chiefdom · France and the Low Countries

Carnutes

300 BCE – 51 BCE (approx.) · capital Cenabum

Gallic people of the middle Loire, whose land held the annual assembly of the druids and whose massacre at Cenabum began the revolt of 52 BCE.

Origins

The Carnutes lived between the Seine and the Loire, around Autricum (Chartres) and Cenabum (Orléans). Caesar reports that their territory was considered the centre of all Gaul, where the druids met each year in a sacred place to judge disputes.

Rule and society

They were ruled by a nobility, and Caesar installed Tasgetius as their king, but he was murdered in 54 BCE. Cenabum, on the Loire, was a busy trading town where Roman merchants lived.

Decline and legacy

In early 52 BCE the Carnutes killed the Roman traders at Cenabum, the signal for the revolt of Vercingetorix. Caesar sacked the town and in 51 BCE executed their leader Gutuater. Under Rome Autricum became Chartres and Cenabum was refounded as Aurelianum, later Orléans.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Carnutes. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/carnutes
MLA
“Carnutes.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/carnutes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Carnutes.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/carnutes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Carnutes’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/carnutes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻