European Kingdoms

Lemovici / Lemovices (Gauls)

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In general terms, the Romans coined the name 'Gaul' to describe the Celtic tribes of what is now central, northern, and eastern France. The Gauls were divided from the Belgae to the north by the Marne and the Seine, and from the Aquitani to the south by the River Garonne (see feature link for a discussion of the origins of the Celtic name).

By the middle of the first century BC, the Lemovici were located in southern-central Gaul, around modern Limoges and concentrated on the modern départements of Charente and Haute Vienne. They were neighboured to the north-west by the powerful Pictones, to the north by the Bituriges Cubi, to the north-east and east by the Arverni, to the south by the Cadurci, to the south-west by the Petrocorii, and to the west by the Santones.

The tribe's name breaks down into two elements after the Latin suffix has been removed. These are 'lem' ('lemos') and 'vic' ('wik'). The first, 'lemos', is not listed, but the similar 'limos' is 'elm'. The modern Welsh form is 'llwyfen', although the modern 'f' was an 'm' before the sound shifted during the sixth to eighth centuries AD.

The 'vic' element could either be 'wiko', a 'village' as a noun, or 'wike/o', 'fight' as a verb. Going with the noun because it makes more sense, this provides 'village elm'. Would this be a traditional name of the tribe's origin at a village with elms? An educated guess is that the 'village' would have been adjacent to an elm grove which was used for religious purposes. Only then would this make sense (prestige-wise) as a tribal name. The Lemovii name is very similar.

The tribe occupied a fairly large swathe of territory in the modern Haute-Vienne département, suggesting that they were at least powerful enough to prevent encroachment by other tribes, especially the Pictones and Arverni. They had an oppidum called Durotincum (modern Villejoubert in the Charente département, immediately to the east of the Haute-Vienne).

Following subjugation by Rome, that oppidum was replaced by Augustoritum Lemovicum (modern Limoges in the Haute-Vienne), which was part of the Roman province of Aquitania I. There were other tribal centres at Acitodunum (Ahun in the Creuse département, eastwards of Durotincum), Excingidiacum (Yssandon, to the south-west of Acitodunum), and Uxellum (Ussel, to the south-east of Acitodunum). The Lemovici name survives, of course, in the modern 'Limoges' region.

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(Information by Peter Kessler and Edward Dawson, with additional information from Geography, Ptolemy, from Roman History, Cassius Dio, from Research into the Physical History of Mankind, James Cowles Pritchard, from the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, William Smith, from The History of Rome, Volume 1, Titus Livius, translated by Rev Canon Roberts, from The La Tene Celtic Belgae Tribes in England: Y-Chromosome Haplogroup R-U152 - Hypothesis C, David K Faux, from Celts and the Classical World, David Rankin, from The Civilisation of the East, Fritz Hommel (Translated by J H Loewe, Elibron Classic Series, 2005), from Europe Before History, Kristian Kristiansen, from the Encyclopaedia of European Peoples, Carl Waldman & Catherine Mason, from Caesar's Conquest of Gaul, TR Holmes, from Geography, Strabo, translated by H C Hamilton Esq & W Falconer, M A, Ed (George Bell & Sons, London, 1903), from The Celtic Encyclopaedia, Harry Mountain, from Encyclopaedia of the Roman Empire, Matthew Bunson (1994), and from External Links: On the Celtic Tribe of Taurisci, Mitka Guštin, and The Natural History, Pliny the Elder (John Bostock, Ed), and Geography, Strabo (H C Hamilton & W Falconer, London, 1903, Perseus Online Edition), and The Works of Julius Caesar: Gallic Wars and Perseus Digital Library, and the Indo-European Etymological Dictionary, J Pokorny, and Jones' Celtic Encyclopaedia, and L'Arbre Celtique (The Celtic Tree, in French), and Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz or Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse or Dizionario Storico dell Svizzera (in German, French, and Italian respectively).)

c.700 - 400 BC

The Hallstatt ancestors of the Lemovices establish themselves in the Limoges region of Gaul. Although the process of Celtic expansion is known to start around 700 BC, this may be as much as three hundred years prior to the arrival of many of those tribes which are known to later historians, or before they can be formed from the stream of migrants. The Lemovices found a capital at Durotincum (modern Villejoubert).

The Magdalenenberg site was hiding just a short distance from Heuneburg, a settlement in southern Germany which was held by a Celtic prince of the Hallstatt culture during the late seventh century BC

? - 52 BC

Uergobretos (chief magistrate). Killed at Alesia.

53 BC

On 13 February 53 BC the disaffected Carnutes massacre every Roman merchant who is present in the town of Cenabum, as well as killing one of Caesar's commissariat officers. This is the spark that ignites a massed Gaulish rebellion.

While Julius Caesar is occupied in the lands of the Belgae, Vercingetorix has renewed the Arverni subjugation of the Aeduii. He has also restored the reputation of Arverni greatness by leading the revolt which is building against Rome.

Despite his former allegiance to Julius Caesar, in the winter of 53-52 BC Commius of the Atrebates uses his contacts with the Bellovaci to convince them to contribute two thousand men to an army.

This army will join other Gauls to form a massive relief force at Alesia in the last stage of the revolt. The Lemovices are also amongst the first tribes to commit to joining Vercingetorix, contributing ten thousand men. The Mediomatrici send five thousand men, and the Andes, Ruteni, and Turones are also amongst the first to commit.

Organising the various tribes of Gaul into a unified resistance took some doing, but Vercingetorix of the Arverni appears to have held a level of authority which made him a leader not to be refused, and thousands of warriors flocked to join him

52 BC

While Caesar is tied down in Rome, the Gauls begin their revolt, resolving to die in freedom rather than be suppressed by the invaders. Vercingetorix is expelled from the Arverni town of Gergovia by his uncle, Gobanitio, and the rest of the nobles in their fear of revolting against Rome.

Despite this, he gathers together an army. The Aulerci, Cadurci, Lemovices, Parisii, Pictones, Senones, and Turones all join him, as do all of the tribes which border the ocean. The Treveri support the revolt but are pinned down by Germanic tribes.

After sustaining a series of losses at Vellaunodunum, Genabum, and Noviodunum, Vercingetorix summons his men to a council in which it is decided that the Romans should be prevented from being able to gather supplies. A scorched earth policy is adopted, and more than twenty towns of the Bituriges are burned in one day, although their oppidum at Avaricum is spared.

Eventually, Vercingetorix has to withdraw in good order to Alesia, a major fort which belongs to the Mandubii. The remaining cavalry are dispatched back to their tribes to bring reinforcements. Caesar begins a siege of Alesia, aiming on starving out the inhabitants.

The site of Alesia, a major fort belonging to the Mandubii tribe of Celts, was the scene of the final desperate stand-off between Rome and the Gauls in 52 BC

Four relief forces amounting to a considerable number of men and horses are assembled in the territory of the Aeduii by the council of the Gaulish nobility. Amongst those who are demanded from the tribes of Gaul are ten thousand each from the Bellovaci, Helvetii, Lemovices and Lingones.

They attempt to relieve Vercingetorix at the siege of Alesia, but the combined relief force is soundly repulsed by Julius Caesar's remarkable strategy of simultaneously conducting the siege of Alesia on one front whilst being besieged on the other. Sedullos of the Lemovices is killed. Seeing that all is lost, Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar.

The garrison is taken prisoner, as are the survivors from the relief army. They are either sold into slavery or given as booty to Caesar's legionaries, apart from the Aeduii and Arverni warriors who are released and pardoned in order to secure the allegiance of these important and powerful tribes.

This vast map covers just about all possible tribes which were documented in the first centuries BC and AD, mostly by the Romans and Greeks, and with an especial focus on 52 BC (click or tap on map to view at an intermediate size)

52? BC

Son of Dumnorix. Uergobretos.

52? BC

An inscription is later discovered in rock in the Gaulish city of Augustoritum Lemovicum (modern Limoges). It reveals a yet incomplete Romanisation of the tribe by stating: 'Postumus, vergobret, son of Dumnorix' (the latter having no relation to the Aeduii leader of the same name).

The word 'vergobret' is the same as 'uergobretos', meaning chief magistrate, the equivalent of a king in Germanic tribes. Celtic chiefs are often elected, and sometimes for fixed periods, so the title is not an hereditary one. It does though mark out Postumus as a chief, perhaps one who had been born after the death of his father.

However, this position is likely to have a limited duration, with Rome taking full administrative control of the tribe within no more than half a century. With this action, all of Gaul has been brought under Roman domination, and the history of its population of Celts and Aquitani is tied to that of the emerging Roman empire.

During his long 'reign' as Rome's first citizen, Augustus brought peace to the city and oversaw its transition from failing republic to vigorous and expanding empire