The Battle of Bruxalium was a major battle of the Gallic Wars which was fought between the Roman general Julius Caesar and the Germanic Suebi tribe in 57 BC, 12 miles northeast of present-day Karlsruhe in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Caesar's army was attacked by a larger Suebian army in the Black Forest, but Caesar crushed the Suebians before chasing down and annihilating their army's remnants, forcing the Suebians to sue for peace.
Background[]
Following the Battle of Noviomagus in the winter months of early 57 BC, the Germanic Suebi tribe had lost its last territories in Gaul to the Roman Republic, whose general Julius Caesar was determined to prevent Germanic hordes from once again threatening Rome. The Suebians sued for peace in the weeks following this disaster, but Caesar rejected their peace offer, as he intended to cross the Rhine and advance on their capital of Uburzis (Wurzbrg). In the spring of 57 BC, however, Caesar's scouts detected a large Suebian army led by Ivo marching through the Silva Negra (Black Forest), threatening Rome's recently-conquered lands in eastern Gaul. Caesar marched southeast from Noviomagus (Speyer), crossing over to the right bank of the Rhine and entering the Black Forest in pursuit of the Suebi. However, Ivo decided to attack first, moving his army into battle with the Romans at Bruxalium in present-day Baden-Wurttemberg.
Battle[]
The Roman Legio II Iovia, by then, consisted of five full-strength cohorts of veteran legionaries, bolstered by auxiliaries from Rome's Celtic and newly-acquired Germanic subjects; the Celts provided skirmishers, cavalry, mercenary "naked swords", and short swords, while the Germans provided clubmen. Meanwhile, the Suebian army consisted mostly of spearmen and swordsmen, with a small contingent of skirmishers and a troop of light cavalry. The Roman army deployed itself on a ridge, with their siege weapons being positioned on a hilltop on the Roman right flank, and their skirmishers being deployed in front of their long battle line of Roman soldiers and allies. The Romans were barely able to form their battle lines before the Suebians charged into battle, and the Roman skirmishers loosed a volley of projectiles against the Suebians before withdrawing behind the safety of the legionaries' shields. The Romans and their allies proceeded to charge into battle, with the fierce, yet unarmored Germanic warriors facing foes equipped with shields, swords, and armor. The battle played out similar to the earlier battle at Noviomagus, as Rome's "barbarian" allies suffered the brunt of their army's losses; the Gallic short swords and the Germanic club levies suffered heavy losses, while the Roman legionaries, Celtic skirmishers, naked swords, and cavalry's losses were much lighter. The Germans, meanwhile, suffered heavy losses, with only 413 Germans surviving the defeat of their 2,920-strong army. The Romans pursued Chlothar's remaining Germans and massacred them in a battle which cost the Romans just 96 men.
Aftermath[]
The Roman victory over the Germans at Bruxalium annihilated another major Suebian army, further demoralizing the Germans. In late spring, Caesar marched north to Noviomagus and decided to march on the Suebian capital of Uburzis, aiming to bring an end to the Germanic threat. However, his scouts' discovery of a Suebian army preparing an invasion of eastern Gaul to the south led to Caesar halting at Mudau (25 miles northeast of Heidelberg). He then offered the Suebi tribe a peace treaty, and the Suebi, in no mood to risk the loss of another batch of its warriors to the Roman army, readily accepted. Caesar withdrew to Noviomagus as the Suebian army in the Black Forest withdrew towards Uburzis, and Caesar was thus able to prepare a campaign against the Belgic tribes of northern Gaul and drive towards the English Channel.