Battle of Vosges (58 BC) 58 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 58 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Gallic War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Germanic people, Romans | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 47.7500, 7.3333 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Vosges, also referred to as the Battle of Vesontio, was fought on September 14, 58 BC between a coalition of Germanic tribes, under the leadership of Ariovistus, and a Roman army supported by Gallic allies under the overall command of Gaius Julius Caesar. This encounter is the second major battle of the Gallic Wars.
During the late 60s and early 50s BC several Germanic tribes had crossed the Rhine, seeking a home in Gaul. Feeling threatened, a number of Gallic tribes, allied to the Roman Republic, had petitioned the Romans to come to their aid. Gaius Julius Caesar, who was governor of the Roman province of Gallia Transalpina and who had just finished his campaign against the Helvetii, decided to continue his military campaign in Gaul and marched his army towards the migrating Germans.
Prior to the battle, Caesar and Ariovistus held a parley. Ariovistus' cavalry cast stones and weapons at the Roman cavalry. Caesar broke off negotiations and instructed his men not to retaliate to prevent the Suebi from claiming that they were induced into a trap by their accepting an opportunity to talk.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Vosges (58 BC) (revision 1378284215), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Gallic War
- Battle of Magetobriga 63 BC
- Battle of Bibracte 58 BC
- Battle of the Arar 58 BC
- Battle of Octodurus 57 BC
- Battle of the Axona 57 BC
- Battle of the Sabis 57 BC
- Siege of the Atuatuci 57 BC
- Battle of Morbihan 56 BC
- Ambiorix's revolt 54 BC
- Battle of Alesia 52 BC
All 15 battles of the Gallic War →
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