How was the government system in Gaul?

[Alanus]

Vercingetorix could probably be more closely equated to General Eisenhower in WW2 when he was appointed "Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe". Vercingetorix oversaw and lead a confederation of Clans as "war leader" but didn't have the authority to rule them as a king would.

The main difference in my analogy is that Vercingetorix was also Chieftain of his clan while Eisenhower didn't (at that time) hold a political position. In fact that was probably the biggest issue delaying Vercingetorix's acceptance; the other clans had to balance accepting him as "war leader" while making sure they would retain the leadership of their chosen Chieftains.

Hi Gobae,

You hit the proper meaning of Vercigetorix. Here is a breakdown of the name according to the Thesaurus Linguae Gallae:

ver/uer = distinguished, peerless
cingeto = warrior
rix = king

This would be the same as a modern commander of allied troop operations. He had "generals" under him, such as Vercassivellaunus and two members of the Aedui; and evidently he could not make decisions without a councilliar vote. In this respect, his hands were frozen... perhaps one of the reasons they lost the war. :roll:

When it comes to the authority of Gallic kingships, they had to follow tribal rules, perhaps different within each tribe. The father of Vercingetorix was killed for trying to make himself the king of the Arverni; and I think this gives us an idea of the supreme power held by the magistracy and tribal council... along with the druids.