Dumnorix (spelled Dubnoreix on coins) was a chieftain of the

Aedui The Aedui or Haedui (Gaulish language, Gaulish: *''Aiduoi'', 'the Ardent'; ) were a Gauls, Gallic tribe dwelling in what is now the region of Burgundy during the La Tène culture, Iron Age and the Roman Empire, Roman period. The Aedui had an ambi ...

, a

Celtic tribe This is a list of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes. Continental Celts Continental Celts were the Celtic peoples that inhabited mainland Europe and Anatolia (also known as Asia Minor). In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Celts inhabited a large ...

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

in the 1st century B.C. He was the younger brother of Divitiacus, the Aedui

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

and statesman. The Aedui were allies of Rome, but Dumnorix was a leader of the tribe’s anti-Roman faction, who “...thought it better to be dominated by their fellow Gauls... rather than the Romans.” His brother Diviciacus supported the Aedui's pre-existing alliance with Rome, was a leader of the pro-Roman faction, and would ultimately aid

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

in his

conquest of Gaul The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and Brittonic tribes fought to defend their homelands ag ...

. Dumnorix secretly worked to undermine Caesar’s and Diviciacus’ efforts in Gaul. Both brothers appear in Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War.

Chieftain of the Aedui

In the years preceding Julius Caesar’s governorship of

Transalpine Gaul Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania (administrative region) , Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Prov ...

the

Helvetii The Helvetii (, , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Ju ...

tribe planned an invasion of western Gaul. Orgetorix, a prominent Helvetii chieftain, conspired with Dumnorix, and Casticus of the

Sequani The Sequani were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper river basin of the Arar river (Saône), the valley of the Doubs and the Jura Mountains during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Sequanos'' by Caesar (mid-1 ...

to make themselves kings in their own tribes; then by their combined power rule all of Gaul in a Gallic version of the

triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

. To strengthen the alliance Orgetorix married his daughter to Dumnorix. However, the conspiracy was discovered and Orgetorix died a short time after amid rumours of suicide. Dumnorix used his influence to persuade the Sequani to allow the Helvetii to migrate through their territory. Upon arriving in Gaul in 58 BC Caesar opposed the migration militarily. He built fortifications at

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

and either requested or demanded that the Aedui, who had been named friend and ally of Rome, supply his soldiers with grain. Dumnorix was very popular and had a large contingent of personal retainers. He used his influence to delay the grain supply. Caesar forced the Helvetii to take an alternate path, then inflicted a devastating defeat on the tribe at the Battle of the Arar. Caesar pursued the Helvetii, using the Gallic cavalry to screen his advance. Dumnorix’ personal retainers made up a sizeable contingent of the Gallic auxiliary. Dumnorix colluded with the Helvetii and at a key moment in an engagement withdrew his unit, giving the Helvetii the victory.Goldsworthy, Caesar, 215 With his grain supply desperate, Caesar summoned the leaders of his Gallic allies. Liscus, the chief magistrate or ''Vergobretus'' of the Aedui, revealed to Caesar that Dumnorix was responsible for withholding the supplies and had also been in command of the unit whose flight had cost him the cavalry engagement. Dumnorix was spared any serious retribution at the intervention of his brother Diviciacus, who had good relations with Caesar and the Romans. Caesar agreed instead to place Dumnorix under surveillance. Dumnorix continued to be troublesome, and in 54 BC was one of the Gaulish leaders Caesar proposed to take with him as hostages on his second expedition to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, fearing that they might cause trouble in his absence. Dumnorix pleaded his fear of the sea and religious obligations in an attempt to get Caesar to leave him behind. When this failed, he claimed that Caesar intended to have them all killed out of sight of their people. Finally, he attempted to escape from Caesar's camp along with the Aeduan cavalry. Caesar sent the rest of the cavalry after him, and Dumnorix was killed, shouting that he was "a free man and a citizen of a free state". The rest of the Aeduan cavalry returned to Caesar's service.

Etymology

His name, like other

Gaulish language Gaulish is an extinct Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerl ...

names ( Ambiorix, Orgetorix,

Vercingetorix Vercingetorix (; ; – 46 BC) was a Gauls, Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman Republic, Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. After surrendering to C ...

) contains a -''rix'' suffix which is etymologically related to the Latin ''rex'', Gaelic ''rí'', Sanskrit ''rāja-'' and German ''Reich'', indicating kingship or rule; it is probably an aristocratic suffix. ''Dumno-'' is etymologically related to the Gaeli
''domhan''
"world", indicating that the name may be translated as "king of the world".

Notes

References

, ''

Commentarii de Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; ), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' (), is Julius Caesar's first-hand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it, Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine yea ...

'
1.31.91.16–205.5–7
* Adrian Goldsworthy, ''Caesar: Life of a Colossus'', (Yale University Press, 2006) {{ISBN, 0-300-12048-6

External links

Coins from Bibracte
Celtic warriors 1st-century BC Gaulish tribal chiefs Aedui