By the time of Caesar’s incursions into Gaul, councils of elders and annually elected magistrates or chiefs governed many Gallic tribes, especially in the southern part of the region. This system developed naturally from the courts of the Celtic kings, but in some tribes the ancient traditions of king-like war chiefs continued. Effectively sole dictators of their tribes, such men surrounded themselves with retainers, dependents, and debtors. Orgetorix of the Helvetii, when brought to trial by his own people, brought a retinue of 10,000 to his hearing, enough to intimidate his opponents and bring the proceedings to an end.
