Hi all.
This...is an odd sort of AAR. It´s not even really an AAR in the formal sense.
Back in the days I started an Aedui H/H campaign, and as I always do when I play a campaign, I narrated it to myself. This time however, I decided to write down the narrative.
The result was...this.
Since I never really intended to post this I wrote it simply for myself, and as such...well, like I said, it´s not really in AAR format. For one thing, there are no images at all, and I know how image-obsessed some people are.
Well, I refuse to sell out and adapt my writing after popular demand. And yes, I realise that the notion of an AAR write selling out is ridiculous, but I´ve always wanted to resist selling out and this might be my only chance.
I wrote the last words on this over 3 months ago, and I havn´t played this campaign a single minute since then. I might sometime in the future make a continuation of this, but not right now.
I apologise for the cheesy name, but I couldn´t really think of a better one. I guess since the whole thing focuses on a single guy so much it should be named after him, but since that was never the intention...well, I won´t name it after him.
Also sorry about the uncertain ending.
Only really posted this because I just can´t stand the thought of all these hours of writing just laying around to no use.
Oh, a short note here, Tancogleista´s actual name is Tancogeistla. Yeah. No freaking idea why I´ve written Tancogleista everywhere, but I don´t have the time to change it.
Anyway, it´ll be interesting how many actually reads through the whole thing. My guess...4 guys and a goat.
Chapter 1: Unification
Gaul at 272 BC when this book begins was divided into many parts, with no true ruler. There were some more powerful than others though. Amongst these were the Aedui, who called themsevles descendents of the legendary Biturbiges, who once ruled all of Gaul. The Aedui were a lose confederacy of many tribes who all bowed to the elected Vergobret, a sort of king. The Aedui´s greatest enemy were the Arverni, another confedearcy whose god-king the Verrix had absolute power. There were also many independent tribes in Gaul, some of the most powerful were the Volcae, Veneti, Belgae, Helvetii and Vocontii. The last one, the Vocontii, had allied with the great Greek colony of Massilia on the southern coast of Gaul, and formed a powerful alliance in both trade and war.
Sources are rare for this timeperiod, and most that exists have been written far later by Greek or Roman historians, often re-telling old folktales passed down between generations of Gauls.
It does however appear that around the year of 270 BC the Aedui Vergobret Cocolitanos set out at the head of an great army to challenge the Arverni Verrix to battle. Details of the events and armies are scetchy, and especially the size of the armies are almost certainly exaggarated, but all tales say that the Arverni Verrix was slayed in the battle and his army scattered. Undoubtly this earned Cocolitanos much fame and established his position with his allies.
With the Arverni army defeated Cocolitanos sent his greatest general to capture the town of Viennos and subdue the tribes of Lugonesis, as these were close allies of the Arverni.
This general is an legendary figure amongst not only the Gauls who celebrated him as their greatest hero, but amongst many other peoples as well, who spoke of his name in terror and awe, and his deeds dominates much of this history. At this time though, few knew of his great potential. This man was Tancogeistla, or Tancogleista the Great as the history books know him. Very little is known of his origins, most sources that exist claim the usual ancestry that surrounds such famous characters, mostly involving divine descendency. It does appear most likely though that Tancogleista was the son of a noble family of the Aedui, as it would otherwise have been near impossible for him to reach such an elevated position as second-in-command of the entire Aedui confederacy.
At any rate, Tancogleista led his army succesfully, and according to legend was the first man over the walls of Viennos in the capture of that town. A great number of tribes had soon bowed down to the Aedui and sworn to be their faithful allies.
The odds in the Aedui-Arverni war was now heavily in the Aedui´s favour, and Cocolitanos was not slow to take advantage of this situation to subdue independent tribes. Little is known of these campaigns, except that Tancogleista did most likely not take part of them, and that they proved quite succesful, and word reached even distant Rome that the Aedui had captured much land in especially the west of Gaul, and this passage from a record found in the Carthaginian city of Utica strongly indicates that they even subdued the great seafaring Veneti in the northwest of Gaul.
"Hannibal Mago at this time reached in his expeditions the people of Tyde, trading partners of the Britons and Veneti. The people of Tyde brought news of war from both the Briton and Veneti, the later whom they claimed had been subdued by a great people, but they used a strange name for them and Hannibal did not recognise it."
It seems clear that the Aedui strongly strengthened their position as the dominating tribe in Gaul, as the Arverni most likely struggled to raise another army able take back the initiative.
From this time comes also the tale of Taximagulos moc Pallando, an Arverni general whose story is used to show the cowardice of the Arverni, and is as such of suspect accuracy.
The poem of Taximagulos tells that he was ordered by the new Arverni Verrix to take an small army to seek out and defeat Tancogleista, who was raiding Arverni allies nearby. Taximagulos meet Tancogleista in a forest, and as the battle progressed his defeat became inevitable. But rather than dying with his men as a true Gallic general was expected to do he ran from the battle, and returned to his Verrix. According to the tale the Verrix was foolish enough to give him another army, one which he yet again lost to Tancogleista, whereafter he yet again ran away. This time the Verrix would have nothing of him, and sent him into the wilderness where he was eaten by wild wolfs sent by the wargod Teutatis to punish him for his cowardice.
While there might lay some truth behind the story it is most valuable as an insight into how a Gallic general was supposed to act in defeat, and also what punishment awaited he who was not ready to sacrifice his life.
Chapter 2: First Gallo-Roman War
Several years now passed of which little is known of events in central Gaul, but one can assume that the Aedui used them to supress any rebellious tribes in their newly conquered lands and the Arverni to convince their allies of their continued strength. Records from Rome indicates that the border skirmishes, raids and attacks on merchants continued during this time, and the border areas between the Aedui and Arverni became truly lawless places.
At the same time the Romans of Italy had conducted several campaigns against the Ligurians and Boii Galla in northern Italy. Especially the Ligurians had been severely battered, and was close to defeat, when their highest chieftains and magistrates called for the aid of the Insubres, who lived south of the Alps. The Insubres were one of the strongest members of the Aedui confederacy, and lived in the lush valleys south of the Alps.
An army of the Insubres under their highest chieftain Catamantaloedis entered Liguria and were mostly greeted as saviours, meeting little resitance. So started the first Gallo-Roman war.
At first the Romans could only growel in anger at the Insubres, as they were currently occupied in Aemilia, besieging the town of Bononia and figthing the Boii Galla.
As Bononia fell and the Romans prepared to take care of the Ligurians, Catamantaloedis decided to take the intitiative and do what the Romans lest expected, attack.
Sources for these campaigns are quite good when compared to those of the campaigns of central Gaul, but are still far from absolutely reliable.
What is certain though is that Catamantaloedis allowed the Ligurians to remain free and left only a small garrison to serve under the command of the Ligurian chieftains in case of a Roman attack. Then he took most of his army and invaded Aemilia, catching the Romans in complete surprise. Both Consuls had been ordered by the Senate to march north this year, Titus Cornelius Blasio against the Boi Galla and (only distantly related) Quintus Cornelius Blasio against the Ligurians. When Catamantaloedis entered Aemilia Titus Blasio has just sent away half of his Consular legion under a Legate who is remembered only as Tiberius to reinforce Quintus Blasio´s army before the attack on Liguria. When word arrived that the Gauls had invaded he immediately sent word for the Legion to return, but before the two armies could join up Catamantaloedis had placed his army on a plain between them, and hindered any linkup.
Word now reached Titus that Quintus Blasio with his Consular Legion was heading to reinforce his position, but Titus, most likely unwanting to share the glory with anyone else and confident of victory, decided to attack before Blasio could arrive, and managed to get a messenger through to Tiberius to co-ordinate their attack, though some sources claim Catamantaloedis allowed to messenger to get pass in order to defeat Titus entire army before Blasio arrived.
The size of the armies have been greatly disputed, but the most commonly accepted numbers are about 7000 men in Catamantaloedis army, and 4000 men in both Roman armies, though the records of the battle indicate that both Roman legions were heavily understrength in cavalry.
What exactly happened in the following battle is very unclear, but the outcome is certain. Catamantaloedis quickly dispatched Tiberius´s Legion and then engaged Titus one. The battle looked even until the Gallic cavalry (with Catamantaloedis in the front according to Gallic tales) surprised Titus and killed him, whereafter the Romans routed and most were cut down. Estimates of the Roman survivors are very low, ranging in just the hundreds from an army numbering most likely around 8000. The Gallic loses were however not neglible, at least 1000 Gauls appear to have fallen in the battle.
Just two days later while Catamantaloedis army were still licking their wounds and burying their dead, Quintus Cornelius arrived with his Consular army. Catamantaloedis arranged his army at the same position as before, and both Roman and Gallic sources gives the same version of what occured next. While the Gauls had burried their comrades and carried their arms from the field Catamantaloedis had ordered them to leave the Romans were they lied, and against tradition forbidden any looting of the Roman camp, famously saying "Wait another day or two, and the reward for your efforts shall be doubled. Besides, what is the fun in looting the same camp twice?".
It was undoubtly an unnerving sight for the Roman army to be forced to march through a field of their own rotting comrades, and this surely contributed to what occured in the battle.
Quintus Blasio´s army had suffered some casualties in the campaigns against the Ligurians, and as such most likely only numbered slightly over 6000, and not the 8000 of a regular Consular army. This made it evenly matched with Catamantaloedis´s which had been reduced to about 6300 men.
The Gallic slingers played a large part in the battle, greatly reducing the Roman lines even before the two armies met hand-to-hand.
The battle was short but bloody. The Roman soldiers were nervous and disheartened, and when they mistook the Gallic cavalry returning from a short pursuit of some Roman skirmishers for another Gallic army they routed. This proved their undoing, as less then 500 Romans leaved the battle alive, amongst them Quintus Blasio.
After this battle the Gauls marched unopposed into Bononia and soon recieved words that all the tribes of Aemilia supported them.
At the same time news reached Rome that the great stronghold Avaricum of the Bituriges had fallen to the Aedui, and now for the first time did they hear the name of Tancogleista, who had commanded the army which stormed the fortress. Shortly after Tancogleista led another army to take the Arverni stronghold of Vesontio, and the legends say that when he swung himself atop the walls and shouted for the city to surrender all its people layed down their arms and bowed in reverence, for they believed it to be Teutatis himself. Whatever divine interference might have occured it seems clear that Tancogleista was making quite a name for himself, and was lauded as the greatest man of all of Gaul. One can only speculate what the now old Cocolitanos thought of this.
The Arverni were now confined to their homelands in Arvernotorg, where their great fortress Gergovia made sure that they at least for a time remained independent from the Aedui.
With these conquests all of central and western Gaul fell under the control of the Aedui confederacy, and as such even more manpower and riches became available to call for future military adventures.
The Romans were not slow to react to the loss of both their Consular armies and one Consul. They did not however, grasp the full gravity of the situation. Up to this point the Romans had treated the conflict as just a distant war, and not even after Catamantaloedis double victory did they really worry for Rome´s eventual prevailing. Another army would be raised, this time led by more competent men, and it would surely defeat the Gauls.
What they did not know of however, was the events that now transpired in the north.
According to the Gallic stories, after stabilising the area around Vesontio Tancogleista set out alone with just a few Brihentin (the personal bodyguards of a Gallic chieftain) on a hazardous journey through the northern passes of the Alps. The Alps were inhabited by many tribes, such as the Helveti, Rhaeti and Norici. Though these normally let through merchants and ordinary travellers, they were unlikely to let a oppotunity to capture or kill the greatest general in all of Gaul slip away, even if this meant war with the Aedui. If Tancogleista did indeed make this journey, it was very brave of him, and indeed some of the many extraordinary stories told of it may be true to some degree.
When Tancogleista arrived in Bononia the Romans were massing for an attack on Liguria. For whatever reason they felt confident that the Gauls would not go further on the offensive, and so had left their own territorries badly guarded. Tancogleista was not slow to take advantage of this, and in a bold move he crossed the border into Umbria with an army of 14 000 men, taking Catamantaloedis as his second-in-command. His army drew the few Roman forces before them, who retreated at every opportunity. His forces plundered everything in their part, burning what they could not take with them.
When they reached the old Roman colony of Ariminium they surrounded the city, and soon after stormed it, killing everyone inside. The tales of the slaughter commited here are incredible bloody, but may very well be true.
Among the dead were many prominent Romans, including the Praetor Cnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina. Tancogleista ordered his men to tear down every building in the city, and burn all farms nearby.
Before the Romans had even recieved word of Ariminium´s fall, Tancogleista moved again, crossing the Apennines and entering Etruria, once again destroying all in his path.
Our sources tell that he was yet again attacked by a Roman army under Cornelius Blasio, who had been granted a second Consular legion of 8000 men.
Even though Tancogleista greatly outnumbered this army his forces were mostly untrained men, few remained from the army that had taken Bononia. Blasio appeared to have been confident in victory, but once again the Gauls would prove to be more than his match.
Tancogleista arranged his army on a lightly wooded plain, and waited for the Romans to advance. while they did so his slingers and light cavalry harrassed the Roman lines.
As the lines met chaos ensued, with limited sight amongst the trees few order could be given. Both Gallic and Roman sources agree that Tancogleista rode around with the Gallic cavalry, and attacked the already engaged Romans from behind.
The Roman lines began to break and soon a full rout was occuring. Blasio was killed in the rout, according to legends by Tancogleista himself.
The Gauls victory was complete. Barely a hundred Romans had escaped the battle alive, the Gauls losing only perhaps 1500 men, certainly an acceptable loss for destroying the enemy´s greatest army.
Panic now ensued in Rome, with people fearing the the Gauls would march upon the city itself and sack it as Brennus had done many years ago. Tancogleista was not a fool though, he knew he could not take Rome itself.
Instead he besieged the largest city of Etruria, that of Arretium.
Now many recently defeated Italian communities and tribes began to declare their independence, seeing how weak the Romans were. An army under Praetor Cnaeus Julius Ceasar was defeated in central Italy by the Samnite tribes, whom had been subdued by Rome less then 30 years ago.
The Romans now took desperate measures to ensue their survival. Cnaeus Cornelius Blasio (cousin of Quintus Blasio) was elected Dictator with full power over all Roman armies, and ordered to drive the Gauls out of Etruria. Before he could gather an army though, Tancogleista stormed Arretium, once again killing everyone inside, including Praetor Lucius Cornelius Scipio. Arretium was a much larger city than Ariminium, and the slaughter lasted for days.
When Scipio finally arrived at the head of a an army Tancogleista had already left the city. He left the Aedui flags flying over the city, and so fooled Scipio into approaching with great caution, giving Tancogleista time to escape and plunder even more farms and towns on his way back to Aemilia.
The year was now 262 BC, and Rome was in a dire situation. Some of her richest areas had been plundered bare, and would take decades to fully recover. The Gauls had established strong bases in Northern Italy, from which they continued to launch small raiding parties at their leisure. To make matters worse, the city of Taras in southern Italy which the Romans had conquered not long ago once again called for help from Pyrrhus of Epeiros, who sent an army under his son Alexandros across the Adriatic Sea to aid them. Within short most Greek cities in Kalabria had declared their independence from the Romans, and Alexandros defeated an army under Consul Gaius Julius Mento.
Tancogleista was never a man of patience, and the Gallic tales claim that he now begun a successful campaign against the Veneti in the north-east of Italy, and subdued them in short time. It is most likely around now that the tribes of the Aquitane were conquered by the Aedui as well.
The Romans did everything in their power to eradicate the Gauls in northern Italy, but every attempt failed utterly. In 260 BC yet another Consular legion, this time under Sextus Cornelius Scipio, was destroyed when it tried to invade Liguria. The Ligurians defeated the army without any aid from the Gauls, which enabled them under Catamantaloedis to further increase their raids into Etruria and Umbria, where the Romans were desperately trying to reestablish their towns and farms, even begining work on a another colony where Ariminium had stood, even though very few people were willing to move there with the threat of Gallic invasion still looming.
Chapter 3: Balkan Invasion
At this time Tancogleista began the expedition that would truly imprint his name in all history books of the world.
Some say he had planned it already when he ventured through the Alps to first enter Italy, and that he so crippled the Romans simply in order to gather the necessary treasury for such a campaign and to keep his flanks clear, but it is also possible the thought did not first enter his mind until after the Veneti were defeated.
In any case, in 259 BC Tancogleista left Venetia with an army of at least 13 000 men, though some sources mention as many as 20 to 30 000. He marched this army into Illyria, and began subduing the tribes, already weakened by Epeirote attacks and fighting between the warring tribes. No details of these campaigns are known, and we can only guess the exact methods used by Tancogleista.
In any case, after about two years of campaigning in Illyria, he had subdued all the tribes there and struck a deal with them. They would be allowed continued independence as long as they each year payed a tribute to the Aedui and when required supplied them with soldiers.
Tancogleista pointed out that the Ligurians had made a similar deal and were now prospering quite freely. Most of the Illyrians grudgingly accepted and Tancogleista began preparations for the next phase of his campaign.
Sometime during the Illyrian campaign Tancogleista negotiated an alliance with the Epeirotes, who promised to allow him free passage through their lands if he aided them in the fight against the Makedonians.
Shortly after subduing most of the Illyrian tribes and leaving the rest to be taken care of by his allies, Tancogleista was declared as Vergobret of the Aedui confederacy. We can only guess that Cocolitanos had died of old age, since no records of anything else exists. Tancogleista declared that he wished Catamantaloedis to become Vergobret were anything to happen to him, but that decisision proved to be shortlived, for Catamantaloedis died shortly after in a battle against the Romans, even though his army managed to win the battle.
When word reached Tancogleista of this though, he was already far away. He had taken most of his army and marched even further south, through Epeirote lands. Soon he arrived in Makedonia, whose inhabitants had recieved no warning of his arrival.
It is from around this time that the tale of Cotos moc Lucco come. According to legend he was a Brihentin to Drustan moc Baeren, a Aedui general who spent much time fighting the Arverni. After many years of manuvering and raiding Drustan finally managed to convince the Arverni to face him in open battle.
In this battle Drustan fell quickly after a suicidial charge, eager to prove his worth. Only Cotos escaped alive, and took control of the army. Not only did he led it to victory, but he alone charged the Brihentin´s of the enemy general and slew him. In the following rout he is supposed to have killed hundreds of Arverni soldiers all by himself.
In reward for his great bravery Cocolitanos (who by now must have been extremely old) promoted him to general, and Cotos yet again prove his worth by defeating the Arverni in battle, and beginning the long siege of Gergovia, the final Arverni stronghold. When Gergovia finally fell it meant to final end of the Arverni tribe and the Gallic civil War. At last true peace could return to much of Gaul, merchants and travellers now being able to move between towns without fear.
It is important to not that several changes had over time taken place in Gaul, that culminated in the begining of what is known as the Time of Bondsmen. To qoute the perhaps best work on the subject, Europa Barbarorum (available for free at www.europabarbarorum.com):
"Increasing debts owed to various Celtic overlords by weaker tribes had created a unified concept of vassalage through debt. By agreeing to arm and equip tribal into actualy soldiers and pay for their training, powerful kings and magistrates were able to more forcefully exert authority over their subdivisions. Further, the military proto-bureaucracy was expanded, allowing the ability to levy togheter more warriors in shorter space of time, meaning certain types of warriors, often before originally only available to serve as commanders or in hand-picked retinues, were more widely available and had begun to be formed into wholely separate regiments due to their greater numbers. This system, ironically, actually cost the higher aristocracy less, even though they were personally equipping many tribal troops, because they did not need to pay the high prices needed before to convince warriors to come to fight for them, the warriors were now legally bound to fight for them."
Before we go into any detail about Tancogleista´s campaign in Greece, it is perhaps fitting to give a short description of the situation in this area at this time.
Just 15 years ago the Makedonians under Basileus Antigonos Gonatas had been the strongest power in Greece, controlling not only all of Makedonia proper, but Thessaly and the Peloponnesos. They had also had strong allies and military garrisons on the islands of Lesbos and Euboia.
Of the Greek city-states which had united in an common alliance against their enemies, only those in Lakonike and Attike remained free on the Greek mainland, guarded by the strong armies of Sparta and Athenai. In Epirus Pyrrhos still ruled, but his forces were severely weakened after prolonged war against the Makedonians.
But much had changed in those 15 years.
After a series of succesful campaigns the combined armies of Sparta and Athenai had forced Antigonos Gonatas to abandon the Peloponnesos, and shortly after even the cities of Thessaly had abandoned Antigonos, who died the same year, leaving a kingdom in crisis to his son Demetrios.
Pyrrhos son Ptolemaios had firmly reestablished Epeiros position as one of the three major powers in Greece, using the resources from Italy to defeat the Dardanoians, a Thracian tribe that had inflicted heavy losses on Demetrios. Togheter Ptolemaios and the Greek city-states could easily have finished of the Makedonians, but they had been embroiled in a bitter war over the cities of Aitolia, in which the Greeks under the Spartan king had gained the advantage. Unable to march against the Makedonians without giving land to the Greeks, and unable to march against the Greeks without giving land to the Makedonians, Ptolemaios took the golden opportunity that appeared in the form of Tancogleista. In return for free passage and supplies while marching through Epeirote lands Tancogleista would abstain from attacking the allies of Ptolemaios. Then when Tancogleista had weakened the Makedonians and possibly also the Greeks (it is uncertain just how much Ptolemaios knew of Tancogleista´s plans) Ptolemaios would move in and secure himself as the most powerful man in Greece. Of course, Ptolemaios hardly knew just how succesful Tancogleista would be in his campaign.
In the spring of 256 BC Tancogleista entered Epeirote lands in Dardanoia at the head of an army. Its exact composition is unknown, but the most commonly mentioned figures are about 5000 spearmen and swordsmen from the Insubres, Boii Galla and the Veneti, another 5000 warriors from the Caturiges, savage tribes from the Alps, slightly over 1000 light infantry, mostly slingers, and about 3000 cavalry, both light and heavy.
All of these were veterans from the Illyrian campaigns, and many had taken part in the wars against the Romans and the skirmishes common between Gallic tribes. Some sources even claim that some of the Veneti had fought against Tancogleista when he first invaded their land, but had now willingly joined his army.
Combined these formed an army of about 14,000 men, all experienced and well armed, but still their number was far from sensational, and Demetrios could muster an army of at least the same size. Still, Tancogeistla appears to have been confident of victory.
His army marched quickly, guided and supplied by Ptolemaios envoys, and when it arrived in Makedonia Demetrios had heard no more than rumours of their existence, rumours that he had dismissed as absurd. As such when Tancogleista entered his lands he was caught completely off guard, and while he began gathering his army at Pella the Gauls pillaged much lands in northern Makedonia, where their appearance caused great chaos and panic and refugees fleeing south with the Gauls not far behind them.
When Tancogleista reached Pella Demetrios had split his army into two, one under his own command camped north of Pella, and the other under his brother Perseus camped to the west of the city.
Demetrios army numbered around 9 500, and Perseus slightly over 13 000, togheter forming an army of 23 000 men, outnumbering Tancogeistla´s army with almost 10 000 men. To make matters worse for Tancogleista most of Perseus army were veterans from the wars against Epirus and the Greeks, including some of the legendary Argyraspides, Silvershields, an elite phalanx of special veterans. Demetrios army consisted more of levies and outdated hoplites, but there were a strong phalanx core there as well.
Yet again, details for this battle are scetchy, especially as few Makedonians escaped alive to speak of it. What is known is that when Tancogeistla threatened Pella Demetrios decided to attack, and ordered his brother to flank the Gauls. In this manner they would attack from two sides. The armies met on a plain a few miles from the town of Damiano, from which the battle derives its name.
The battle of Damiano begun with a band of Kretan archers under Tancogeistla firing upon Demetrios army, these Kretans had joined Tancogeistla´s army as mercenaries, an act that would live long in the memory of the mainland Greeks and Makedonians, and provoke much hostility between them and the Kretans.
The Kretans managed to lure the left wing of Demetrios phalanx to attack without waiting for Demetrios order, and they were then promptly surrounded and destroyed by the Gauls. Without its left wing to cover the flank Demetrios remaining phalanx was left vulnerable, and when several units of Gallic swordsmen managed to march around them and attack from the side, most of the phalanx broke and became a disorderly mob, fighting for its life. In such close quarters without the aid of the sarissas of their comrades the Makedonians were greatly unfavoured, and the Gauls slaughtered them. Demetrios light infantry and cavalry played little part in the battle, and is assumed to have been destroyed. Demetrios himself attempted to flee the battle but was reportedly killed by thrown javelins.
Perseus army arrived just as Demetrios army broke, having been delayed by a small force dispatched by Tancogeistla. Despite being almost equal in number and superior in arms even after the defeat of Demetrios, the death of their king shook the morale of Perseus army, and after only minimal resistance they fled, but very few are reported to have escaped, Perseus is said to have been killed by some Kretans looting the dead, and he was found with over 20 arrows in his body.
Tancogeistla´s victory was complete, the Makedonian army destroyed, the king and his heir killed. Even before word reached Pella of the battle the Gauls had surrounded the city, effectively trapping not only its regular inhabitants, but thousands of refugees whom had gathered there when they heard of the Gallic army. The city was left near defenseless, with no trained soldiers nearby. When after just a few weeks siege the Gauls stormed the city a slaughter began, according to the few Greek writers of epic proportions. Histories tales of rivers of blood flowing down the streets of Pella, mountains of skulls arranged across the city and how the bodies of the nobility was feed to the Gauls dogs, sometimes while the nobles were still alive.
The tombs of the Makedonians kings were plundered and the king´s remains burned except for those of Phillip II, father of Alexander the Great, whose remains were taken as a trophy and reportedly strapped upon a pole and used as a banner in Tancogleista and his heirs campaigns.
The fall of Pella shocked the entire Greek world, but Tancogleista did not give it enough time to prepare for what was to come. After spending just 3 weeks in Pella his army moved on south, this time not just plundering, but completely destroying everything in their path, to the extent that after the capture of the coastal city of Thessalonike Tancogeistla ordered the surviving Makedonians to destroy the docking facilities in this city, and the same was done to many port towns in Makedonia. For their cooperation the Makedonians were "awarded" with a quick death.
The perhaps most important aspect of Pella´s fall was however the end of the Antigonid dynasty. With all its family members killed the family was no more, and its allies became independent, scattered and weakened.
Soon enough the Gauls entered Thessaly where the population attempted a valiant defense under the Athenian commander Doros Aithalidos Attikos, but Tancogleista was aided by a Epeirote force dispatched by Ptolemaios, who had reportedly been shocked when he heard the details of Pella´s fall, and advised Tancogleista to be more lenient or take his loot and return to Gaul, to which Tancogeistla reportedly replied
"You have released the God of Death into the realm of men, and now you wish him to quietly return to his kingdom? You are twice the fool of these Greeks that oppose me."
With the Epeirotes help the Gauls easily won the battle against the Thessalians, and the destruction of Pella was repeated with Demetrias, Larissa, Crannon and the other cities of Thessaly. The entire Thessalian nobility was hunted down, and the basis of its legendary cavalry forever destroyed. Tancogleista did not linger long in Thessaly before moving on.
Tancogleista now split his forces in two, he himself marching with half his army into Aitolia, while the other part fortified on a hill just a few miles north of Thebes. The armies of Athens and Sparta had united in an attempt to drive the Gauls back, but facing a strongly reinforced enemy they hesitated, giving Tancogeistla the time needed to defeat the isolated cities of Aitolia. Just as Brennos had done before him Tancogeistla killed the Oracle at Delphi, but this time the Gauls did not just sack Delphi, but destroyed it by removing stone by stone and throwing them over a great cliff into the sea infront of the crying preasts of Apollo, after which Tancogeistla famously replied "Dry your tears priests of Apollo, for I shall rejoin you with your beloved stones" and ordered the priests to be pushed over the cliff.
Once the final fortress of resistance, the city of Thermon, had fallen, Tancogeistla hurried with his part of the army to rejoin the other force. The Greeks had finally mustered up the courage to attack, but with Tancogestla´s timely arrival their army was caught between the hillfort and the arriving Gauls, and annihilated with no mercy given.
The army destroyed, the Greeks were caught defenseless. Thebes fell within the week, and after just a few months siege the gates of Athens were burst open, and a great slaughter commenced. The entire city was burnt to the ground and the Akropolis, the Academy and all the other famous buildings destroyed in a event that fundamentally shook the entire Hellenistic worlds and recieved reactions from Iberia to India, and once and for all united all the various Hellenistic kingdoms and cities against Tancogleista.
It was after this slaughter that Ptolemaios had finally had enough, and declared Tancogleista an enemy of Epeiros and all its allies. Tancogeistla is said to have simply laughed at this, and it is doubtful that any Greek or Makedonian felt any gratefullness for this decision. Ptolemaios armies had already moved into Makedonia, Thessaly and Aitolia, and had found a desolate land. Tales of horror spread as the few remaining inhabitants claimed that the Gauls killed any and all natives they encountered, and rooted out those they did not find. Only those few who had hid in isolated places survived the Gauls invasion.
Most of the cities of the Peloponnesos fell before any real resitance could be offered, and the holy site of Olympia was desecrated, as well as the cities of Korinthos, Asea, Argos and many others. Tancogeistla saved the city of Sparta for last, where over 500 of the legendary Spartan warriors had gathered, together with many refugees and allies of Sparta, all armed and somewhat trained. The battle was vicious, with great casualties on both sides, but in the end the Spartan allies fled with fear and the Spartan warriors were cut down to the last man, effectively ending that great warrior culture. The city was looted and its people killed, and the last pocket of organised resistance in Greece defeated.
Chapter 4: Asian Kingdom
There was a great concern and uncertainty about the Gauls next move, if they would remain in Greece as rulers or move on to bring terror to other parts of the world. Tancogleista does not appear to have hesitated though, for only weeks after the destruction of Sparta he moved his army and its substanial loot onto ships that had been captured at Athens port Piraeus. Captured Greeks were forced to row the ships, which sailed past the island of Euboia after recieving a great tribute in gold from that island and without warning landed on the island of Lesbos, near the coast of Asia Minor.
This island and its capital of Mytilene had been an ally of the Antigonids, and after their fall it had aligned itself with the Pergamenese, who inhabited their great city Pergamon on the coast of Asia Minor. When the Gauls made land on Lesbos the natives could offer little resitance, and the island was sacked with no quarter given.
Tancogleista is reported to have made contact with the Pergamenese leader Philetairos, whom though formally was a subject of the Seleukid king enjoyed much independency, and fearful of Tancogleista´s army, allowed him free passage through his land.
Tancogleista so marched his army through Ionia and Lydia, heading straight for Galatia, a large area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey.
The area was inhabitated by Gauls who had arrived there from the three tribes of the Trocmi, Tolistobogii and Tectosages only some 30 years earlier.
About a decade before Tancogleista´s arrival to Galatia the Gauls had been defeated in battle by the king of Pontus, Ariobarzanes, and forced to pay tribute to him and accept Pontic garrisons on their territory. Resistance had been fierce and many Gauls still opposed the Pontics, now under Ariobarzanes young son and heir Mithridates II. When word of Tancogleista´s approach spread amongst the opressed Galatians it was the final spark to lighten the full rebellion. Pontic garrisons were quickly overrun and by the time Tancogleista arrived he was greeted as saviour by a people who had virtually freed themself.
The Galatian nobles realised that without Tancogleista´s army little would stop Mithridates from utterly destroying them. Therefore Tancogleista was instated as Gallogal Rix, King of the Galatians.
With usual swiftness Tancogleista drow the few remaining Pontic armies out of Galatia, and set about securing his borders.
Apart from the army which had followed him from the Po valley he now had at his command many thousands of inexperienced but eager and fierce Galatians, and the training of these into true soldiers was of high priority. As more Galatians were made ready every day Tancogleista began settling many of the warriors who had followed him so long. The oldest of these could have been veterans of the wars against the Romans and other Gallic tribes, men who would undoubtly be nearing middle age.
These veterans had received enourmous amounts of loot and bounty from the pillage of Makedonia and Greece, and thanks to this wealth most of the veterans could afford to settle down as a sort of new aristocracy, in estates scattered across Galatia with many local slaves to serve them. Truly their years of fighting for Tancogeistla had not gone unrewarded.
Some of the veterans refused to settle down though. This was especially true about the Caturiges, the wild men from the Alps. Typically regarded as savage and a bit daft by other Gauls Tancogleista had treated them with great respect, and two of his closest men were even Caturiges, Meriadoc moc Senaculos and Messianuroc oi Epoe both of whom would later play a prominent part in years to come.
After having gathered an sufficient army and making sure to leave adequate defenses, Tancogleista once more marched his army out to battle. This time he marched straight to Bithynia, in the very northwest of Anatolia. Here too the Pontics had prevailed, and subdued both the local Greek city-states and Thrakian tribes.
As for of Tancogleista´s approach spread the Pontic garrisons retreated to Pontos proper, and apart from some skirmishes with remaining Pontics and some of the local mountain tribes and Thracians the conquest of Bithynia went without bloodshed. Tancogleista had plans to settle his Gallic warriors in Bithynia and drive the Greeks and Thracians out of the country, but towards the end of 245 BC Tancogleista finally succumbed to old age. Records of his age vary but the most accepted is that he was somewhere in his seventies or eighties.
Tancogleista had lived an extraordinarily dramatic life, and perhaps more than any other man since Alexander the Great had affected and changed the entire ancient world. He had played a great part in the unification of Gaul, had defeated the Romans and plundered Umbria and Etruria, subdued Illyria, sacked Makedonia and Greece and established a Gallic kingdom in the middle of Asia that would stand for over a century.
It is now prudent to take a short break from events in Galatia and take a look at events back in Gaul. Old Malac had in all but name become king and leader of the council of nobles that led the Aedui, with Tancogleista too far away to adequately exercise his rule.
The Gauls had remained a strong position in the Po Valley and their conducted regular raids into Roman territory which still struggled after Tancogleista´s crippling invasion.
Their allies the Ligurians had extended their territory many miles south, finally being united under the strong king Iccios of the Apuani who even expanded as far south as Pisae, but always remaining sure to honour the Aedui.
Many tribes of the Alps, including the mighty Helvetii, were also subdued during this time.
After many years of aggression and siege the great Greek city of Massalia in southern Greek also finally fell to the Gauls commanded by Malac, according to legend on the same day as the Athens fell.
Malac was decidedly more lenient however, and allowed the Greeks to live on virtually uninterrupted, provided they provided their services to the Gauls when required and accepted the leadership of a local noble, Tregemlos of the Vocontii, who was supportedly both very respected amongst the local Greek and Gallic community, as well loyal to the Aedui.
Around this time the Gauls in negotiations with the Romans also began presenting themselves as conquerors of the Pretani, suspected to refer to the inhabitants of southern England. Some evidence exist to suggest that the Aedui did indeed around this time invade southern England, though it is far from universally accepted.
Sometime around the time of Tancogleista´s death Malac too succumbed to old age. Word travelled slow from Asia to Gaul, but eventually news of Tancogleista´s death was recieved by the council of nobles and a new Vergobret was decided upon, the Allobroge Morbo moc Cogudubnos. Cogudubnos had long been a prominent member of the council but had proven his military skills in campaigns against the Helvetii and the Vindelici.
He immediately began a campaign against the Raetians in the central alps. Within lnog these had been subdued and Cogudubnos according to Roman historians began a long tour of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyria, which culminated in an invasion of Pannonia. The extent of these campaigns is unknown, but it appears that Pannonia was mosty conquered and put under much stricter Aedui control then Illyria. The Celtic tribes of Pannonia seems to have been greatly favoured by Cugudubnos and assisted in suppresing the mainly Illyrian tribes in the south of the country.
Before we return to events in Asia it is perhaps prudent to take a look at events that had occured in the rest of the world that effected the Aedui Confederacy.
North and east of the Gauls the Germans had experienced a similar unification under the tribe of Sweboz, though very little is known of the exact extent of this new confederacy as few stories from the distant lands of Germania ever reached Rome and Greece.
On Sicilia the Carthaginians had taken advantage of both Rome and Greece severely weakened state and finally conquered the great city of Syrakousai and subdued the rest of the island. After this they had crossed the strait of Messina into Brettia and begun a long war against the Romans in southern Italy. Many Greek cities sided with the Carthaginians in an attempt to regain their former freedom, but the war eventually evolved into a stalemate with the carthaginians unable to expand much outside of Magna Graecia and the Romans unable to drive them out of Italy.
Perhaps the most dramatic expansion besides that of the Aedui had occured further in the east. A confederacy of Sarmatian tribes from the European steppes had expanded to include first all the Sarmatiand and Scythian tribes, and from there they had expanded in almost every direction. The Greek cities of the Cimmerian Bosporus were subjugated and a large-scale invasion of the Caucascus was mostly successful, destroying both the Iberiand and Hai kingdom and even expanding all the way into the north-east of Anatolia.
On the other side of the Pontos Euxine the Sarmatians had invaded Getia. What had started simply as large raids against the Thrakian tribes eventually evolved into full migration of Mikra Skythia and Getia, driving the Getians before them.
After Tancogleista had left Greece for Asia the Epeirotes under Ptolemaios had as planned taken advantage of the situation and taken control of much of the charred remains. Epeiros was now the unopposed ruler of the entire Balkans.
After Tancogleista´s death his second-in-command Meriadoc moc Sennaculos of the Caturige took over his command. Meriadoc had no plans to settle Gallic warriors in Bithynia and was satisfied with assuring the obedience of the Greek cities and Thracian tribes rather then drive them out.
Before long the Gauls moved again, this time south into Ionia. Meriadoc ignored most of Greek smaller colonies and headed straight for the great city of Pergamon which Tancogleista had been allowed to pass by unharrassed.
Meriadoc had no such peaceful intentions, and after defeating the Pergamenese army a few miles from the city itself Pergamon surrendered and opened its gates. Once again Meriadoc had no plans of occupation and simply instated a loyal council to rule the city and ordered the remains of the Pergamense army to subude any resisting Greek cities along the Ionian coast, whereafter Meriadoc left with his army for Galatia.
On the way there they passed through Phrygia which was under control of the Arche Seleukeia. The Seleukids felt threatened by the appearance of a powerful and aggresive kingdom in the middle of what they considered to be their own territory and engaged Meriadoc in battle.
Few details remain from the battle itself, but the strength of the forces involved has been preserved in great detail.
The Gallic army consisted of approximately 11 000 men, most newly raised Galatian levies but some remaining Caturige veterans from Tancogleista´s campaigns.
The Seleukids were commanded by Basileus Seleucus II Pogon´s nephew Sarpedon, satrap of Asia Minor. Under his command he had an elite army of some 8 000 men, mostly disciplined soldiers from the Phrygian and Sardians colonies, but also some elite archers from Syria.
As the battle commenced Sarpedon himself was killed almost instantly after having been lured into an ambush by some Galatian cavalry, and the Seleukid army was left leaderless. The battle continued to rage for hours but the evntual outcome was never at question, and the Gauls surrounded the immobile phalanxes abd slowly but surely cut them down.
Only a few hundred Seleukids survived while the Gauls are supposed to have lost almost 3 000 men, a huge percentage for a winning army in antiquity.
After the battle Meriadoc continued through Phrygia to Galatia where he raised yet another army and began preparing defensive fortifications across the land to prepare for the inevitable Seleukid attack.
The End
The world in 244 BC (the year of Pergamons fall):
https://i232.photobucket.com/albums/...o/244Aedui.jpg
