Battle of Vercellae
Near Vercellae, Northern Italy (exact site debated)
What happened
The Roman consul Gaius Marius and the proconsul Quintus Lutatius Catulus, with Lucius Cornelius Sulla commanding cavalry, faced Boiorix, king of the Cimbri. The Cimbri, a migrating people, wanted land to settle on, and Marius refused. Marius chose an open plain, the Raudine Plain near Vercellae, and met with Boiorix to agree on a time and place to fight. The Romans won.
Why it matters
Result: Roman victory. Leaders: Gaius Marius / Quintus Lutatius Catulus against Boiorix / Lugius. Why it matters: It ended the Cimbrian War, which had begun with a mass migration in 113 BCE. Sulla's role in the victory raised his prestige, and the end of the war saw the start of a growing rivalry between him and Marius. In 88 BCE Sulla led his troops into the city of Rome itself.
What came next
Right after the battle, Marius gave Roman citizenship to some of his Italian allied soldiers without asking the Senate first. Marius and Catulus argued over who deserved the most credit, and in the end they held a joint triumph.
Did you know?
The news of the victory was brought to Rome by Marius's brother-in-law Gaius Julius Caesar, the father of the famous Julius Caesar.
Timeline
- 113 BCEThe Cimbri and their allies defeat a Roman army at Noreia.
- 105 BCETwo quarreling Roman armies are defeated at Arausio, among the heaviest Roman losses since Cannae.
- 104 BCEMarius begins a run of five consulships in a row to face the threat.
- 102 BCEMarius defeats the Teutons and Ambrones at Aquae Sextiae.
- 30 July 101 BCEMarius and Catulus defeat the Cimbri at Vercellae.