Convictolitavis ('' fl.'' mid-1st century BC) was a prominent member of the Celtic '' civitas'' of the

Haedui The Aedui or Haedui (Gaulish: *''Aiduoi'', 'the Ardent'; grc, Aἴδουοι) were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the modern Burgundy region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. The Aedui had an ambiguous relationship with the Roman Republic a ...

during the

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...

. He played a significant role in the pan- Gallic rebellion of 52 BC, as narrated by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

in Book 7 of his ''

Commentarii de Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; en, Commentaries on the Gallic War, italic=yes), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' ( en, Gallic War, italic=yes), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it C ...

''. In the seventh year of the war, Caesar was surprised by the scope and strength of the resistance mounted by

Vercingetorix Vercingetorix (; Greek: Οὐερκιγγετόριξ; – 46 BC) was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Despite ha ...

, a leader of the neighboring Arverni, who was able to rally a number of Gallic ''civitates'' and tribes in a united effort to halt the Roman conquest of Gaul. Haeduan loyalties during this time appear to have been divided; the Aedui had been allies of Rome and enemies of the Arverni at least since the 120s BC, but Caesar was aware of opposing pro- and anti-Roman factions within the ''civitas'' from the beginning of the war. This division recurs in the disputed Haeduan election for the annual office of

vergobret A ''vergobret'' was a magistrate in ancient Gaul who held the highest office in many Gallic cities, especially among the Aedui. Julius Caesar discusses the role of the vergobret several times in his ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', referring to ...

, which Caesar describes as the chief

magistracy A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cou ...

of the ''civitas''. Two men claimed victory: Convictolitavis and Cotus, whose brother had held the office the previous year. Aeduan law sought to limit the dynastic accumulation of power within a family by prohibiting a man from holding the vergobrecy if a close relative had within a specified period of time. Cotus, whatever the outcome of the vote, should have been ineligible. A Haeduan delegation called in the Roman

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

to mediate. Caesar claims that he did not want to involve himself with an internal political matter, and he could ill afford to turn his attention from Vercingetorix, but the instability of the Haedui and an impending civil war among what had long been Rome's staunchest ally in central Gaul warranted his presence. After reviewing the case and learning that the priests had already ratified the election of Convictolitavis, Caesar rejected the claim of Cotus and hastened back to his army. Having obtained the desired office and Caesar's good graces, Convictolitavis no longer pretended to resist the rebellion. The Aeduan army, led by Litaviccus,According to Caesar, the vercobret was required to remain within Aeduan borders for the duration of his term in office. was supposed to aid the Roman army at the siege of Gergovia, but instead turned against Caesar. Forced to split up his army in order to deal with the approaching Haedui, Caesar lost the siege. Gergovia is noted as one of the few occasions in Gaul when Caesar was unquestionably out-generaled.

References

Celtic warriors Celts Gaulish rulers Barbarian people of the Gallic Wars {{AncientRome-bio-stub