The Helvetians are a group of Celtic or Germano-Celtic peoples, established on the territory of present-day Switzerland and bordering the Sub-Rhenish Germans.
Cimbrian War
"The Romans Passing Under the Yoke" by Charles Gleyre, 1858. Triumph of the Helvetians over the Romans at the Battle of Agen. On the left, armed with the sword, Divico.
"The Romans passing under the yoke" by Charles Gleyre, 1858. Triumph of the Helvetians over the Romans at the Battle of Agen. On the left, armed with the sword, Divico.
The first historical mention of the Helvetii is the invasion, during the episode known as the Cimbrian War, alongside the Cimbrians, Ambrones and Teutons, of Narbonne Gaul by the Tigris troops of Divico. Winners of the Roman troops of Lucius Cassius at the battle of Agen in -107. After a second victory at Orange in -105, the Tigurian troops seem to have withdrawn from the conflict before the defeats against Gaius Marius in -102 and -101.
Gallic War
The Helvetians played a decisive role in the beginning of the Gallic Wars by starting a forced migration towards Saintonge after having burned their lands, under King Orgétorix. The reasons for this migration are obscure:they could flee in the face of Germanic pressure, or act thus on the basis of other demographic or economic reasons. The Helvetian confederation was formed in particular of Verbigènes, Tigurins and Tugènes. The Tulinges and the Latobrices, Germans, joined them. The Boii (Celts) did the same. The case of the Ambrons (perhaps from "amba", small river) is discussed.
Julius Caesar faced them in -58, a first time on the territory of Séquanes, in the Saône, then at the battle of Bibracte, when they were led by Divico. He notes that they were 368,000 (including 92,000 warriors) at the start of the fighting and 110,000 at the end. These figures are of course subject to caution. The Helvetii were driven back, but the Boii remained in Gaul, fixed between the Aedui and the Arverni. It was a question of preventing Germans from across the Rhine from settling on the borders of Narbonne, which would have posed a direct threat to Rome. In any case, the incident allowed the Romans to gain a foothold in Gaul. In -52, the Helvetians nevertheless sent a contingent of 10,000 men to Vercingetorix.