Caratacus / Caractacus
King of the Catuvellauni
"Caractacus before the Emperor Claudius at Rome", 18th century print by an unknown artist (British Museum)
Reign	1st century, to c. The Catuvellauni were a Celtic Belgic tribe or state of south-eastern Britain before the Roman conquest. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. 50 AD
Brythonic	*Caratācos
Greek	Καράτακος / Καρτάκης
Born	c. Year 50 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c 10 AD ?
Birthplace	Probably in Catuvellauni territory
Died	After c. 50 AD
Place of death	Rome
Predecessor	Cunobelinus / Epaticcus
Successor	None (Catuvellauni territory conquered by Claudius)
Father	Cunobelinus
Mother	Unknown

Caratacus (Brythonic *Caratācos, Greek Καράτακος; variants Latin Caractacus, Greek Καρτάκης) was a historical British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who led the British resistance to the Roman conquest. Year 50 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Cunobelinus (also written Kynobellinus, Κυνοβελλίνος in Greek sometimes abbreviated to Cunobelin) (late 1st century BC - 40s AD Epaticcus or Epaticcu (d c AD 35 was a brother of Cunobelinus, king of the Catuvellauni, a tribe of Iron Age Britain. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to Cunobelinus (also written Kynobellinus, Κυνοβελλίνος in Greek sometimes abbreviated to Cunobelin) (late 1st century BC - 40s AD The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. In Britain and Ireland the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non- Romanised The Catuvellauni were a Celtic Belgic tribe or state of south-eastern Britain before the Roman conquest. He may correspond with the legendary Welsh character Caradoc and the legendary British king Arvirargus. Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts Caradoc Vreichvras (more correctly in Welsh, Caradog Freichfras, meaning Caradoc Strong (or Stout Arm) was a semi-legendary ancestor to the kings Arvirargus (or Arviragus) was a legendary and possibly historical British king of the 1st century AD

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Claudian Invasion 1.2 Resistance to Rome 1.3 Captive in Rome 2 Caratacus' name 3 Legend 3.1 Medieval British traditions 3.2 Modern traditions 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links

History

The Claudian Invasion

Caratacus is named by Dio Cassius as a son of the Catuvellaunian king Cunobelinus. Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus ( Greek:) (c 155 or 163/164 to after 229 known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was Cunobelinus (also written Kynobellinus, Κυνοβελλίνος in Greek sometimes abbreviated to Cunobelin) (late 1st century BC - 40s AD ^[1] Based on coin distribution Caratacus appears to have been the protegé of his uncle Epaticcus, who expanded Catuvellaunian power westwards into the territory of the Atrebates. Epaticcus or Epaticcu (d c AD 35 was a brother of Cunobelinus, king of the Catuvellauni, a tribe of Iron Age Britain. The Atrebates (singular Atrebas, meaning "settlers" were a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain before the Roman conquests ^[2] After Epaticcus died ca. 35, the Atrebates, under Verica, regained some of their territory, but it appears Caratacus completed the conquest, as Dio tells us Verica was ousted, fled to Rome and appealed to the emperor Claudius for help. Year 35 was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Verica (early 1st century AD was a British client king of the Roman Empire in the years preceding the Claudian invasion of 43 Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to This was the excuse used by Claudius to launch his invasion of Britain in the Summer of 43. This page refers to the conquest begun in AD 43 For other Roman invasions see Caesar's invasions of Britain and Carausian Revolt. Year 43 was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar.

Cunobelinus had died some time before the invasion. Caratacus and his brother Togodumnus led the initial defence of the country against Aulus Plautius's four legions thought to have been around 40,000 men, primarily using guerrilla tactics. Togodumnus (d AD 43 was a historical king of the British Catuvellauni tribe at the time of the Roman conquest. Aulus Plautius was a Roman politician and general of the mid-1st century For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc They lost much the south-east after being defeated in two crucial battles on the rivers Medway^[3] and Thames. The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Togodumnus was killed and the Catuvellauni's territories were conquered. Claudius was present in August when his legions marched into Camulodunum, the capital of the Catuvellauni ^[4], but Caratacus survived and carried on the resistance further west. Camulodunum is the Roman name for the ancient settlement which is today's Colchester, a town in Essex, England.

Resistance to Rome

We next hear of Caratacus in Tacitus's Annals, leading the Silures and Ordovices of modern Wales against Plautius's successor as governor, Publius Ostorius Scapula. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Annals, or in Latin, Annales, is a history book by Tacitus covering the reign of the four Roman Emperors succeeding The Silures were a powerful and warlike Tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and The Ordovices were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands before the Roman invasion of Britain. This is a partial list of Governors of Roman Britain. As Britannia, Roman Britain was a consular province which means its governors need to be appointed consul by Publius Ostorius Scapula (died 52 was a Roman statesman and general who governed Britain from 47 until his death and was responsible for the defeat and capture of ^[5] Finally, in 51, Scapula managed to defeat Caratacus in a set-piece battle somewhere in Ordovician territory (see the Battle of Caer Caradoc), capturing Caratacus's wife and daughter and receiving the surrender of his brothers. Year 51 was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The Battle of Caer Caradoc was the final battle in Caratacus 's resistance to Roman rule Caratacus himself escaped, and fled north to the lands of the Brigantes (modern Yorkshire where the Brigantian queen, Cartimandua handed him over to the Romans in chains. The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of Northern England and a significant part of the Midlands Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Cartimandua (or Cartismandua, ruled ca 43 - 69) whose name appears to contain the Indo-European element *mandu(a "pony"was a queen of the (This was one of the factors that led to two Brigantian revolts against Cartimandua and her Roman allies, once later in the 50s and once in 69, led by Venutius, who had once been Cartimandua's husband). Note Sometimes the ' 50s is used as shorthand for the 1950s, the 1850s, or other such decades in various centuries Events and Trends 69 (sex position & book by Ryu Murakami are -- already linked by "" with other meanings Venutius was a 1st century king of the Brigantes in northern Britain at the time of the Roman conquest. With the capture of Caratacus, much of southern Britain from the Humber to the Severn was pacified and garrisoned throughout the 50s ^[6]. The Humber is a large tidal Estuary on the east coast of northern England For other rivers named "Severn" see Severn River. The River Severn ( Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin Note Sometimes the ' 50s is used as shorthand for the 1950s, the 1850s, or other such decades in various centuries Events and Trends

Legend places Caratacus's last stand at British Camp in the Malvern Hills, but the description of Tacitus makes this unlikely:

“

[Caratacus] resorted to the ultimate hazard, adopting a place for battle so that entry, exit, everything would be unfavorable to us and for the better to his own men, with steep mountains all around, and, wherever a gentle access was possible, he strewed rocks in front in the manner of a rampart. The Herefordshire Beacon is one of the Hills of the Malvern Hills. The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. And in front too there flowed a stream with an unsure ford, and companies of armed men had taken up position along the defenses. [7]

”

Although the Severn is visible from British Camp, it is nowhere near it, so this battle must have taken place elsewhere. For other rivers named "Severn" see Severn River. The River Severn ( Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin A number of locations have been suggested, including a site near Brampton Bryan. Brampton Bryan is a small village situated on the northern boundaries of Herefordshire close to Shropshire and the Welsh border

Captive in Rome

After his capture, Caratacus was sent to Rome as a war prize, presumably to be killed after a triumphal parade. A Roman triumph ( la [[wikttriumphus triumphus]], Old Latin la triumpus, attested as the exclamation la TRIVMPE in the Carmen Arvale; via Although a captive, he was allowed to speak to the Roman senate. The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. Tacitus records a version of his speech in which he says that his stubborn resistance made Rome's glory in defeating him all the greater:

“

If the degree of my nobility and fortune had been matched by moderation in success, I would have come to this City as a friend rather than a captive, nor would you have disdained to receive with a treaty of peace one sprung from brilliant ancestors and commanding a great many nations. But my present lot, disfiguring as it is for me, is magnificent for you. I had horses, men, arms, and wealth: what wonder if I was unwilling to lose them? If you wish to command everyone, does it really follow that everyone should accept your slavery? If I were now being handed over as one who had surrendered immediately, neither my fortune nor your glory would have achieved brilliance. It is also true that in my case any reprisal will be followed by oblivion. On the other hand, if you preserve me safe and sound, I shall be an eternal example of your clemency. "[8]

”

He made such an impression that he was pardoned and allowed to live in peace in Rome. After his liberation, according to Dio Cassius, Caratacus was so impressed by the city of Rome that he said "And can you, then, who have got such possessions and so many of them, covet our poor tents?"^[9]

Caratacus' name

Caratacus' name appears as both Caratacus and Caractacus in manuscripts of Tacitus, and as Καράτακος and Καρτάκης in manuscripts of Dio. Older reference works tend to favour the spelling "Caractacus", but modern scholars agree, based on historical linguistics and source criticism, that the original Brythonic form was *Caratācos, pronounced /ka. Historical linguistics (also called diachronic linguistics) is the study of language change ra. taː'kos/, which gives the attested names Caradog in Welsh and Carthach in Irish. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. ^[10]

Legend

Medieval British traditions

Caratacus's memory may have been preserved in medieval British tradition. A genealogy in the Welsh Harleian MS 3859 (ca. 1100) includes the generations "Caratauc map Cinbelin map Teuhant", corresponding, via established processes of language change, to "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus, son of Tasciovanus", preserving the names of the three historical figures in correct relationship. Tasciovanus was a historical king of the Catuvellauni tribe before the Roman conquest of Britain. ^[11]

Caratacus does not appear in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136), although he appears to correspond to Arviragus, the younger son of Kymbelinus, who continues to resist the Roman invasion after the death of his older brother Guiderius. ^[12] In Welsh versions his name is Gweirydd, son of Cynfelyn, and his brother is called Gwydyr;^[13] the name Arviragus is taken from a poem by Juvenal. Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, known in English as Juvenal, was a Roman Poet active in the late 1st and early 2nd century AD author of the ^[14]

Caradog, son of Bran, who appears in medieval Welsh literature, has also been identified with Caratacus, although nothing in the medieval legend corresponds except his name. He appears in the Mabinogion as a son of Bran the Blessed, who is left in charge of Britain while his father makes war in Ireland, but is overthrown by Caswallawn (the historical Cassivellaunus, who lived a century earlier than Caratacus). Bran the Blessed ( Welsh: Bendigeidfran, literally "Blessed Crow" is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Cassivellaunus was a historical British chieftain who led the defence against Julius Caesar 's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC. Cassivellaunus was a historical British chieftain who led the defence against Julius Caesar 's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC. ^[15] The Welsh Triads agree that he was Bran's son, and name two sons, Cawrdaf and Eudaf. The Welsh Triads ( Welsh Trioedd Ynys Prydein, literally "Triads of the Island of Britain " are a group of related texts in Medieval ^[16]

Modern traditions

Caradog only began to be identified with Caratacus after the rediscovery of the works of Tacitus, and new material appeared based on this identification. An 18th century tradition, popularised by the Welsh antiquarian and forger Iolo Morganwg, credits Caradog, on his return from imprisonment in Rome, with the introduction of Christianity to Britain. Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling ˈjolo morˈganːug was the Bardic name of Edward Williams ( March 10 1747 &ndash Iolo also makes the legendary king Coel a son of Caradog's son Cyllen. A legendary king of Celtic Britain, about all that can be said about Old King Cole with any certainty is that Old King Cole was a merry ^[17]

Another tradition, which has remained popular among British Israelites and others, makes Caratacus already a Christian before he came to Rome, Christianity having been brought to Britain by either Joseph of Arimathea or St. Paul, and identifies a number of early Christians as his relatives. British Israelism (sometimes called Anglo-Israelism) is the belief that many early Britons, Europeans and/or their royal families were direct lineal descendants Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and ^[18]

One is Pomponia Graecina, wife of Aulus Plautius, the conqueror of Britain, who as Tacitus relates, was accused of following a "foreign superstition", generally considered to be Christianity. Pomponia Graecina was a noble Roman woman of the 1st century who was related to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Aulus Plautius was a Roman politician and general of the mid-1st century ^[19] Tacitus describes her as the "wife of the Plautius who returned from Britain with an ovation", which led John Lingard (1771 – 1851) to conclude, in his History and Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church, that she was British;^[20] however, this conclusion is a misinterpretation of what Tacitus wrote. Doctor John Lingard ( 5 February 1771 – 17 July 1851) was an English Roman Catholic Priest, born in St Thomas Street in An ovation was a military parade in honour of a victorious general, so the person who "returned from Britain with an ovation" is clearly Plautius, not Pomponia. The ovation (ovatio was a less-honored form of the Roman triumph. This has not prevented the error being repeated and disseminated widely.

Another is Claudia Rufina, a historical British woman known to the poet Martial. Claudia Rufina was a woman of British descent who lived in Rome in the 90s and was known to the poet Martial. Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial) (March 1 40 AD - ca ^[21] Martial describes Claudia's marriage to a man named Pudens,^[22] almost certainly Aulus Pudens, an Umbrian centurion and friend of the poet who appears regularly in his Epigrams. Aulus Pudens was a native of Umbria and a Centurion in the Roman army in the late 1st century. Umbria is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Perugia. Centurion redirects here This article is about the Roman soldier It has been argued since the 17th century^[23] that this pair may be the same as the Claudia and Pudens mentioned as members of the Roman Christian community in 2 Timothy in the New Testament. The three pastoral epistles are books of the canonical New Testament: the First Epistle to Timothy ( 1 Timothy) the ^[24] Some go further, claiming that Claudia was Caratacus's daughter, and that the historical Pope Linus, who is described as the "brother of Claudia" in an early church document, was Caratacus' son. Saint Linus (d ca79 was the first bishop of Rome according to Irenaeus, Jerome, Eusebius Pudens is identified with St. Pudens, and it is claimed that the basilica of Santa Pudenziana in Rome, and with which St. Saint Pudens was an early Christian saint and martyr He is mentioned as a layman of the Roman Church in 2 Timothy 421 The Basilica of Santa Pudenziana is a 4th century church in Rome, dedicated to Saint Pudentiana, sister of Saint Praxedis Pudens is associated, was once called the Palatium Britannicum and was the home of Caratacus and his family.

This theory was popularised in a 1961 book called The Drama of the Lost Disciples by George Jowett, but Jowett did not originate it. The Drama of the Lost Disciples is a 1961 book by George Jowett, a former bodybuilder and fitness instructor which purports to trace several of Christ He cites renaissance historians such as Archbishop James Ussher, Caesar Baronius and John Hardyng, as well as classical writers like Caesar, Tacitus and Juvenal, although his classical cites at least are wildly inaccurate, many of his assertions are unsourced, and many of his identifications entirely speculative. James Ussher (sometimes spelled Usher) (4 January 1581–21 March 1656 was Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Venerable Cesare Baronio (also known as Caesar Baronius; August 30, 1538 &ndash June 30, 1607) was an Italian John Hardyng or John Harding (1378 &ndash 1465 English chronicler was born in the north Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The He also regularly cites St. Paul in Britain, an 1870 book by R. W. Morgan, and advocates other tenets of British Israelism, in particular that the British are descended from the lost tribes of Israel. The phrase Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to the ancient Tribes of Israel that disappeared from the Biblical account after the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed ^[25]

Preceded by Togodumnus

King of the Catuvellauni

Succeeded by --

References

Further reading

• Leonard Cottrell, The Roman Invasion of Britain, Barnes & Noble. New York, 1992
• Sheppard Frere, Britannia: a History of Roman Britain, Pimlico, 1991

External links

• Caractacus at resourcesforhistory.com
• Caratacus at Encyclopaedia Romana
• Caratacus and the Catuvellauni at Roman-Britain.org
• Catuvellauni at Romans in Britain

Dr Sheppard Sunderland Frere is a British historian and Archaeologist studying the Roman Empire.

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