Carnutīs Timeline

600BCE

Around 500 BCE The Gauls started a series of invasions into Italy. Ambicatus, King of the Bituriges “kings of the world” ruled over Central Gaul, between Hispania and Germany. Ambicatus sent out his nephews Bellovesus and Segovesus to scout more land and invite other tribes to join. Segovesus went to the Hercynian Forest to explore places to settle, while Bellovesus went to upper Italy. Bellovesus led a group of 6 Tribes over the Alps: the Bituriges, Arverni, Senones, Aedui, Ambarri, Carnutes, and Aulerci. This is our first and earliest mention of The Carnutes.

57BCE

Rome was becoming an ever-greater threat to Gaul. The Belgae had enough and joined The Anti-Rome Confederation along with the Ambiani, Atrebates, Atuatuci, Caerosi, Caleti, Condrusi, Eburones, Menapii, Morini, Nervii, Paemani, Veliocasses, and Viromandui, along with some Germans on the western side of the Rhine. Ceaser marched his way into Gaul and defeated them in a single season. The Romans conquer Northern Gaul. With that Caesars, army holds up in the winter among the Andes, Carnutes, and Turones.

57-55BCE

With Caesar’s success, he makes Tasgtius the ruler of the Carnutes. Ceasars then takes control of the tribe and land.

This makes the Carnutes very unhappy, so in 55 BCE the Tribe assassinated Tasgitus.

54BCE

The Romans began to fear that the tribe would rise up. Caeser sends Lucius Plancus to the territory to investigate the murder. He soon gets interrupted by the nearby tribe’s uprising.

53BCE

On February 13 BCE The Carnutes, led by Cotuatus and Conconnétodumnos, massacred all the Roman people in Cenabum and killed one of Caesar’s high commanding officers. This is the beginning of the fires of rebellion. Caesar heard the word and immediately retaliated, destroying Cenabum killing all the men, and selling the women & children. When the news spread of the Carnutes massacre of the Romans reached Vercingetorix, he immediately gathered his people for war.

52BCE

The Carnutes send 12,000 men to help Vercingetorix at Alesia. This ultimately did not help much, as it ended with Vercingetorix’s surrender.

51BCE

After Caeser defeated Vercingetorix, he returned to Cenabum in the summer to gather up the Gutuater(Cotuatus), the soul of the resistance, and put him to death. This put an end to the uprising in Gaul. The town of Cenabum is left in ruins.

27BCE – 14CE

The tribe is under the control of Augustus. As one of the peoples of Gallia Lughunensis, they were never genuinely Romanized and are ranked with foederati. This allows them to be self-governing and still mint their own coins. Autricum becomes the capital.