François-Émile Ehrmann, “Vercingetorix calling the Gauls to defend Alaise” by François-Émile Ehrmann. c. 1869. Picture Credit: Eunostos. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Wikimedia Commons.
32. The Gauls, led by Vercingetorix, however, did not give up without a fight.
Despite being picked off one by one by the Romans, the Celtic tribes in Gaul did not give up. Putting aside their differences, they united under the leadership of Vercingetorix, the chieftain of the Arverni to mount a campaign of resistance in the hope of driving their common enemy out. Vercingetorix mounted a successful guerrilla campaign and even defeated Caesar at the Battle of Gergovia. However, eventually, Vercingetorix’s — and the Gauls’— luck ran out. After being driven into a corner by Caesar’s troops, the Gauls surrendered Vercingetorix to Caesar. The Celtic chieftain was taken to Rome and paraded in Ceasar’s triumph. He lived for a further six years before being strangled in a Roman prison.