Editing Gallic Wars (section)

===51 and 50&nbsp;BC: Pacification of the last Gauls===
[[File:Gaule -51.png|alt=Map centered on France. Most of south and central France has been conquered, though some holdouts remain.|left|thumb|Campaign map of 51 BC. The last major revolts are put down, and mop-up operations occur in the southwest.]]
The spring of 51&nbsp;BC saw the legions campaign among the Belgic tribes to snuff out any thoughts of an uprising, and the Romans achieved peace. But two chiefs in southwest Gaul, [[Drappes]] and [[Lucterius]], remained openly hostile to the Romans and had fortified the formidable [[Cadurci]] ''oppidum'' of [[Uxellodunum]]. [[Gaius Caninius Rebilus (consul 45 BC)|Gaius Caninius Rebilus]] surrounded the ''oppidum'' and set the [[siege of Uxellodunum]], focusing on building a series of camps, a [[circumvallation]], and disrupting Gallic access to water. A series of tunnels (of which archeological evidence has been found) were dug to the spring that fed the city. The Gauls attempted to burn down the Roman siege works, but to no avail. Eventually, the Roman tunnels reached the spring and diverted the water supply. Not realizing the Roman action, the Gauls believed the spring going dry was a sign from the Gods and surrendered. Caesar chose not to slaughter the defenders, and instead just cut off their hands as an example.{{Sfn|Gilliver|2003|pp=60–65}}

The legions were again wintered in Gaul, but little unrest occurred. All of the tribes had surrendered to the Romans, and little campaigning took place in 50&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Gilliver|2003|pp=60–65}}

==== Caesar victorious ====
In the span of eight years, Caesar had conquered all of Gaul and part of Britain. He had become fabulously wealthy and achieved a legendary reputation. The Gallic Wars provided enough gravitas to Caesar that subsequently he was able to wage [[Caesar's Civil War|a civil war]] and declare himself dictator, in a series of events that would eventually lead to the end of the Roman Republic.{{Sfn|Gilliver|2003|pp=83–88}}
[[File:Gaule -50.png|alt=Map of France, now all of France and the low countries are shaded yellow, conquered fully by Rome.|left|thumb|Gaul in 50 BC: fully conquered.]]
The Gallic Wars lack a clear end date. Legions continued to be active in Gaul through 50 BC, when [[Aulus Hirtius]] took over the writing of Caesar's reports on the war. The campaigns might have continued into Germanic lands, if not for the impending Roman civil war. The legions in Gaul were eventually pulled out in 50&nbsp;BC as the civil war drew near, for Caesar would need them to defeat his enemies in Rome. The Gauls had not been entirely subjugated and were not yet a formal part of the empire. But that task was not Caesar's, and he left that to his successors. Gaul would not be [[Roman Gaul|made formally into Roman provinces]] until the reign of [[Augustus]] in 27&nbsp;BC. Several rebellions happened subsequently, and Roman troops were kept stationed throughout Gaul. Historian Gilliver thinks there could have been unrest in the region as late as 70&nbsp;AD, but not to the level of Vercingetorix's revolt.{{Sfn|Gilliver|2003|pp=83–88}}

The conquest of Gaul marked the beginning of almost five centuries of Roman rule, which would have profound cultural and historical impacts. Roman rule brought with it Latin, the language of the Romans. This would evolve into [[Old French]], giving the modern French language its Latin roots.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Morcos|first=Hannah|date=|title=The French language before 1200|url=https://www.bl.uk/medieval-english-french-manuscripts/articles/the-french-language-before-1200|access-date=2021-08-29|website=British Library}}</ref> Conquering Gaul enabled further expansion of the Empire into Northwestern Europe. [[Augustus]] would push into Germania and reach the [[Elbe]], though settled on the Rhine as the imperial border following the disastrous [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Battle of the Teutoburg Forest {{!}} Summary, Facts, & Significance|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Teutoburg-Forest|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> In addition to facilitating the conquest of parts of Germania, the [[Roman conquest of Britain]] led in 43 AD by [[Claudius]] also built on Caesar's invasions.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-07|title=Roman Conquest of Britain: Caesar's Expedition to Hadrian's Wall|url=https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/roman-conquest-of-britain-caesars-expedition-to-hadrians-wall/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=The Great Courses Daily}}</ref> The Roman hegemony would last, with only [[Gallic Empire|one interruption]], until the [[Crossing of the Rhine]] in 406 AD.{{sfn|Heather|2009|pp=3–29}}{{sfn|Time-Life|1988|p=38}}