Cativolcus

The Gaulish personal name Catu-uolcos ('war-Wolf, battle-Wolves') is a compound formed with the stem catu- ('battle') attached to uolcos ('battle, wolf'). The Eburonian name has an exact parallel in the Middle Welsh cadwalch ('hero, champion, warrior'), both stemming from a Proto-Celtic form *katuwolkos. It is cognate with the Gaulish ethnonym Volcae.

Little of Cativolcus's life before the Gallic Wars is known. In 58 BC, Julius Caesar would begin his conquest of Gaul and the following year, his forces would invade and occupy the lands of the Belgae, a confederation of tribes who resided in northern Gaul between the English Channel, the west bank of the Rhine, and the north bank of the Seine. Among the Belgic tribes were the Eburones to which Cativolcus belonged.

Revolt of the Eburones (54-53 BC)

Upon returning from his second invasion of Britain in late 54 BC, Caesar would send 15 cohorts commanded by Quintus Titurius Sabinus and Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta to winter in Atuatuca among the Eburones who were co-ruled by Catuvolcus and Ambiorix. According to Caesar, Ambiorix and Catuvolcus would receive messages from Indutiomarus of the Treveri encouraging them to revolt. About a fortnight later, Ambiorix would lead an attack on the Roman camp that would be repulsed before meeting with Cotta and Sabinus where he claimed that he'd been forced to go to war by his people and that a large German force was moving to cross the Rhine. As Cotta and Sabinus moved to meet the alleged threat, Belgic forces led by Ambiorix would ambush them, massacring the Roman force and killing both.

Over the winter, Caesar would rebuild his forces and launch a new campaign to pacify the Belgae. Following punitive campaigns against Ambiorix's allies among the Menapii, the Nervii, and the Suebi, the Romans would devastate the Eburones with Lucius Minucius Basilus scattering Ambiorix's men with a cavalry attack that struck before the Gauls had time to assemble. Caesar claims that following this defeat, Cativolcus committed suicide by either hanging himself from a yew tree or drinking the tree's poison as he was too old to endure the effort of retreat or further conflict, and that he did so while cursing Ambiorix for instigating the revolt.