Dumnorix

Who is Dumnorix?

Dumnorix was a chieftain of the Aedui, a Celtic tribe in Gaul in the 1st century B.C. He was the younger brother of Diviciacus, the Aedui Druid and statesmen. The Aedui were allies of Rome, but Dumnorix was a leader of the tribe’s anti-Roman faction, who “…thought it better to be dominated by their fellow Gauls… rather than the Romans.”

In the years preceding Julius Caesar’s governorship of Transalpine Gaul the Helvetii tribe planned a great migration from northeast Gaul to western Gaul. Orgetorix, a prominent Helvetii chieftain, conspired with Dumnorix, and Casticus of the Sequani to make themselves kings in their own tribes. Then by their combined power rule all of Gaul in a Gallic version of the triumvirate. To strengthen the alliance Orgetorix married his daughter to Dumnorix. However, the conspiracy was discovered and Orgetorix died a short time after amid rumors of suicide. Dumnorix used his influence to persuade the Sequani to allow the Helvetii to migrate through their territory.

Upon arriving in Gaul in 58 BC Caesar opposed the migration militarily. He built fortifications at Lake Geneva and either requested or demanded that the Aedui, who had been named friend and ally of Rome, supply his soldiers with grain. Dumnorix was very popular and had a large contingent of person retainers. He used his influence to delay the grain supply. Caesar forced the Helvetii to take an alternate path, then inflicted a devastating defeat on the tribe at the Battle of the Arar.