Nerviens

The Nerviens were one of the Belgian tribes the North-East of Gaulle. They lived in the east of the the Scheldt during the Roman time (to the 1ier century ACN).

Tribe of Germanic or Gallic expression?

The Belgians were regarded as " most quarrelsome of the three " who, according to César, constituted " sa" Gaulle. Having conquered all the territory between the Pyrenees and the Rhine, César created “large Gaulle quite simply”, having received of Rome only one mandate for Gaulle “itself”. He hoped to thus avoid a legal operation on behalf of his enemies in Rome. César begins his report/ratio (war as a Gaulle) by giving a small lesson in geography. What in oneself is unusual already enough for a general. As if Rome were not with the current. According to him, Gaulle included/understood 3 areas: Aquitaine, Gaulle “itself”, and Belgium. He adds that these three areas " are characterized by their laws, custom and habits and language ". That had nevertheless as a consequence that people not Gaulois were integrated into this Gaulle (of which Nerviens).

Germanic origin

In fact, César forever mentioned that Nerviens were the Gallic ones. However it suggests that they belonged to the Belgians of north and mentions a Gaulois witness who said that " the Belgians of north are of origin germanique." Strabon explicitly mentions the Germanic origin of Nerviens. Tacite wrote that Nerviens (and Trévires) " affectionnaient their Germanic origin highly, saying that this noble blood separated them from any similarity the Gallic ones and of the idleness gauloise" (" Germania" par. 28). A commemorative plaque, found in Great Britain, mentions " The first Germanic troop nervienne , 1000 men and equestrian, ordered by… ". There is little doubt: Nerviens were not Gaulois. On the other hand, they formed Celtic part of the world.

Geographical location

The territory nervien included/understood the Belgian modern provinces of the Brabant (Walloon & Flemish), more with north, the province of Antwerp and even more in north, the Dutch province of the the Brabant of North , like in France the southernmost part of the department of North, where is current Bavay and two oppida Celtic: Flaumont-Waudrechies and Estrun. All in north, the banks of the the Rhine were held by the Bataves (Tacit, Strabon). Their neighbors: in the west the Ménapiens, north Batavians, the east the Éburons, the south the Atrebates. César announces well maintained hedges, which carries out us to think that the landscape was similar to the Norman scrap-metal. An area of the Brabant is called still nowadays the Hageland - country of the Haie S - and is at the east of Leuwen.

After their sousmission, their Roman administrative capital (Civitas) was Bavay. At the end of the empire the administration was transferred to Cambrai.

According to César, Nerviens did not consume wine. That does not prevent that they had a regular alcoholic consumption, following the example hydromel. The archaeological sources show well the absence of wine amphoras in the territory nervien of before-conquest whereas there exist particular containers which had to contain alcohol.

The war against César

Helped by the Atrébates, the Viromanduens and of many others Germanic tribes, they almost succeeded in beating Jules César in -57 with at their head BODUOGNAT. This battle was on the river Sabina (Selle). The Aduatiques, another tribe, were moving to join them but could not reach the battle in time. The astute tactics of the Belgians consisted in deluding to it tenth and ninth legion with Labienus towards a false Belgian camp. There, the legionaries started to plunder, according to the practice. Meanwhile, the principal force of Nerviens attacked the remainder of the army of César which was building a camp the Roman army, surprised, was very quickly encircled. The tactics failed when the general (Légate) Labienus realized of the danger, and decided to join César. One hour moreover, and the Belgians would have been victorious.

After this battle, the majority of the Belgian tribes went (according to César), except Nerviens which continued to harass the Roman convoys.

Jules César worked out a plan aiming at exploiting the absence of cavalry at Nerviens, which apparently succeeds. Nerviens were decimated by the Romans and they ended up asking the armistice. According to César, the situation was such as their army of 60.000 men was reduced to 500 and them 600 senators to 3.

Actually one can estimate that their army did not count more than 15.000 men, that is to say 7% of the total population. The Belgian auxiliary tribes were to count some 8.000 men in all. The majority of the Belgians were badly armed militiamans. With the battle of the Sabine, the army " belge" of number by the Roman army was seriously exceeded (± 40.000 men and all professionals). The number of victims nerviennes can be estimated at 10%, that is to say 1.500 men. At that time, it was a very traditional figure as for the victims during a battle.

It seems that Jules César, granted peace requested to them and ordered with their neighbors to show them any rancour. In the same way, It is probable that a party of Nerviens overcome joined later Eburons in their fight against César.

After being become part of the Roman empire, Nerviens will be useful in the Roman army. They were gathered in Cohorte S nerviennes. These troops were useful along the Rhine and the Hadrian's Wall in (Large) Brittany. According to Tacite they was troops of elite.

Extracts of the war of Gaules

“ It (César) went against the Ambiens, which reflect at once their people and their goods with his discretion. With the territory of the latter that of Nerviens touched. César got informed of the character and manners of these people, and learned that on their premises any access was interdict with the foreign merchants; that they proscribed the use of the wine and other superfluities, looking them like clean to irritate their hearts and to soften courage; That they was cruel and intrepid men; that they bitterly showed the other Belgians to be given the Roman people and to have degenerated of the value of their fathers; that they had solved not to send any deputy, and not to accept any peace proposal . ”

“ After this battle, where the race and the name of Nerviens were almost entirely destroyed, the old men, whom we have says to be ourselves withdrawn in the middle of the marshes with the children and the women, educated of this disaster, not seeing more obstacles for the winners nor of safety for overcome, on the unanimous opinion of those who survived the battle, sent deputies to César and went to him. Pointing out the misfortune of their country, they said that the number of their senators was reduced of six hundreds to three only, and that of sixty thousand statesmen to carry the weapons, there remained about it hardly five hundreds. César wanted to use of leniency towards these unfortunate begging, provided carefully for their conservation, returned their territory and their cities, and enjoignit with the close people to them to allow themselves towards them and not to suffer that it to them was made any insult nor no evil . ”

Bibliography (and external references)

Jules César the war of Gaules source: BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA SELECTED
B. and R. Delmaire, Them, limits of the city of Atrébates (new approach of an old problem) , in Revue of North, 1990, p. 697-735: for the Western border of Nerviens.

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