7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7The crisis of Caesar’s Gallic war came in 52, when
Vercingetorix, the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, led a
general uprising of the Gauls against Caesar. After an ini-
tial defeat at Noviodunum Biturigum, Vercingetorix
effectively used guerrilla warfare, but Caesar ultimately
destroyed the rebellion. During 52–51, Caesar crushed a
number of sporadic further revolts, completing his con-
quest in 50.
The Civil War of 49–45
During his conquest of Gaul, Caesar had been equally
busy preserving and improving his position at home.
Meanwhile the triumvirate was unraveling: Crassus was
killed in battle in 53 and Pompey, who had grown wary of
Caesar’s increasing power, eventually sided with Caesar’s
enemies among the Roman nobility in the Senate.
War was brewing. The source of this tension was the
issue of whether there should be an interval between the
date at which Caesar was to resign his provincial gover-
norships—and thus, command over his armies—and the
date at which he would enter his proposed second consul-
ship. If there were to be an interval, Caesar would be a
private person during that time, vulnerable to attack by
his enemies. If prosecuted and convicted, he would be
ruined politically and possibly killed. Therefore, Caesar
had to make sure that, until his entry on his second con-
sulship, he should continue to hold at least one province
with the military force to guarantee his security. The issue
had been debated in the Senate several times before the
body resolved that Caesar should be treated as a public
enemy if he did not lay down his command. Meanwhile,
Pompey had been offered—albeit without proper Senate
authorization—command over all troops in Italy, which
he accepted. When the Senate would not order Pompey