Commius (died 30 BC) was King of the Atrebates tribe of Gaul from 57 to 30 BC.
Biography[]
Commius was born in the present-day Artois region of northern France to the Gallic Atrebates tribe, and, when Julius Caesar conquered the Atrebates in 57 BC, he installed Commius as his puppet ruler. In 55 BC, Caesar sent Commius as an envoy to the Britons to persuade them not to resist him on his arrival in Britannia, but Commius was arrested by the Britons, and he was handed over to the Romans after the Britons were defeated by the Roman invasion force. During Caesar's second invasion, Commius persuaded Cassivellaunus to surrender. Commius remained loyal to Caesar even through the Gallic revolts of 54 BC, leading to Caesar allowing for the Atrebates to remain independent and exempted from taxes, and he also appointed Commius to rule over the Morini. However, in 53 BC, Commius conspired against the Romans in Caesar's absence. Titus Labienus sent soldiers to capture Commius, but he escaped the Roman ambush with a head wound and vowed to never again associate with the Romans. In 52 BC, he joined Vercingetorix's pan-Gallic uprising against Rome, attempting to relieve the Roman siege of Alesia without success. In 51 BC, he returned to his homeland to lead guerrilla warfare against the Roman Army, but he was ultimately forced to surrender to Mark Antony in exchange for receiving a promise to never again meet a Roman. As part of this promise, Commius relocated to Britannia, reigning from present-day Silchester, Hampshire. He was eventually succeeded by his son, also named Commius.