Battle of Vosges | |||||||
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Part of the Gallic Wars and Roman–Germanic Wars | |||||||
![]() Battle between Caesar and Ariovistus (on the lower left) and location of the camps. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Roman Republic | Suebi | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Julius Caesar | Ariovistus | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
25,000–30,000 (6 legions with cavalry and auxiliaries)[1] | 120,000 (Caesar's claim)[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 80,000 (Caesar's claim)[2] |
The Battle of Vosges also referred to as the Battle of Vesontio was fought on September 14,[3] 58 BC between the Germanic tribe of the Suebi, under the leadership of Ariovistus, and six Roman legions under the command of Gaius Julius Caesar. This encounter is the third major battle of the Gallic Wars. Germanic tribes crossed the Rhine, seeking a home in Gaul.
Prior to the battle, Caesar and Ariovistus held a parley. Ariovistus' cavalry cast stones and weapons at the Roman cavalry. Caesar broke off negotiations and instructed his men not to retaliate to prevent the Suebi from claiming that they were induced into a trap by their accepting an opportunity to talk.[4] The following battle resulted in a Roman victory, which secured the eastern borderlands of Gaul, and allowed the temporary construction of Caesar's Rhine bridges for a tactical punitive assault staged in western Germania.