Cassivellaunus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cassivellaunus was a historical British chieftain who led the defence against Julius Caesar's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC. He also appears in British legend as Cassibelanus, one of Geoffrey of Monmouth's kings of Britain, and in the Mabinogion and Welsh Triads as Caswallawn, son of Beli Mawr.
Contents |
[edit] History
Cassivellaunus is the first British individual known to history. He appears in Julius Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War, having been given command of the combined British forces opposing Caesar's second invasion of Britain. Caesar does not mention Cassivellaunus's tribe, but his territory, north of the river Thames, corresponds with that later inhabited by the Catuvellauni.
Caesar tells us that Cassivellaunus had previously been at constant war with the British tribes, and had overthrown the king of the Trinovantes, the most powerful tribe in Britain at the time. The king's son, Mandubracius, fled to Caesar in Gaul.
Despite Cassivellaunus's harrying tactics, designed to prevent Caesar's army from foraging and plundering for food, Caesar advanced to the Thames. The only fordable point was defended and fortified with sharp stakes, but the Romans managed to cross it. Cassivellaunus dismissed most of his army and resorted to guerilla tactics, relying on his knowledge of the territory and the speed of his chariots.
Five British tribes, the Cenimagni, the Segontiaci, the Ancalites, the Bibroci and the Cassi, surrendered to Caesar and revealed the location of Cassivellaunus's stronghold, which Caesar proceeded to put under siege. Cassivellaunus managed to get a message to the four kings of Kent, Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus and Segovax, to gather their forces and attack the Roman camp on the coast, but the Romans defended themselves successfully, capturing a chieftain called Lugotorix. On hearing of the defeat and the devastation of his territories, Cassivellaunus surrendered. Hostages were given and a tribute agreed. Mandubracius was restored to the kingship of the Trinovantes, and Cassivellaunus undertook not to wage war against him. All this achieved, Caesar returned to Gaul.<ref>Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 5.8-23; Dio Cassius, Roman History 40.1-3; Orosius, Histories Against the Pagans 6.9</ref>
The Greek author Polyaenus relates an anecdote in his Stratagemata that Caesar overcame Cassivellaunus's defence of a river crossing by means of an armoured elephant.<ref>Polyaenus, Strategemata 8.23.5</ref> This outlandish claim probably derives from a confusion with the Roman conquest of 43 AD, when Claudius brought elephants to Britain.<ref>Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.21</ref>
| Preceded by: -- | King of the Catuvellauni | Succeeded by: Tasciovanus |
[edit] Legend
[edit] Historia Regum Britanniae
He appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th Century work Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), usually spelled Cassibelanus or Cassibelaunus.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae 3.20, 4.1-11</ref> The younger son of the former king Heli, he becomes king of Britain upon the death of his elder brother Lud, whose own sons Androgeus and Tenvantius are not yet of age. In recompense, Androgeus is made Duke of Kent and Trinovantum (London), and Tenvantius is made Duke of Cornwall.
After his conquest of Gaul, Julius Caesar sets his sights on Britain, and sends a letter to Cassibelanus demanding tribute. Cassibelanus refuses, citing the Britons' and Romans' common Trojan descent (see Brutus of Britain), and Caesar invades at the Thames Estuary. During the fighting, Cassibelanus's brother Nennius encounters Caesar and sustains a severe head wound. Caesar's sword gets stuck in Nennius's shield, and when the two are separated in the mêlée, Nennius throws away his own sword and attacks the Romans with Caesar's, killing many, including the tribune Labienus.<ref>According to Caesar's own account (Commentarii de Bello Gallico 5.18), the tribune who was killed in Britain was Quintus Laberius Durus; Titus Labienus was his legate in Gaul. The error can be traced to Orosius's Histories Against the Pagans, an influential 4th century Christian history.</ref> The Britons hold firm, and that night Caesar flees back to Gaul. Cassibelanus's celebrations are muted by Nennius's death from his head wound. He is buried with the sword he took from Caesar, which is named Crocea Mors (Yellow Death).
Two years later, Caesar invades again with a larger force. Cassibelanus, forewarned, had planted stakes beneath the waterline of the Thames which gut Caesar's ships, drowning thousands of men. The Romans are once again quickly put to flight.
The leaders of the Britons gather in Trinovantum to thank the gods for their victory with many animal sacrifices and celebrate with sporting events. During a wrestling bout, Cassibelanus's nephew Hirelglas is killed by Androgeus's nephew Cuelinus. Cassibelanus demands that Androgeus turn his nephew over to him for trial, but Androgeus refuses, insisting he should be tried in his own court in Trinovantum. Cassibelanus threatens war, and Androgeus appeals to Caesar for help.
Caesar invades a third time, landing at Richborough. As Cassibelaunus's army meets Caesar's, Androgeus attacks Cassibelaunus from the rear with five thousand men. His line broken, Cassibelanus retreats to a nearby hilltop. After two days siege, Androgeus appeals to Caesar to offer terms. Cassibelanus agrees to pay tribute of three thousand pounds of silver, and he and Caesar become friends.
Six years later, Cassibelanus dies and is buried in York. Androgeus has gone to Rome with Caesar, so Tenvantius succeeds as king of Britain.
| Preceded by: Lud | Legendary kings of Britain | Succeeded by: Tenvantius |
[edit] Welsh literature
Cassivellaunus appears in the Welsh Triads, Mabinogion, and Welsh versions of Geoffrey's Historia, as Caswallawn, son of Beli Mawr. In the Mabinogion he appears as a usurper, who seizes the throne of Britain while the rightful king, Bran the Blessed, is at war in Ireland. Using a magic cloak which renders him invisible, he kills the seven stewards Bran has left in charge, while the eighth, Bran's son Caradawg, dies of bewilderment at the sight of a disembodied sword killing his men.<ref>The Mabinogion: "Branwen, daughter of Llyr"</ref>
The Welsh Triads make reference to this story, as well as to Geoffrey's story of Caesar's invasions. Caswallawn's decision to allow the Romans to land in Britain in exchange for a horse called Meinlas ("slender grey") is one of the Three Unfortunate Counsels of the Island of Britain. The Triads also include a tradition that Caswallawn left Britain with 21,000 men in pursuit of Caesar and never returned, and include references to his lover, Fflur, daughter of Mygnach the Dwarf. Caswallawn is named as one of the Three Golden Shoemakers of the Island of Britain, disguising himself as a shoemaker when he went to Rome to seek Fflur.<ref>Peniarth Triads 32; Hergest Triads 5, 21, 50, 58</ref> A later collection of triads compiled by the 18th century Welsh antiquarian Iolo Morganwg gives an expanded version of this tradition, including that Caswallawn had abducted Fflur from Caesar in Gaul, killing 6,000 Romans, and Caesar invaded Britain in response.<ref>Iolo Morganwg, Triads of Britain 8, 14 17, 24, 102, 124</ref>
[edit] In popular culture
Cassivellaunus's reign and campaign against the Romans is mentioned in the introduction of the eighth Asterix book, Asterix in Britain.
[edit] References
<references/>
