With a shared cultural background and, at times, goals that were aligned, co-operation between Gallic tribes was common. Many of the larger ones were owed fealty by their clients, often because of blood ties, conquest, or in exchange for protection or wealth. This co-operation could be fragile, however, especially in the face of enemies such as Rome or the Germanic tribes. When the Arverni allied with the Sequani and the Germanic Suebi to crush their rivals, the Rome-backed Aedui, the Arverni had no qualms leaving their allies to bear the brunt of the growing Suebian demands for land east of the Rhine.
