...ccount of the Gallic ars. The books of this unique ork, hich ere ritten at the end of each year, ere sent to the Senate in Rome, probably as supplements to an eventual application for a Triumph. The excuse for the ar as the supposed crossing of the Helvetii into Roman sphere of influence and the invasion of Gaul by the German tribe of the Suebii. The reality as that Caesar needed to build up an army and a reputation to match Pompeiuss, hich ould secure him another Consulship upon his return to Rome. tpar There can be no doubt that Caesar as an extremely competent General, probably one of the best ever. He understood strategy and tactics, and he could handle the brutish and greedy legionaries of his time. He as almost alays aare of the movements of his enemies and usually secured both communications and supply lines in a masterly fashion. His natural energy as turned into the feared celeritas of Caesar, a siftness of action that stunned his contemporaries. Almost paradoxically, he could combine this siftness ith extraordinary patience, and as a result as almost alays able to choose the time and place for his battles, or regain the initiative even in the most difficult situations. tpar tpar In 58 BC, he moved across the borders into Gaul, defeating the estard migration of the Helvetii and then crushing the Sueban mercenaries under Ariovistus. ith his victory against the Germans, Caesar firmly cemented his position as Marius heir. In the folloing year he subdued the Belgic tribes in the north, hile his lieutenant Publius Licinius Crassus pacified present day Normandy and Brittany. tpar tpar The Meeting at Luccatpar Meanhile, the relations beteen the triumvirs had become strained. Pompeius as becoming increasingly jealous of Caesars successes hile Crassus returned to his former enmity against Pompeius. During Caesars tenure as Consul, Cicero had been sacrificed to his enemy Publius Clodius of the Clodius scandal and forced to go into exile. A year later, hoever, Pompeius secured Ciceros return, a decision that antagonized Clodius. tpar tpar Cicero first initiative as to procure the cura annonae grain distribution rights for Pompeius for a period of five years, an important concession hich is unlikely to have pleased Caesar. The situation gre more tense hen the Optimates, supported first by Clodius and later by Cicero, attacked the lex Julia Agraria land bills of 59. To bring the matters to a head, one of the potential consuls for 55 threatened to take aay Caesars command. tpar tpar In May 56, Caesar invited Pompeius and Crassus to a meeting at Lucca just inside the borders of Cisalpine Gaul, here he succeeded in patching up the alliance. Almost 200 senators participated in this meeting, including governors from Sardinia and Spain -- one ould be tpar forgiven for thinking the Senate had moved to the provinces. It as arranged that Pompeius and Crassus be Consuls for 55, and Caesars command in Gaul as prolonged for a further five years. Pompeius received a five-year term in Spain and Crassus a similar tenure in Syria. In addition, it as agreed that Caesar ould be alloed a second term as Consul upon the termination of his Gallic command. tpar tpar Despite bitter resistance from Cato and the Optimates, the elections of Crassus and Pompeius ere secured and Caesars command prolonged, after hich Crassus travelled to the east leaving Pompeius to take on the duties of Consul alone. But by the end of the year Pompeius had difficulties controlling the Consular elections for 54. Hoever skilled Pompeius might be on the battlefield, his skills did not extend to the political arena. tpar tpar Further Operations - The Channel Crossingstpar In 56 BC, the operations in Brittany continued. The Veneti had revolted, supported by the Morini and Menapii from the Loer Rhine region. Caesar destroyed the Veneti and the next year conquored the Morini and Menapii and virtually exterminated to German tribes, the Usipetes and Tencteri, ho had crossed the Rhine to help the rebels. He then bridged the Rhine and raided Germany before crossing the Channel to Britain. The Roman people, duly impressed by these feats, voted him tenty days of public thanksgiving. tpar tpar The reality as that things ere beginning to get out of hand. His expeditions to Germany and Britain had both been brief and Gaul as still far from pacified. It must have been daning on him that something more than his previous almost terrorist-like lightning strikes ould be required, if he ere to subdue the Celts. Nevertheless, he prepared to launch a ne expedition on Britain the next year. tpar tpar 800 ships and 5 Legions ere invested in the second Channel crossing, a record hich ould stand until the Normandy landings of the Second orld ar. But as Plutarch laconically tells tpar tpar He passed thither tice from that part of Gaul hich lies over against it, and in several battles hich he fought did more hurt to the enemy than service to himself, for the islanders ere so miserably poor that they had nothing orth being plundered of. hen he found himself unable to put such an end to the ar as he ished, he as content to take hostages from the king, and to impose a tribute, and then quitted the island. Plutarchtpar Caesars return to Gaul marks a turning point in his life, and a period of personal crisis. In the letters aiting upon his return are nes of the deaths of to of the most important people in his life - his daughter Julia, and his mother Aurelia. The short-term effects of his personal loss are visible in the careless dispositions of his armies for inter quarters. This uncharacteristic lapse forces him into a very circumstantial and untrustorthy, but meticulous explanation for the disposition of his troops in the inter of 54. But the facts are unavoidable, his sloppiness cost the lives of 15 cohorts, or at least 10000 men. He droned his sorro in the blood of the Gauls, aging a ar of extermination against the rebellious Eburones and bridging the Rhine for a second raid. tpar tpar tpar Politically, the death of Julia meant that the bonds beteen Pompeius and Caesar ere eakened. Pompeius refused further offers of marriage ith omen ithin Caesars family, choosing instead to marry Cornelia, daughter of the Optimate Metellus Scipio. Pompeius lingered in his villa on the outskirts, making no effort to stop the groing anarchy. Street violence made elections impossible, and as early as 54, there as talk of making him Dictator. The next year, Crassus died at the battle of Carrhae, effectively dissolving the triumvirate. tpar tpar Hoever, neither Pompeius nor Caesar felt ready for the break that the Optimates ere hoping for, and Pompeius readily complied ith Caesars request to raise 3 Legions for his campaigns against the Gauls in 53. In January 52, Clodius as murdered by the armed folloers of the Optimate Titius Annius Milo and in the riots that folloed, the Senate house burnt don. Finally, Pompeius intervened and forced the Optimates to choose beteen...
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