:

• The conquest of Cisalpine Gaul . Cispadan Gaul, with its center in Mutin , was captured before the Second Punic War , and Transadan's Gaul, with its center in Mediolan , became part of the Roman possessions half a century later.

By 222 BC. er the territory of the Roman state expanded to the north down to the Pad River. The further strengthening of the Roman positions in this region was prevented by the Second Punic War . After signing peace with Carthage, the Romans continued their expansion to the north. The military actions lasted for about 30 years, during which several Gallic and Ligurian tribes were destroyed, and new roads were built on the conquered territories (for example, the Flaminia Road - Latin. Via Flaminia , Emilia Road - Latin. Via Æmilia ) and such fortified points were founded. like Aquileia , Bologna , Mutina , Parma . Many local residents were resettled to the southern, loyal to Rome , regions of Italy, while people were taken out from there to settle colonies in the new northern lands.

Geographical proximity to Rome and the demographic policies of the conquerors led to the rapid cultural and political assimilation of the population of Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul. Among other things, the inhabitants of these lands adopted the Roman custom of wearing a toga , abandoning the usual pants, for which the whole territory received another name - "Gaul, dressed in a toga" ( lat. Gallia Togata ).

Since the Allied War of 90-88. BC er The population of Cispadan Gaul received the rights of Roman citizenship, and the Transpadan - Latin law.

In 58 BC er The consulate in Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul receives Julius Caesar , who in 49 BC. er he introduced the civil rights of Trans-Gaul and used this province as a springboard for waging war in Transalpine Gaul.

After the battle of Philippi (42 BC) ^[6] Tsizalpiyskaya Gaul was united with Italy by the emperor Augustus in the framework of the program "italizatsii", advanced by the second triumvirate .

• Conquest in the last third of II. BC er Narbonne Gaul ( Latin Gallia Narbonensis ) with the center in the city of Narbo-Marcius ( Latin Narbo Martius , modern Narbonne ), that is, the southern part of Transalpine Gaul, located in the coastal zone of the Mediterranean Sea between the Alps and the Pyrenees .

Control of this territory allowed the Romans to link Italy and their remote lands of Spain ( lat. Hispania ).

In connection with the custom of local people to wear pants ( lat. Bracae ), the Romans called this country "Gaul, dressed in pants" ( lat. Gallia Bracata ). After the establishment of its capital in the city of Narbo-Marcius, founded in 118 g. e., the province was renamed Narbonne Gaul.

Narbonne Gaul is one of the first Roman territories outside the Apennine Peninsula , often referred to in Ancient Roman literature as “Our Province” ( Latin Provincia Nostra ) or simply “Province” ( Latin Provincia ). Over time, this name was transformed into the name of the modern French province of Provence .

• The conquest of the rest of the territory of Transalpine Gaul in 58-51 years. BC er

The last conquered lands of Gaul, the Romans called the general term "Hairy (Shaggy) Gaul" ( lat. Gallia Comata ) for the characteristic feature of the local population to wear long hair.

When Julius Caesar in 58 BC. er began the conquest, he singled out in the unconquered Gaul three parts

1. Aquitaine ( Latin Aquitania );
2. Celtic ( lat. Celtica );
3. Belgica ( lat. Belgica ).

The formal pretext for the Gallic war was the intention of Julius Caesar to help the friendly Gallic peoples of Rome in the fight against the militant Helvetii . With the support of some Gallic tribes (for example, the Edui ), Caesar managed to capture almost the entire territory of Gaul, faced with serious resistance only from the tribe of Arvernes , who, under the leadership of the leader Vercingetoriga, managed to block the Roman army in the city of Gergovia ( Latin Gergovia , modern Clermont ). By this time, Caesar's alliance with most of the Gallic tribes had collapsed. Even the most loyal to Rome Edui went over to the side of the Arvern. However, in the battle of Alesia, Caesar was able to capture Vercingetorig in captivity, which marked the complete cessation of resistance of the Gauls to the Roman invaders.

According to Plutarch , a million Gauls (probably about a quarter of the total population) died, another million people were enslaved, 300 tribes were subjugated and 800 cities were destroyed during the Gallic War . Virtually the entire population of Avarik ( Latin Avaricum , now Bourges ), which amounted to approximately 40,000 people, has been destroyed. Two thirds of the Helvetians were killed and a large part was captured into slavery. The Romans gained complete control over the conquered territories and conquered peoples.

Under Octavian Augustus, Transalpine Gaul became a single whole, consisting of four parts, with new borders:

• Narbonne Gaul ( lat. Gallia Narbonensis ) - from the city of Tolosa ( ox. Tolosa , modern Toulouse ) to the Vienne River ( ox. Vinhana , Fr. Vienne ) and the headwaters of the Rhone ( fr. Rhône );
• Lugdunskaya Gaul ( Lat. Gallia Lugdunensis ) - between the Loire ( bret. Liger ), Fr. Loire ) and the River Sekvana ( lat. Sequana , the modern name is Seine ) with the capital in the city of Lugdun ^[7] ( lat. Lugdunum , modern Lyon );
• Aquitaine ( Latin Gallia Aquitania ) - between the bed of the Loire, Lugdunskaya Gaul and the Pyrenees ;
• Belgika ( lat. Gallia Belgica ) - between the Rhine ( fr. Rhin , German Rhein ) and Lugdunskaya Gaul with the main city of Durokortorum ( lat. Durocortorum Remorum , modern Reims ).

In 12 BC. er Octavian Augustus established the first government body over the provincial part of the empire, called the "Council of Three Gallium" ( lat. Concilium trium Galliarum ). Representatives of the population of Belgica, Aquitaine, and Lugdunskaya Gaul met annually in Lugdun to pay homage to the emperor, without actually performing any authority or administrative action.

In 9, the areas inhabited by the Germans were separated from Belgica , and the lands occupied by Helvetians , Sekwanis and Lingons were separated , from which two new provinces were formed: Upper Germany ( Latin Germania Superior ) and Lower Germany ( Latin Germania Inferior ).

In 258 , in conditions of a difficult external and internal position of the Roman Empire , Gaul, Britain and Spain separated from Rome and created their own separate state with capitals in Cologne and Trier , which existed for 15 years. His last ruler, Tetrik I , who was unable to cope with the soldiers' insurrections and the beginning of the uprising of the luggage , surrendered to Emperor Aurelianus , and Gaul was again reunited with the Roman Empire.

The new division of Gaul was made by Diocletian , as evidenced by the Roman monument of the 5th century "List of honorary posts" ( lat. "Notitia dignitatum" ), which indicates the 16 provinces of the Gallic diocese .

In 317, the Roman emperor Constantine I the Great appointed the ruler of Gaul his son Crispus , elevating him to the rank of Caesar when he was 16 or 18 years old.

As a result of the invasions of barbarians into the territory of Gaul on the Rhine in 406 , the so-called barbarous state of the Burgundians arose, in 418 , as federals, the Visigoths received part of Aquitaine from Rome. Since then, the Germans captured one part of Gaul after another. The conquest of Gaul was completed by the Frankish king Clodvig , who joined the territory north of the Loire River in 486 .

• Gallic War
• Julius Caesar
• Germans
• Celts
• Roman province

• Gallia // Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities / ed.-comp. F. Lubker ; Edited by members of the Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy F. Gelbke , L. Georgievsky , F. Zelinsky , V. Kansky , M. Kutorgi and P. Nikitin . - SPb. 1885.
• Gaul / / Encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra.). - SPb. , 1890-1907.