The Gallic Empire was born from a rebellion in the Roman Empire.
Gallus is a Latin word that came into Spanish as Gaulish . The term has several uses and can be used, depending on the case, as an adjective or as a noun .
The first definition mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to that or that native to Gaul or linked to it. To know what the idea of Gaul refers to, therefore, we must focus on the aforementioned European region.
Gaul
The Romans called Gaul an area of Western Europe that today includes Belgium , France , Ireland , England , Wales , and parts of Italy , Switzerland , the Netherlands , and Germany . The Celtic inhabitants who lived in these lands , in turn, were known as Gauls.
It can be said, then, that the Gauls were the first Celts to live in the aforementioned territory. It is important to note that there was no single uniform set of Gauls, but rather the Gauls were divided into multiple tribes and towns .
Gaul was even segmented by the Romans into several Gauls : Comata Gaul (lands they had not yet conquered), Transalpine Gaul (which extended beyond the Alps ) and Cisalpine Gaul (before crossing the Alps ). . Between 58 and 51 BC , Julius Caesar managed to defeat the Celtic tribes and conquered Gaul Comata and Transalpine Gaul . By the year 27 , Emperor Augustus was responsible for dividing Gaul into four administrations : Gaul Narborense, Gaul Lugdunense , Gaul Belgium and Gaul Aquitania .
The Gallic Empire
The political organization that emerged in the 3rd century as part of a rebellion within the Roman Empire is known as the Gallic Empire . The Gallic Empire came to control Gaul and areas of Britain , Hispania and Germania .
Postumus was, between 260 and 269 , its first emperor. He established the capital of the empire in Cologne (a city that is currently part of Germany ) and, after his assassination, he was succeeded by Marcus Aurelius Marcus . After the death of Postumus , the Gallic Empire ceased to control Britain and Hispania.
Nowadays, the adjective Gallic is often used as a synonym for French.
a celtic language
Until the 5th century , a language referred to as Gaulish was spoken in Gaul . Gaulish integrated the set of continental Celtic languages with Galatian , Lepontic and Celtiberian .
Records of this language were found in plates, coins, ceramics and stones found in France , Belgium , Switzerland , Germany and Italy . Over time, the Vulgar Latin spoken in the Roman Empire ended up displacing Gaulish and leading it to extinction.
The concept of Gaul today
Today the adjective Gallic is used to name anything related to France . Gaul, in this sense, functions as a synonym for French .
It can be said that Paris is the capital of the French territory or that Kylian Mbappé is a French footballer who is among the best players in the world, to mention two possibilities. Likewise, it is possible to affirm that Gallic gastronomy was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO and that cognac is a Gallic brandy valued internationally.