Legio X saved the day in the Battle against the Nervians in 57 BC. One of the legionaries jokingly said that Caesar was better than his word: he had promised to make them foot guards, but now they appeared as equestrians. This incident earned the legion its nickname Equestris (mounted). Caesar ordered a group of his Gallic auxiliaries to dismount and had legionaries from the 10th ride in their place to accompany him to the peace conference. Ariovistus made this a condition knowing that Caesar's cavalry was composed mainly of Aedui horsemen whose loyalty to Caesar was questionable. Prior to battle, Ariovistus suggested a peace conference but insisted that each side should only be accompanied by mounted troops. They played a central part in Caesar's defeat of the Helvetii tribes, preventing their migration from present day Switzerland to western France.įollowing the defeat of the Helvetii, the leaders of the Gallic tribes petitioned Caesar for his aid against Ariovistus, king of the German Suebi tribe. Almost immediately, in the summer of 58 BC, the legion fought in two major actions, the battles of Arar and Bibracte. The Tenth played a crucial part in the Gallic Wars, fighting under Caesar in virtually every battle.Īt the beginning of the Gallic campaign, Caesar brought the 10th legion from Spain (with the 7th, 8th, and 9th legions). The campaign in the summer of 61 BC was very successful and the 10th Legion showed itself to be brave and loyal to Julius Caesar. Enlisted in March, the legion took as its emblem the bull, an emblem which proved popular with other legions such as Legio V Alaudae ( Larks), Legio XI, Legio XII Victrix, and Legio XIII Gemina. Caesar needed a third legion for his planned campaign and so he immediately enlisted a new legion, the 10th Legion. He already had two legions based in the province, the 8th and 9th Legions, which had been enlisted by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus ( Pompey the Great) in 65 BC. When Gaius Julius Caesar arrived as Governor in the province of Baetica or Hispania Ulterior (modern Andalusia), as it was in 61 BC, he immediately decided to subdue the west and northwest areas (modern day Portugal). 1.2 Gallic Wars and the invasion of Britain.
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