In 59 BC the Roman governor of northern Italy and southern France, Julius Caesar, decided it would be advantageous to his political career if he invaded and conquered the neighbouring Gaulish lands. Caesar fought a series of fierce battles over a six-year period, and by 53 BC it appeared that he had finally conquered Gaul. However the following year Vercingetorix, a nobleman of the Averni, one of the most powerful tribes in central Gaul, led a revolt against Roman occupation. Vercingetorix and his followers finally capitulated to Roman forces at the siege of Alesia and he was taken to Rome in chains.

Caesar’s troops were victorious in Gaul because of their military discipline, against which the more numerous but less organised Gallic armies were no match. Sheer force, however, was the main reason for Roman success. The Roman writer, Plutarch, recorded that a million men died during the Gallic Wars.

The Roman province of Gaul stretched from the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean northwards to the English Channel. The Romans relied on existing Gallic leaders to rule Gaul. Many Gauls adopted Roman lifestyles and, after a generation, cities and other common features of Roman political and cultural life were established.