00:11In Celtic history, Vercingetorix was a king and chieftain of the Averni tribe, who is most known for uniting the
00:19Gauls in a revolt against Roman forces during the last times of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars.
00:26The name Vercingetorix, literally translates to either great warrior king, or king of great warriors, in Gaulish or Celtic dialect.
00:37Vercingetorix, was the son of Celtilus, the Avernian leader of the Gallic tribes.
00:43Celtilus, was put to death by his own countrymen for seeking to rule all of Gaul.
00:49And his noble son, Vercingetorix, was supposed to claim the throne.
00:54But having tried to rouse his subjects and dependents to join the revolt against the Romans, Vercingetorix, and his followers
01:03were expelled by his uncle, Gobernitio.
01:06And Gobernitio did so to the rest of the nobles, because they thought opposing Caesar was too great a risk.
01:13Unshaken and still determined, the noble Vercingetorix, raised an army of the poor, defeated his uncle and took back Gergovia
01:22city of Averni, and his throne in 52 BC.
01:26Immediately he became king and chieftain of Averni, Vercingetorix, formed an alliance with other Gallic tribes, combined and took command
01:36of all the forces, then, led them in the Celts' most recognized revolt against Roman power.
01:43King Vercingetorix, was a strict disciplinarian.
01:47He adopted more current tactics of warfare, and the taking of hostages.
01:53When he began the revolt, Vercingetorix, adopted the policy of retreating to natural fortifications, and the strategy of a scorched
02:03earth, which involves burning towns to prevent the Roman legions from living off the land.
02:09He scorched much of the land marching north, with his army from Gergovia, in an aim to deprive Caesar of
02:17the resources and safe shelter of the towns and villages, along Caesar's march south.
02:23However, there was one town Vercingetorix did not torch.
02:28It was the city of Avricum, mainly due to the town's strong defenses.
02:33Knowing that the town of Avricum was a Gallic settlement directly in Caesar's path, he left the town to their
02:41fate, to be crushed by the Romans.
02:43So, Vercingetorix, paused his menacing advancements for a short while, and he and his men camped outside of Avricum, waiting
02:53till the city is overrun by Caesar's forces, to continue his revolt.
02:58And as he expected, the Romans reached Avricum, laid an intense and laborious siege for 25 days, before they were
03:07able to breach the town's defenses, and eventually captured the capital.
03:12The Romans slaughtered nearly the entire 40,000 population of Avricum, leaving only about 800 alive.
03:21Incidentally, the Romans' next and major stop, was at Gergovia, capital city of the Arverni and Vercingetorix's homeland.
03:30This brought about the historical battle of Gergovia.
03:34Without wasting a moment, King Vercingetorix, made first move in the battle of Gergovia, by slaughtering the Roman natives who
03:44had settled in their territory.
03:46Having prepared for this encounter long enough, Vercingetorix, and his warriors crushed Caesar's mighty legions and allies.
03:54He slaughtered thousands of the Roman army, inflicting heavy losses.
04:00So, Caesar's Roman legions withdrew.
04:04Vercingetorix, emerged victorious in the battle of Gergovia.
04:08Few years later, Vercingetorix, then decided to join Caesar, but that decision might have been a mistake.
04:17For Caesar sought nothing but revenge, for the humiliation, and great loss his army suffered in the battle of Gergovia.
04:24The king's attempt to unite the Gauls against Roman invasion came too late.
04:31His attempt only resulted in a cavalry battle, where the Romans dealt their first huge blow against the Gauls.
04:38King Vercingetorix, retreated and moved to another settlement, called Ailesia, where he made his last stand against the Romans, in
04:48the historical battle of Ailesia.
04:50In the epic battle of Ailesia, the Romans besieged and defeated the Gaulish forces.
04:57In order to save as many of his men as possible, King Vercingetorix, surrendered himself to the Romans.
05:04However, some records tell a slightly different version of the Gauls' defeat.
05:10The records say that the Romans never broke through the Gauls' defences nor truly defeated them.
05:16And that the major loss the Gauls suffered in the battle of Ailesia, was the loss of their king, who
05:23had surrendered, supposedly in an effort to continue to pursue peace between the Gauls and Romans.
05:29It happened that during the battle, in September, 52 BC, Caesar built a fortification around the city to besiege it.
05:39But, Caesar's army was already surrounded by the rest of Gaul, as King Vercingetorix, had summoned his Gallic allies to
05:48attack the besieging Romans.
05:50So, Caesar built another outer fortification against the relief armies.
05:56Initially, the Gallic attacks were unsuccessful, because their leader, Vercingetorix, was cut off from them on the inside, and so,
06:05wasn't there to guide them.
06:07Luckily, the attacks revealed a weak point in the Roman fortifications, and Vercingetorix, the tactical leader, combined forces on the
06:17inside and the outside,
06:18and broke through the fortifications, pushing the Romans back.
06:23Caesar, then personally led his last reserves into battle, and finally managed to prevail, pushing the Celtic tribes into defensive
06:33mode.
06:33Surprisingly, just then, Vercingetorix, surrendered in a dramatic style.
06:39Riding his beautifully adorned horse out of a Lézier, the King of the Gauls went around Caesar's camp before dismounting
06:48in front of Caesar, stripping himself of his armour and sitting down at his opponent's feet.
06:54There, he remained motionless until he was taken away by the almost surprised Romans.
07:02Vercingetorix, was imprisoned in the Tullianum in Rome for five years, before being publicly displayed, following Caesar's triumph in 46
07:12BC.
07:13After the triumph, he was executed by strangulation in his prison, on Caesar's orders, that same year.
07:21Although Vercingetorix, the powerful and tactical chieftain of the Gauls, had died, his memory still lived on, and inspired subsequent
07:30Celtic leaders.
07:32To this very day, Vercingetorix is considered a hero in Arverni, his native region.
07:42Vercingetorix is considered a hero in Arverni.
07:56Vercingetorix is considered a hero in Arverni.
07:56Vercingetorix, 400 BC.
07:57Vercingetorix, 200 BC.
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