Cassivellaunus

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Cassivellaunus ( English Caswallon ) was a British chief who resisted Caesar's second campaign in Britain in 54 BC. Chr. Headed. He also appears in British legends: with Geoffrey of Monmouth as King of Britain, in the Mabinogion and the Welsh Triads as Caswallawn , Caswallon or Kaswallawn , son of Beli.

history

Cassivellaunus is the first historically tangible figure in British history. In Caesars De Bello Gallico , he is the commander of the united forces of the British who oppose the latter's second invasion. Cassivellaunus' tribal affiliation is not mentioned, but the area from which it originates, north of the Thames , which was later inhabited by the Catuvellaun tribe.

Caesar reports that Cassivellaunus was previously in permanent war with other tribes and had subjugated the king of the Trinovantes , the most powerful tribe in Britain at the time, whereupon the king's son, Mandubracius , fled to Gaul to see Caesar.

Despite Cassivellaunus' devastation, which he had carried out to prevent the Roman army from feeding themselves from the region, Caesar advanced to the Thames, which he managed to cross, although the only passable ford was defended and riddled with sharp poles. Cassivellaunus then dismissed most of his army and switched to guerrilla tactics in which he relied on his knowledge of the country and the speed of his chariots.

Five British tribes, the Cenimagnen, Segontiaks, Ankaliten, Bibroker and Casser, submitted to Caesar, revealing the location of Cassivellaunus' fortress, in which he was staying, and the siege of which Caesar immediately began. Cassivellaunus succeeded in sending a message to the four kings of Kent , Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus and Segovax, who now set their troops on the march and attacked the Roman camp on the coast, but were repulsed by the Romans, with the chief Lugotorix fell into their hands. When Cassivellaunus learned of the defeat and destruction of his lands, he surrendered. Hostages were taken and tribute was agreed. Mandubracius regained the Trinovante kingship, and Cassivellaunus refrained from attacking him again. Caesar, however, returned to Gaul.

Legend

In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae ( History of the Kings of the British ), Cassivellaunus is the son of King Heli and regent of his nephew Androgeus (a probably erroneous name change by Orosius in his Historiarum adversum paganos libri VII. , Taken from Geoffrey), the son of his brother, King Lud.

Shortly after Lud's death, Cassivellaunus was crowned king, passing over his two young nephews. The elder he gave the Duchy of Kent and Trinovantum ( London ), the younger Tasciovanus or Tenvantius the Duchy of Cornwall .

When Julius Caesar demanded tribute payments from the British at the beginning of Cassivellaunus' government in order to avoid a war between the two states that attribute their origin to Troy , Cassivellaunus rejected the demand, whereupon the Romans invaded the country along the Thames. After much fighting, Nennius , Cassivellaunus' brother (who should not be confused with the historian Nennius ), stole Caesar's sword and then successfully led the British army against the Romans and drove them out of the country.

The Romans waited two years before they returned to Britain, Cassivellaunus in the meantime had the defenses reinforced; The best known is the planting of large pegs in the Thames, on which the floors of the Roman ships were to impale themselves. The second Roman invasion that took place ended with the defeat of Caesar, who was again forced to leave the island. Cassivellaunus celebrated his victory with extensive animal sacrifices in London.

At this celebration, Androgeus and Cassivellaunus fought over the death of a relative. Cassivellaunus then plundered Androgeus' land, whereupon the latter asked Caesar for help. Caesar came to Britain a third time and occupied London with the help of Androgeus. Cassivellaunus did not succeed this time in defeating Caesar, rather had to flee to a hill outside the city, where Caesar built a siege ring to starve the British.

In agony, Cassivellaunus wrote to Androgeus and offered him and Caesar a peace treaty. The offer was accepted and Cassivellaunus accepted annual tribute payments to the Romans. Cassivellaunus died six years later and was buried in York . Tenvantius, his nephew, followed him as king.

In the third branch of Mabinogi , Manawydan fab Llŷr ("Manawydan, Llŷr's son"), is Caswallawn fab Beli Mawr (Caswallawn, son of Beli), a usurper who robbed King Bran the Blessed of the British throne when he was on a campaign in Ireland was.

“Do you have any news?” Said Manawydan . “No,” they said, “except that Caswallawn, the son of Belis, has seized the Isle of the Strong and is staying in London as the crowned king.” “What,” said the, “happened to Cradawg , the son of Brâns, and the seven men left with him on this island? ”“ Caswallawn fell upon her, killed six men, and Cradawg was heartbroken to see the sword kill his men and he did did not know who killed them. Caswallawn was wearing a magical robe and no one saw him slaying the men, only the sword. [...] "

In the Welsh Triads , Caswallawn is reported to have crossed the sea with 21,000 men in pursuit of Caesar and did not return. Fflur , the daughter of the dwarf Mygnach, was his mistress - according to Iolo Morganwg's collection of triads, Caswallawn had rescued Fflur, kidnapped by Caesar, in Gaul, killing 6,000 Romans, which was the reason for Caesar's campaign in Britain.

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 52.
personal data
SURNAME Cassivellaunus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Caswallawn; Caswallon; Kaswallawn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British ruler
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC BC or 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 1st century BC Chr.