Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae
“Of all these, the bravest are the Belgae.”
Caesar, De bello Gallico 1.1
What does “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae” mean?
Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae translates as “Of all these, the bravest are the Belgae.”
Caesar ranked the Belgae as the toughest of the Gallic peoples. Today Belgians quote it with pride, and others use it as a compliment to the people of Belgium.
“Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Horum | of these | genitive plural masculine of hic, haec, hoc, “this”; here “of these (peoples)” |
| omnium | of all | genitive plural of omnis, “all”; agrees with horum |
| fortissimi | the bravest | nominative plural masculine superlative of fortis, “brave”; in agreement with Belgae |
| sunt | are | third person plural present indicative of sum, “I am” |
| Belgae | the Belgae | nominative plural of Belga (masculine, first declension), “a Belgian”; the subject of the sentence |
How to pronounce “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae”
The differences are in Belgae: classical has a hard g and ae as in “eye”, church Latin has a soft g (j) and ae as in “eh”. Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable of fortissimi and on the first syllable of Belgae.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “Of these all the bravest are the Belgae”, which in normal English order is “Of all these, the bravest are the Belgae”. It is a sentence from the very start of Julius Caesar’s account of his campaigns in Gaul.
Caesar opens De bello Gallico by dividing Gaul into three parts, inhabited by the Belgae, the Aquitani and the Celts (called Galli in Latin). He then compares the three peoples, and the Belgae come out as the toughest.
He explains this by their distance from the refinement of the Roman province and by their constant fighting with the Germans across the Rhine. Today the sentence is a favourite among Belgians, who quote it with some pride, even though the Belgae of Caesar’s day covered a wider area than modern Belgium.
How to use “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae”
Fits a Belgian sports banner, a supporters’ chant or a toast at a Belgian gathering. It also works as a light-hearted compliment to a Belgian friend, or as an opening quote for an essay on Caesar or Roman Gaul.
- Latin
- Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae
- English
- Of all these, the bravest are the Belgae.
- Source
- Caesar, De bello Gallico 1.1
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Courage
Common mistakes
- It is not a compliment to modern Belgium from Caesar. He meant the Belgae, a group of tribes in northern Gaul, not the country, which did not exist until 1830.
- The line is often shortened to “Fortissimi sunt Belgae”. This is the same sentence with the first words dropped, but then “of all these” is lost and it sounds like an absolute claim.
- The quote is sometimes taken to mean that Caesar thought the Belgae were the bravest of all peoples. He says they are the bravest of the Gallic peoples he has just listed.
- Belgae is plural. For one person you would write Belga, and the verb becomes est: “fortissimus est Belga”.
Questions about “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae”
What does “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae” mean?
It means “Of all these, the bravest are the Belgae”. Julius Caesar wrote it about the peoples of Gaul, and the Belgae are the ones he singles out for courage.
Who said “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae”?
Julius Caesar wrote it in De bello Gallico, Book 1, chapter 1. It is part of his description of Gaul and its peoples.
How do you pronounce “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae”?
In classical Latin: HOH-room OM-nee-oom for-TIS-sih-mee soont BEL-gye. In church Latin the end changes to BEL-jeh.
Did Caesar mean the people of modern Belgium?
Not exactly. The Belgae were a group of tribes living in the north of Gaul, in an area that covers modern Belgium but also reaches into northern France and beyond.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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