Cenomani

Attributes: | +25% XP Earned in Combat, +10% Speed

The **Cenomani** are a small-medium Gallic faction, located in the Po Valley at the northern edge of the map.

Its starting neighbours are the Insubres, Veneti and North Etruscans. They are the smallest and arguably most difficult Gallic faction to play as in the Unification Sandbox.

### In-game Description

"The Cenomani were one of the first Gallic tribes to appear in Cisalpine Gaul, being second only to the Insubres. Under the leadership of Elitovius, they traversed the Alps and pushed the Etruscans in the area south. From then, they allied with Rome frequently, only rarely coming in conflict with them and assimiliating easily. Their relation, if any, to the Aulerci Cenomani in the north of modern France is unknown."

### Starting Cities

* **Brixia**: Founded sometime prior to the Cenomani invasion of Italy, Brixia (modern Bescia) has been taken by the Cenomani as a major city of theirs, to the point where some refer to the Cenomani as the Brixii. It is thought to have been founded by the Ligurian king Cidnus, and a local hill in Brixia is named Cidneo Hill in honour of him. Cidneo hill would later be the centre of a major medieval castle.
* **Bergomum**: Bergomum, modern Bergamo, was settled around 550 BCE by gauls. It is said to belong to the Cenomani by Ptolemy, though Pliny instead ascribes it to the Orobii, a tribe he thought of as originally being Greek but is nowadays thought of as Ligurians with heavy Gallic influence.
* **Verona**: In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, lie the Cenomani. Its tale predates them by some time, with the city perhaps being founded by the Euganei, the Arusnates, or the Raetians, and would stretch far beyond them; indeed, Verona would flourish in its position on a crossroads after being conquered by Rome in 89 BCE.
* **Mantua**: Birthplace of the poet Virgil and site of Romeo's banishment in Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet, Mantua was an island village alternately controlled by both the Etruscans and Cenomani.

### Historic Starting General

When playing this faction in a sandbox setting, the player may choose to start with the following pre-defined historic general instead of a generic one. These characters usually have far better bonuses than can be obtained with the generic starting generals.

### Strategy

Though the multitude of rivers in the area could theoretically serve as defensible borders if fortified with walled bridges, the rivers have a large amount of crossings that would need to be fortified and it may be easier to simply secure your borders through diplomacy.

All of your neighbours have arguably superior combat bonuses to your own and more starting cities to recruit from, potentially making the early game a slightly uphill fight. It will almost definitely be needed to make a truce with one or two of your neighbours while focusing on conquering the third. The Insubres are the smallest of your neighbours and the most logical option for your first target on paper, but the best initial avenue of expansion may vary depending on randomized factors such as AI vs AI conquest and scripted events pertaining to diplomacy.

### Trivia & History

* The Cenomani were sometimes called the 'Brixii', after their capital city of Brixia.
* Like most Gallic tribes in the region, the Cenomani were possibly related to other tribes existing across the Alps. In the case of the Cenomani, the most likely canditate were the Aulerci who lived in modern Normandy and had a sub-tribe of the same name.
* The Cenomani's date of arrival seems to be unsure, with estimates ranging between the 7th and 5th Centuries BC. Regardless, they seem to have arrived in Italy after the nearby Insubres but before the Senones, Boii and Lingones, incorporating areas previously inhabited by Ligures, Etruscans and Euganei.
* The Cenomani allied with Rome and the nearby Veneti against the Insubres and Boii in the 220s BC and remained faithful to Rome through most of the Second Punic War of 218-203 BC, but did end up allying with Carthaginian remnant forces in northern Italy that continued to resist Rome for a few years after the end of the war. The Cenomani were defeated in 197 BC and were again allies of Rome from then on.
* The faction icon is a horseman. The design closely matches that of engravings on Celtic coins found further east in the Balkan peninsula.