The Battle of Morbihan was a naval confrontation which opposed in -56 the Roman fleet to that of the Vénètes.
Causes of conflict
The revolt broke out, while Julius Caesar, who was in Ravenna, believed Gaul had been pacified. Publius Crassus was at the time the commander of the Roman legions of Armorica. The latter had sent prefects and military tribunes to the various peoples in order to collect wheat. It was then that the Veneti captured the tribunes Quintus Velanius and Titus Sillius. For their part, the allies of the Veneti seized Marcus Trebius Gallus and Titus Terrasidus and this was the signal for revolt. The Celts then sent an embassy to Publius Crassus, demanding the release of the hostages they had had to deliver in exchange for the release of the Roman officers. The causes of this revolt were undoubtedly that the Venetians, who were the most powerful maritime Gallic people, took a dim view of the growing domination of the Romans and feared that they would compete with their maritime power.
First fruits of the battle
Caesar, during these events, was in Ravenna. Once warned by Publius Crassus, he came running and ordered the construction of a fleet. Indeed the Veneti had supplied themselves with food and had entrenched themselves in their fortresses located in the swamps. They also made sure of the alliance of Osismes, Namnètes, Ambiliates, Morins, Lexovii, Diablintes and Ménapiens, they also received help from the island of Brittany. Faced with the impossibility, for the Romans, of attacking the fortresses because of the marshes, the only solution was an attack by sea. The construction of the ships took place on the banks of the Loire, on the lands of the Pictons, allies of the Romans. Although Caesar quickly seized a few Armorican towns, he quickly realized that he could only put an end to the revolt by destroying the Veneti.
Celtic ships
According to Caesar, the Venetian ships were superior to those of the Romans:their hulls were flatter and were therefore more adapted to shallows and ebbs. The bows and sterns were very raised which allowed them to sail more easily in heavy weather and stormy weather. Boats were made of wood, anchors were held on by chains, and sails were made from skins. In addition, they were larger and more massive than the Roman ships and their hulls were so strong that they perfectly resisted their ramming. Their edges were also higher, which protected the soldiers from the shots of the Romans, who themselves were in a vulnerable position, finally these high edges made it difficult for the enemy to board.
Roman ships
The only advantage of Roman ships over Venetian ships was that they were faster and more manageable thanks to their oars, the sails being little used. However, these ships were especially effective on calm seas and did not tolerate storms well.
Battle progress
When the Roman ships were built, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus took command and led the fleet towards the land of the Veneti. But, on the road, the Romans were surprised by the Celts near Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. At first, thanks to the superiority of their ships, the Celts had the advantage. Several Roman ships were sunk. The latter then tried to trick and tried, thanks to sickles fixed on poles to cut the ropes of the enemy ships. This ruse made it possible to neutralize some ships but it was insufficient to achieve victory. Moreover, the Romans, who had not considered an overall tactic for the battle, were beginning to consider retreat when all of a sudden the wind dropped and the Celtic ships that only sailed by sail found themselves immobilized. The Romans counter-attacked and destroyed the Venetian ships one by one, very few were able to escape. The battle lasted 8 hours and ended at midnight with the destruction of the Celtic fleet.
Consequences
Once their fleet was destroyed, the Celts no longer had the means to fight and surrendered. Caesar, the winner then had all the members of the Venetian Senate executed, the rest of the population was deported and reduced to slavery.