Roman Gaul means the region of Gaul that was part of a Roman province during the time of the Roman Empire, from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD.

History

The Roman Republic's influence started in southern Gaul. By the mid-2nd century BC, Rome was trading with the Greek colony of Massilia (modern Marseille) and formed an agreement with them. Rome promised to protect Massilia from local Gauls, including the Aquitani, and from Carthaginians and other rivals. In return, Rome received land to build a road to Hispania, which would help move troops to Roman provinces there. The Mediterranean settlements along the coast faced threats from powerful Gallic tribes to the north. In 122 BC, the Roman general Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus fought and defeated the Allobroges. Later, in 121 BC, Quintus Fabius Maximus defeated the Arverni under King Bituitus.

The Romans respected and feared the Gallic tribes. In 390 BC, the Gauls attacked and destroyed Rome, causing lasting fear of being conquered by outsiders. In 109 BC, Italy was invaded from the north, but Gaius Marius saved it after many battles. Around 62 BC, a Roman client state, the Arverni, worked with the Sequani and Suebi to attack the Aedui, a strong Roman ally. Rome ignored this. The Sequani and Arverni asked Ariovistus for help and defeated the Aedui in 63 BC at the Battle of Magetobriga.

By 58 BC, most of Gaul was still ruled by its own people. It was becoming more urbanized and shared some aspects of Roman life. Julius Caesar, a rising general, became governor of both Transalpine and Cisalpine Gaul. He wanted to pay his debts and gain fame, so he began campaigns to conquer the Gallic tribes.

The wars began with a conflict over the Helvetii's migration in 58 BC, which involved neighboring tribes and the Germanic Suebi. By 57 BC, Caesar decided to conquer all of Gaul and fought in the east, where the Nervii nearly defeated him. In 56 BC, Caesar defeated the Veneti in a naval battle and took most of northwest Gaul. In 55 BC, he traveled to Britain for the first time, but his small army achieved little. The next year, he returned with a larger force and invaded Britain again. However, tribes on the continent resisted, and the Romans suffered a defeat. In 53 BC, Caesar tried to pacify the Gauls with harsh actions, but this failed. In 52 BC, the Gauls rebelled under Vercingetorix. They won a battle at Gergovia, but the Romans defeated them at Alesia.

By 51 and 50 BC, there was little resistance, and Caesar's troops mainly cleaned up remaining opposition. Gaul was conquered, but it did not become a Roman province until 27 BC. Resistance continued until as late as 70 AD. The Gallic Wars ended around 50 BC, but the Roman Civil War forced Caesar to withdraw his troops. His success in the Gallic Wars made him very wealthy and famous. These wars helped Caesar win the Civil War and become dictator, leading to the end of the Roman Republic and the start of the Roman Empire.

At the end of the Gallic Wars, the Gauls were not fully controlled and were not yet part of the Empire. Caesar left this task to his successors. Gaul became formal Roman provinces during Augustus's reign in 27 BC. Later rebellions occurred, and Roman troops remained in Gaul. Unrest may have continued until 70 AD.

Massilia supported Pompey during Caesar's civil war, leading to its defeat in 49 BC. It lost its territories but kept some independence due to its long friendship with Rome.

In 40 BC, during the Second Triumvirate, Lepidus was in charge of Gallia Narbonensis (along with Hispania and Africa), while Mark Antony controlled the rest of Gaul.

In 22 BC, Roman administration in Gaul was reorganized into three provinces: Gallia Aquitania, Gallia Belgica, and Gallia Lugdunensis. Parts of eastern Gaul were added to Raetia (15 BC) and Germania Superior (AD 83).

In 212, Roman citizenship was granted to all people in the Empire through the Constitutio Antoniniana.

Several important Roman figures were born in Gaul, including Emperors Claudius, Caracalla, and possibly Carus, as well as General Gnaeus Julius Agricola and Marcus Antonius Primus. The family of Antoninus Pius, who adopted Marcus Aurelius, also came from Gaul. Writers like Tacitus, Petronius, and Ausonius may have been born in Gaul. Others, such as Virgil and Pliny the Elder, were from Cisalpine Gaul, which was part of Italy.

During the Crisis of the Third Century (around 260), Postumus created a short-lived Gallic Empire that included Gaul, Britain, and the Iberian Peninsula. Germanic tribes like the Franks and Alamanni invaded Gaul at this time. The Gallic Empire ended in 274 when Emperor Aurelian defeated them at Châlons.

In 286–287, Carausius, a commander of the English Channel fleet, declared himself Emperor of Britain and northern Gaul. His forces included his fleet, legions, auxiliary units, merchant ships, and mercenaries. Emperor Constantius Chlorus defeated Carausius by besieging Boulogne and invading Batavia.

In the 4th century, Celts from Britain migrated to Armorica, led by King Conan Meriadoc. They spoke a language that evolved into Breton, Cornish, and Welsh.

The Goths, who attacked Rome in 410, established a capital in Toulouse and were accepted as rulers of Aquitania by Emperor Honorius in 418.

The Roman Empire struggled to stop barbarian attacks. Flavius Aëtius used tribes against each other to maintain control. He used the Huns against the Burgundians, who were resettled near Lugdunum in 443. The Huns, led by Attila, became a major threat. Aëtius used the Visigoths against the Huns, and the Romans and Goths defeated Attila at the Battle of Châlons in 451.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman administration finally ended when remaining Roman soldiers moved southeast to protect Italy. Between 455 and 476, the Visigoths, the Burgundians, and the Franks took control of Gaul. However, some parts of the ancient Celtic culture remained after the fall of Roman rule. The Domain of Soissons, a part of the old Roman Empire, lasted from 457 to 486.

In 486, the Franks defeated the last Roman rulers in Gaul during the Franco-Roman War by winning the Battle of Soissons. Soon after, most of Gaul came under the rule of the Merovingians, who were the first kings of an early form of France.

After the Franks lost the Battle of Vouillé in the Franco-Visigothic War (507–511), the Visigoths were driven out of most of Gaul by the Frankish king Clovis I. However, the Visigoths kept control of Narbonensis and Provence after Ostrogoth soldiers sent by Theodoric the Great arrived.

Some Gallo-Roman noble families continued to hold power in cities where bishops lived, such as the Mauronitus family in Marseille and Bishop Gregory of Tours. Germanic names for people and families became common in Gallia/Francia starting in the middle of the 7th century, especially among powerful families, showing that power had clearly shifted.

The Gallo-Roman (or Vulgar Latin) dialect from the late Roman period developed into the dialects of the Oïl languages and Old French in the north, and into Occitan in the south.

The name "Gallia" and its equivalents were still used in writing until the end of the Merovingian period in the 750s. During the following Carolingian period (751–987), the term "Francia," then "Francia occidentalis," became widely used to describe the political structure of the Frankish kingdom (regnum francorum).

Geographical divisions

Before 22 BC, Gaul was divided into three main regions, one of which was later split into several Roman provinces.

After 22 BC, the Romans divided the area known as Gallia Comata into three provinces called the Tres Galliae (the Three Gauls).

The Romans organized these large provinces into smaller areas called civitates, which roughly matched the communities or groups that existed before the Roman conquest, such as the Aedui, Allobroges, Bellovaci, and Sequani (see List of Celtic tribes). However, these civitates were still too large and were further divided into smaller units called pagi, a word that later became the modern French term "pays." These administrative divisions were used by the Romans to manage local areas. Over time, these civitates also became the foundation for France's later division into church-controlled areas called bishoprics and dioceses. These divisions remained largely unchanged until the French Revolution.

Language and culture

Between the time Julius Caesar arrived in Gaul and the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Gaulish language and culture blended with Roman traditions. This blending created a new Gallo-Roman culture that spread throughout all parts of society. The Gauls continued to write some inscriptions in their language, but they changed from using the Greek alphabet to the Latin alphabet during the Roman period. Historical research shows that Roman Gaul was "Roman" only in certain major areas of society, and the strong presence of Roman influences in physical objects and traditions has made it harder to fully understand how many Celtic traditions remained. Roman influence was most visible in religion and government. The Druidic religion was banned by Emperor Claudius I, and later, Christianity was introduced. The banning of Druids and the mix of Roman religious practices led to the decline of the Celtic religion. Today, the Celtic religion is still not well understood, as knowledge about it comes mainly from archaeological findings and written records from places like Ireland and Wales.

The Romans quickly introduced their own systems of government, economy, art (especially in large buildings and statues), and literature. They wore the Roman tunic instead of their traditional clothing. However, some Celtic traditions influenced Roman culture in the 3rd century. For example, the Gaulish tunic, which gave Emperor Caracalla his name, was still worn even after Roman fashion became popular. Also, some Gaulish techniques, like making stronger barrels than Roman ones and creating chain mail, were adopted by the Romans.

Celtic traditions also remained in spoken language. Gaulish spelling and pronunciation of Latin can be seen in writings from the 5th century by poets and scribes. The last people who spoke Gaulish may have lived until the 6th or 7th century. A quote from Gregory of Tours, written in the second half of the 6th century, mentions a shrine called "Vasso Galatae" in the Gallic language that was destroyed. Even though many Roman influences were seen in Gaul, the Gaulish language is believed to have survived and been spoken alongside Latin throughout the Roman period.

Germanic names first appeared in areas where Germanic people settled with Roman approval. In the 4th and 5th centuries, the Franks settled in northern France and Belgium, the Alemanni in Alsace and Switzerland, and the Burgundians in Savoie.

Villas in Roman Gaul

Villas were usually main places for farming and were often connected to vineyards and wine making. The owners were likely local leaders from Gaul who quickly adopted Roman ways after being conquered, and sometimes included Romans and Italians who wanted to use the area's valuable resources. Villas were important centers that had many connections with the surrounding area. Much of the work was done by slaves or by local tenant farmers ("coloni"). There was also a farm manager, in addition to the family living there.

Cities of Roman Gaul

Important cities in Roman Gaul include Lugdunum (Lyon), Lutetia (Paris), Augusta Treverorum (Trier), Colonia Agrippinensium (Cologne), Burdigala (Bordeaux), Massalia (Marseille), Tolosa (Toulouse), Narbo Martius (Narbonne), Colonia Nemausus (Nîmes), Arelate (Arles), Augustodunum (Autun), Durocortorum (Reims), Arausio (Orange), and Glanum.