Viriatus, leader of the Lusitanians against Rome

In the second half of the second century BC, Viriatus was born, a Lusitanian leader who led an uprising against the Romans, called the Lusitanian War. Lusitanians lived on the Iberian Peninsula, according to modern scientific ideas, this is the indigenous population of the Iberian Peninsula before the arrival of the Celts, the Portuguese consider them their ancestors. Nothing is known about Viriath's early life, except that he was a shepherd. When the ancient Roman commander Servius Galba ordered the killing of 8,000 Lusitanians during negotiations, Viriatus managed to hide in the mountains.

In the 150s BC, revolts broke out in the territory of modern Spain and Portugal, which were repeatedly suppressed by the Romans. In 149 BC, Viriatus joined the resistance and led an army against the Praetor Gaius Vetilius. The Lusitanians had so far avoided engaging the Roman legions in open combat until Viriatus had managed to gather enough men for a general battle. The Lusitanian leader had the advantage: as the two legions passed in a long line through a crevice in the mountains, Viriathus gave the order to attack the enemy. The Romans were defeated, and Gaius Vetilius was killed.

Thanks to the brilliant victory, Viriat's popularity increased. The ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote about him, mentioning his luxurious wedding, which probably took place in 145 BC or a little later. During these years, Viriatus participated in several battles against the Romans, winning victories over them, until he was stopped by Fabius Aemilianus. In 141 BC, Rome finally recognized the independence of the Lusitanians, but a few years later the peace treaty was broken, and Viriatus was treacherously killed by traitors who were bribed by Quintus Caepio and Marcus Pompilius. Thanks to this event, Rome was able to conquer the territory that later became the Roman province of Lusitania.