Belgian Gaul

Belgian Gaul or Gallia Belgica (in Latin ) was a Roman province corresponding to the current territories of the southern Netherlands , in Belgium , the Luxembourg , north-eastern France and western Germany. The population, usually called the Belgians , consisted of a mixture of Celts and Germanic peoples.

Ancienne Belgique (belgii Veteris Typus) by Abraham Ortelius (1594).

During the Celtic prehistory , the area corresponds to the current Belgium , in that part of Gaul north of the Seine and the Normandy coast. Some of these people settled in the island of Britain , they are particularly mentioned in the Commentary on the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar. Subsequent maps show, for example in the current Parisii Yorkshire, the Belgae in the current Sussex. Caesar about Suessiones , said that their magistrate ruled an extensive set of both sides of the channel, Belgian Gaul on the one hand, and the other probably what he calls elsewhere "the Maritime Provinces" of Britain.

Belgium (Belgian Gaul) is a collection of Celtic peoples, some of which appear native Germanic ^{The major peoples of Belgium}

Belgium made history when it was conquered by Julius Caesar. In its preamble to Comments on the Gallic Wars , the future dictator describes an ethnically diverse country. He distinguishes the Gauls who called themselves Celts in their language, Aquitaine and Belgium, each with their territory, their language and their institutions. Of all the peoples of Gaul, the Belgians are the bravest, "he said, because, among other things, they are constantly at war with their neighbors, the Germans, who are beyond the Rhine. It is their territory north of the Celts, they are separated by the Marne and the Seine. This summary definition leaves in limbo the south-eastern Belgium, between the Marne and the Rhine I, 1. If the language of Aquitaine is a reality which survives the Country Basque , the language of the Belgians is against less well defined, although in the north of the Somme dialects of Proto-Germanic are spoken long ago by the Germans cisrhnans (Germani cisrhenani). History textbooks emphasize a patchwork of Gallic and Germanic, particularly between the Seine and the Somme.

Julius Caesar, by abuse of language confessed ( I, 1 (1)), likens the Belgians to Celtic Gaul, but premised its campaign against the people, he distinguishes Celtic Gauls unambiguous ( I, 1 , II 1 (2), II, 2 (3), II, 4 (1)).

Elsewhere in the story, we Julius Caesar suggests a complex ethnic and linguistic reality of the territory of Belgium. Most Belgians are, he says, of Germanic origin, and come from beyond the Rhine ( II, 4 ). The area is also inhabited by Germans, and Belgians argue their Germanic origin. In addition, the Belgians moved beyond the Rhine and on the coasts of Britain ( v. 12 ).

Peoples of Belgium and references to the Gallic Wars

Peoples	Capital	City and / or region (From the name of the people)	Julius Caesar , The Gallic War
Belgian		Belgium	I, 1 II 0.1 to 6 0.9 to 10 II II .14-19 III, 7 III, 11 IV, 38 V, 12 V 0.24 to 25 VIII, 6 VIII, 38 VIII, 45 VIII, 49 VIII, 54
Ambiens	Samarobriva	Amiens	II, 4 II, 15 V, 24 V, 47 V, 53 VII, 75 VIII, 7
Ambivareti			IV, 9
Atrebates	Nemetacum	Arras and Artois	II, 4 II, 16 II, 23 IV, 21 IV, 27 V, 46 VI, 6 VII 0.75 to 76 0.6 to 23 VIII VIII 0.47-48
Atuatuques	Atuatuca ( Tongeren )		II, 4 II, 16 II 0.29 to 33 V, 27 V 0.38 to 58 VI, 2 VI 0.32-44
Bellovaci		Beauvais	0.4 to 5 II II 10 II 0.13 to 15 V, 46 VII, 59 VII 0.75 to 76 VII, 99 VIII 0.6 to 22 VIII, 38
Caletes			II, 4 VII, 75 VIII, 7
Caeroesi			II, 4
Condrusi		Condroz	II, 4 IV, 6 VI, 32
Eburones	Tongeren		II, 4 IV, 6 V 0.24 to 58 VI, 2 0.5-6 VI VI, 9 VI 0.29 to 44 0.24 to 25 VIII
Mediomatrici	Divodurum	Metz	IV, 10 VII, 75
Menapii	Castellum menapiorum ( Cassel )		II, 4 III 0.28-29 IV, 4 IV, 22 IV, 38 VI, 2 0.5-6 VI VI, 9
Morini	Tervanna ( Throuanne )		II, 4 III 0.28 to 29 0.21 to 22 IV IV 28 IV 35 IV 0.37 to 38 V, 24 VII 0.75 to 76
Nervians	Bagacum ( Bavay )		II, 4 II .15 to 28 V, 24 V 0.38 to 58 0.2 to 3 VI VII, 75
Pemn		Famenne	II, 4
Remes	Durocortorum (Reims)	Reims	II 0.3-6 II, 12 V, 24 V 0.53 to 54 VI, 4 VI, 12 VI, 44 VII, 63 VII, 90 VIII, 6 VIII 0.11-12
Segnis	Sougn-Remouchamps		VI, 32
Suessiones		Soissons , Soissons	II, 4 II .12-13 VIII, 6
Treveri		Trier	II, 24 III, 11 IV, 6 IV, 10 V 0.1 to 4 V, 24 V, 47 V, 53 V, 58 VI 0.2 to 3 0.5 to 9 VI VI, 32 VI, 44 VII, 63 VIII 25 VIII, 45 VIII, 52
Veliocasses	Rotomagus ( Rouen )		II, 4 VII, 75 VIII, 6
Viromanduens		Vermand and Vermandois	II, 4 II, 16 II, 23

Roman Period

The Roman province of Gallia Belgica in the early imperial period corresponded to almost all cities of the former Belgian federation, that is to say the territories situated between the Rhine and the Seine , which gave the name of Caesar Belgium. Initially, the capital of the province was Reims then, at a date unknown (but probably not before the end of the Lower Empire ), the capital was moved to Trier.

At the time of Augustus , the province of Belgium included the following cities:

• Ciuitas Remorum capital: Durocortorum ( Reims );
• Ciuitas Siluanectum capital: Augustomagus ( Senlis );
• Ciuitas Suessionum capital: Augusta Suessionum ( Soissons );
• Ciuitas Bellouacorum capital: Caesaromagus ( Beauvais );
• Ciuitas Ambianorum capital: Samarobriua ( Amiens );
• Ciuitas Viromanduorum capital: Augusta Viromanduorum ( Saint-Quentin );
• Ciuitas Atrebatium capital: Nemetacum ( Arras );
• Ciuitas Neruiorum capital: Bagacum Nerviorum ( Bavay );
• Ciuitas Leucorum capital: Tullum ( Toul );
• Ciuitas Treuerorum capital: Augusta Treverorum ( Trier );
• Ciuitas Medimatricorum capital: Divodurum ( Metz );
• Civitas Tungrorum capital: Atuatuca Tungrorum ( Tongeren ).

North-eastern Gaul around 70 AD. BC with the boundaries (provincial language)

On the ground, the borders of the Belgian province, with both the Lyon Gaul with the Germania , are blurred in early imperial period. It seems that the cities of Tongeren , the Lingones but not Sequani nor Helvetians , were part of the province of Gaul, Belgium in early imperial period. The first thing that comes somewhat clarify these limitations, even if the changes at the same time, is the creation by the emperor Domitian first two districts and two provinces of Germany: the Germania Inferior and Germania higher. This operation is between 82 and 90 AD. AD The creation of these provinces will result in the permanent loss of Lingones, Sequani, and Helvetii of Tongeren. The other major land reform that touched Belgium date, as for the rest of the Empire, 297. The territorial reorganization intended by Diocletian results in division two of the province, the two new provinces of Belgium taking names first and second in Belgium (Belgica Belgica Prima and Secunda). We know the exact composition of these provinces through the Notitia Dignitatum , inventory administration of the Lower Empire.

The agriculture in these provinces was booming and the city of Reims ( Durocortorum ) was the largest city in Gaul and one of the largest in the West. However, many people in this province enjoyed a romanization slower than Lyon and Narbonne, this may be due to contact with Germans who wanted them to create a domain. The noble Gauls Classicus Tuor and Sabinus wanted power and joined the Batavians of Civilis to create an empire in Gaul (AD 70). The Gauls did not follow the nobles of other cities and asked them to disarm, Sabinus was defeated by the city of Sequani, Tu (t) gold and Classicus Civilis by General Cerialis.

Belgium first included:

• Ciuitas Treuerorum (Treveri City);
• Ciuitas Leucorum (Cited Leuques);
• Ciuitas Medimatricorum (Mediomatrici City);
• Ciuitas Verodunensium (City Verodunenses) new city of the first half of the fourth ^century, by dismemberment of Ciuitas Medimatricorum; town: Verdunum - Verdun.

Belgium second included:

• Ciuitas Remorum (Remi City);
• Ciuitas Suessionum (Suessiones City);
• Ciuitas Veromanduorum (City Vromanduens) - new town: Vermand ;
• Ciuitas Atrebatium (Atrebates City);
• Ciuitas Silvanectum (Silvanectes City);
• Ciuitas Bellovacorum (Bellovaci City);
• Ciuitas Ambianensium (or Ambianorum, Ambiens City);
• Civitas Morinorum (Morini City);
• Ciuitas Camaracensium (Camaracenses City), Former c. Nerviorum, with the new county seat: Camaracum - Cambrai ;
• Ciuitas Catalaunorum separated from the ciuitas Remorum; town: Catalaunum - Chalons-en-Champagne ;
• Ciuitas Bononensium (City Bononenses) separated from the ciuitas Morinorum; town: Bononia - Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Additions

Notes

Sources

for the Celtic

• Kruta Wenceslas , The Celts, History and Dictionary, Editions Robert Laffont, coll. "Mouthpieces", Paris, 2000, ( ISBN 2-7028-6261-6 ).
• John Haywood (intr. Barry Cunliffe, ed. Stevanovitch Colette), Historical Atlas of the Celts, other editions, Paris, 2002, ( ISBN 2-7467-0187-1 ).

Related articles

• Gaul
• Gauls
• List of Celtic peoples in Belgium
• List of Celts
• List of Gaul belgium
• Belgian
• Didius Julianus
• Roman Governor
• Seed after the Great Invasions: single Frankish kingdom until the late ^fifth century.
• Frisian
• Brittany (Roman province)

External Links

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• Portal Celtic
• Portal Belgium
• Ancient Rome portal

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