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TheCondrusi were an ancientBelgic-Germanic tribe dwelling in what is now easternBelgium during theGallic Wars (58–50 BC) and theRoman period.[1] Their ethnic identity remains uncertain.Caesar described them as part of theGermani Cisrhenani, but their tribal name is probably of Celtic origin.[2][3][4] Like other Germani Cisrhenani tribes, it is possible that their old Germanicendonym came to be abandoned after a tribal reorganization, that they received their names from their Celtic neighbours, or else that they were fully or partially assimilated into Celtic culture at the time of the Roman invasion of the region in 57 BC.[5]
They are mentioned asCondrusi byCaesar (mid-1st c. BC),[6] and asCondurses byOrosius (early 5th century AD).[7][8]
The meaning of the nameCondrusi remains unclear. The prefix is most likely theGaulishcon-/com- ('with, together, as well') and the element-drūs- is also generally regarded as Celtic, although its meaning is unknown.[2][3][4]
TheCondroz region, attested asPagus Condrustis on an inscription dated 150–160 AD,[9] and aspagus Condrustus in medieval documents, is named after the Germanic tribe.[10][11]
Whether the Condrusi actually spoke aGermanic language remains uncertain. From their tribal name, we know that they were influenced by Celtic languages.[12]
Contemporary reports by Julius Caesar (who classify them asGermani Cisrhenani) andTacitus (who describes the Germani Cisrhenani as the first calledGermani) state that they were also heavily influenced byGermanic peoples on the east of theRhine river.[13]
The Condrusi probably dwelt in theCondroz region,[4] an area of foothills situated northwest of theArdennes, south and west of theMeuse, southwest ofLiège and southeast ofNamur.[14] Like theSegni, their territory was located between that of theTreveri andEburones.[10][1] At the time ofCaesar's conquest of the region in the mid-1st century BC, they lived as clients of theTreveri.[1] During the Roman period, thePagus Condrustis was one of the subdivisions of thecivitas Tungrorum, foundedc. 10 BC as a Roman military base.[15]
The oldest known definitions of the medievalpagus of Condroz also included the region of neighbouringFamenne. Contrary to the late medievalarchdeaconries of Condroz and Fammene, the early medievalpagus Condrustis did not encompass the deaneries of St Remacle, Hanret, orChimay.[16]
Viradecthis (also attested under the Celtic formVirodactis) was the protector-goddess of the Condrusi. Assimilated with the Roman deity of childbirthLucina, she was honouredc. 200–250 AD at a sanctuary located in Strée (Modave,Condroz),[17] and by a Condrusian soldier serving in the Roman army atHadrian's Wall.[18] Tungrian sailors celebrated her cult inFectio (c. 150–250 AD),[19] and other inscriptions were found further east in theRhineland (Mogontiacum,Kälbertshausen,Trebur).[18]
Several inscriptions were dedicated to theMatris Cantrusteihiae, which seems to mean "mother goddess of the Condrusi (orCondroz)".[4]
Most of what we know about the Condrusi comes fromJulius Caesar's record of his battles in the area, inGallic Wars.
In chapter 2.4 of Caesar's commentaries the Condrusi are specifically listed among theGermani cisrhenani, along with theEburones, theCaeroesi, and thePaemani. At that time, in 57 BC, they were joining an alliance ofBelgic tribes against Caesar.[20] The alliance met with defeat against the Romans at theBattle of the Sabis, but some, including many of theGermani, most notably the Eburones, renewed fighting in 54 BC. Caesar stated that theseGermani cisrhenani had crossed the Rhine long ago to take control of the fertile land on the other side. They mixed with the localBelgae, and Caesar noted that neighbouring Belgae claimed to be partly of Germanic descent also.
The Germani cisrhenani, who included the Condrusi, kept a distinct identity, and a reputation for military strength, because they were the only Gauls who successfully resisted theCimbri andTeutones during their migrations in the second century BC.[20]
In chapter 4.6 Caesar reports that the Condrusi were under the protection of theTreveri along with the Eburones. How this circumstance came about is not known, but their territories were thereby not invaded by theUsipetes andTencteri who had lost their own lands toSuebi and then crossed the Rhine into the lands of theMenapii.[21]
In chapter 6.32 the Condrusi are again mentioned asGermani "on this side of the Rhine" (citra Rhenum), this time along with theSegni (or Segui), as a German tribe claiming not to be involved in the rebellion. Both tribes were reported to live between the Eburones and the Treviri.[22]
After their defeat or capitulation, theGermani cisrhenani became part of thecivitas Tungrorum inRoman province ofGallia Belgica. But this civitas was eventually split out to become part ofGermania Inferior.
An inscription fromBlatobulgium (an outpost fort ofHadrian's Wall in modernScotland) dated 150–160 AD,[9] along with a Roman military diploma giving Condrusus as the ethnic origin of the soldier,[23] show that Gallo-Roman Condrusians served asauxilia within the Roman armies, and could acquire the citizenship at the end of their service.[18]
The name of thepagus Condrustis survived not only into Roman times but into theCarolingian era also, being mentioned as apagus orgau in the early Middle Ages. In this way, the name, like many medieval territorial names, has managed to survive down to the present day, at least as a geographical term.
The earliest medieval attestation was in 747, in a benefaction made byCarloman, son ofCharles Martel, to theAbbey of Stavelot-Malmedy. It was clearly mentioned in theTreaty of Meerssen in 870, where it is called thepagus ofCondrust.[24]
