Caratacus

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Caratacus († after AD 51) was a king in Britain .

Life

Caratacus was a son of Cunobelinus , one of the most powerful kings of pre-Roman Britain, whose capital was the fortified Camulodunum (now Colchester ). When Cunobelinus died around 40 AD, Caratacus and his brother Togodumnus were the most important rulers in southern Britain. As under her father, the center of her empire lay north of the Thames in the region of the Catuvellaun and Trinovanten ; but most of the tribes in south-east England were also under their suzerainty. During the last 30 years of his reign, Cunobelinus had maintained friendly relations with Rome in order not to give this world power any reason to intervene. His sons, on the other hand, pursued a less cautious policy towards Rome. Adminius , who was probably also a son of Cunobelinus, fled around 40 AD to the court of Emperor Caligula , whom he wanted to induce to invade Britain; but it didn't come to that. According to coin finds, Caratacus seems to have been a protégé of his uncle Epaticcus during his father's lifetime , who had expanded the territory of the Catuvellaunen at the expense of the Atrebaten tribe . After his death (around 35 AD) the Atrebates under Verica had recaptured their country, but were later finally defeated by Caratacus and at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Claudius Verica was driven out of England, apparently by Caratacus (41 AD) .) and fled to the Roman Empire. Thus Claudius had a good reason for war for an invasion of England that began in AD 43.

Caratacus and Togodumnus led the energetic resistance of the British peoples after the landing of the first Roman troops under Aulus Plautius ; otherwise no further military leaders are mentioned. The brothers were first defeated in two smaller battles, probably in what is now Kent , and had to retreat to a river (perhaps the Medway ). The Boduni, a tribe previously subject to the Catuvellaunen, submitted to Plautius, who built a fortress on their territory and then advanced to the river where Caratacus had gathered larger troops. They believed they were protected by the river and had therefore not taken any major defense measures. However, Plautius's Celtic troops swam across the river and attacked the surprised Britons, concentrating primarily on wounding the horses that were pulling the chariots. In the ensuing chaos, the Legio II Augusta, under the command of the later Emperor Vespasian, was also able to cross the river. Caratacus' army fought bravely and was initially able to hold out. The next day Gnaeus Hosidius Geta dared a dangerous attack and almost was captured, but was finally able to completely defeat the Britons, who had to retreat behind the Thames near its mouth. The Romans pursued them, however, and again the Celts were able to swim across the river, while other units of troops crossed over on quickly built bridges. The Britons were defeated again and fled, while the Romans who pursued them suffered great losses in the rough terrain and swamps and finally turned back. Togodumnus fell in further battles soon after. Plautius called the emperor Claudius to help, who came with reinforcements, took Camulodunum and returned home after 17 days. Plautius now completed the conquest of southern England alone.

It was not until 51 AD that Caratacus reappeared in the sources as the prince of the Silurians in south Wales. There he was probably in the meantime (44–51 AD) the center of the local resistance against the Romans, which he successfully fought in a kind of guerrilla war.

When Publius Ostorius Scapula became governor of Britain in AD 47, the western parts of this province were threatened by Welsh tribes who had just plundered the Severn Valley . The rugged mountains, which were bordered by wooded valleys, formed the ideal area of ​​operations for ambushes and rapid raids by the warriors of Caratacus. Nevertheless, the Romans continued to advance slowly and ceaselessly and Caratacus moved the theater of war to central Wales to the Ordovič settlers in the north (51 AD). He now wanted to win a major battle against the enemy and chose a camp on a steep hill that was easy to defend as the battle site, which he also had fortified on the lower slopes by walls of boulders behind which armed men lurked. There was a river in front of these walls. The location of this place is controversial. More recently, Roman military installations were found at Llanymynech, south of Oswestry; this passage seems to best fit the description of the battlefield given by Tacitus (the sole source). Ostorius Scapula initially hesitated to attack, but his veterans waded through the river with ease and were hit by a hail of bullets. But they formed a Testudo formation with their shields, tore down the walls, climbed the mountain and stormed the fortress of the Britons, who were inferior to the Roman weapons due to their lack of armor. After this decisive victory, the wife and daughter of Caratacus fell into the hands of the Romans .; his brothers (not known by name) capitulated. Caratacus fled further north to the queen of the powerful brigand tribe , Cartimandua , who delivered him in chains.

Caratacus had to take part in a public production of Claudius with his family in Rome as a captured gem. Since word of his heroic resistance of many years had got around, many wanted to see him, so that numerous people flocked from all over Italy. The importance of his capture by the Senate was compared - exaggerated - with that of Syphax by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus and that of Perseus by Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus . But the fearless demeanor of the former British king aroused admiration. He gave a dignified speech to Claudius and emphasized that his tough defensive struggle had brought the emperor much fame. This would soon be forgotten if he were killed now; but should he be spared, one would forever remember the emperor's mildness. Claudius then pardoned Caratacus and his family. When visiting the city of Rome, Caratacus admired the beautiful houses and is said to have wondered why the Romans envied the Britons for their poor huts, when they themselves owned such palaces.

Nothing is known about the further fate of Caratacus.

According to the unreliable Welsh triads , Caratacus is said to have lived four years after his capture and his children to have become Christians who then brought their new faith to England; this is of course pure fiction. Some even assumed that Claudia Rufina mentioned in Martial's “Epigrams” was identical to Claudia Rufina, mentioned in the letters of Paul of Tarsus as a member of the early Roman Christian community, and that she was a daughter of Caratacus. This assumption is of course highly speculative.

There are only a few coins with the legend CARA discovered south of the Thames archaeological finds, which probably come from the short reign of Caratacus before the Roman invasion.

Welsh medieval legends

Despite his long resistance, Caratacus left little mark on British legends. Some medieval English kings were called Caradog, but they do not seem to have considered Caratacus to be their ancestor. A Welsh manuscript contains the genealogy "Caratauc map Cinbelin map Teuhant"; due to the language shift, this corresponds to "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus, son of Tasciovanus" and thus correctly reflects the names of three historical kings and their family relationships.

The fanciful but historically unreliable work of Geoffrey of Monmouth , Historia Regum Britanniae , on early British history (1136) mentions Caratacus (Caradoc) as an advisor to King Eudaf Hen , but it could also correspond to Arviragus, the younger son of Cymbelinus, the after the death of his older brother Guiderius continued to fight against the Roman invaders under Claudius. In Welsh versions of Geoffrey's work, his name is Gweirydd, son of Cynfelyn, and his brother is called Gwydyr; the name Arviragus was taken from a poem by Juvenal .

A Caradawg fab Bran , which appears in medieval Welsh literature, was also wanted to be identified with Caratacus; but this legendary Caradawg only has the name in common with the historical Caratacus. In the Mabinogion he appears as the son of Bran the Blessed , who is supposed to rule Britain during his father's war in Ireland, but is overthrown by Caswallawn (the historical Cassivellaunus who fought against Gaius Julius Caesar 100 years before Caratacus ). The Welsh Triads also refer to him as the son of Bran and give Cawrdaf and Eudaf as his sons. Caratacus is also brought into connection with Caradawg Freichfras .

In Exmoor there is the Caratacus Stone , which is said to refer to a nephew.

See also

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to a source review, this form of the name is more correct than the variant Caractacus and is preferred by all recent researchers; it is the Latinized form of the original Brythonic form * Caratacos (Welsh as Caradog and Irish as Carthach attested)
  2. ^ Suetonius , Gaius 44
  3. ^ Cassius Dio 60, 19, 1
  4. ↑ The most detailed surviving report on the campaign of Plautius is Cassius Dio 60, 19-21.
  5. ↑ so Todd (see lit.), p. 12
  6. ↑ Tacitus, Annals 12, 33-35
  7. ↑ Tacitus , Annalen 12, 36; According to Cassius Dio (Vatican Excerpts, V 191 ed. Dindorf) several children were caught
  8. ↑ Tacitus, Annalen 12, 36; Histories 3, 45
  9. ↑ Tacitus, Annalen 12, 36; Histories 3, 45
  10. ↑ Tacitus, Annalen 12, 36
  11. ↑ Tacitus, Annalen 12, 37; Cassius Dio, Vatican Excerpts V 191 ed. Dindorf
  12. ^ Cassius Dio 61, 33, 3c
  13. ↑ Martial 4:13 ; 11, 53
  14. ↑ 2. Timotheos 4, 21
  15. ↑ For more details on this topic see the article "Caratacus" in the English Wikipedia, the chapter "Modern Traditions"
  16. ^ Todd, p. 12
  17. ↑ Harleian No. 3859, written around 1100
  18. ↑ Geoffrey of Monmouth , Historia Regum Britanniae 4, 12-16
  19. ↑ Juvenal , Satiren 4, 126f.
personal data
SURNAME Caratacus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Caractacus the Caradoc
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Military leader of the Celts of Britain
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century BC BC or 1st century
DATE OF DEATH after 51
Place of death Rome, Italy