Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix (c. 82 BC – 46 BC) was a king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe; he united the Gauls in a revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Vercingetorix came to power in 52 BC. He immediately established an alliance with other Gallic tribes, took command and combined all forces, and led them in the Celts' revolt against Roman rule. He won the Battle of Gergovia against Julius Caesar in which several thousand Romans and allies died and Caesar's Roman legions withdrew. Vercingetorix waged a guerilla war: making swift strikes on the Romans and their supply lines, then disappearing into the surrounding landscape. There could be no victory for the Romans because there was no enemy for them to engage. The Gauls struck and vanished.

Vercingetorix is considered the first national hero of France and was greatly admired in his time even by his enemies.

All hope was lost behind the walls in Alesia. Vercingetorix surrendered himself, taking the Romans by surprise. Caesar had him taken away in chains and sent to prison in Rome. The defenders of Alesia were massacred, sold as slaves, or given as slaves to the soldiers for their service. Vercingetorix was exhibited in Caesar's triumphal parade through the Roman streets; then he was executed.