Adminius was a son of Cunobelinus, ruler of the Catuvellauni, a tribe of Iron Age Britain. His name can be interpreted as Celtic *ad-mindios, "to be crowned". Cunobelinus (also written Kynobellinus, Cunobelin) was a historical king of the Catuvellauni tribe of pre-Roman Britain. ... The Catuvellaunii (meaning probably good in battle) were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Isles, before the Roman invasion of Britain. ... In Britain, the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century AD in non-Romanised parts. ... Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, both those spoken by the ancient Celts, and those used by their modern descendants, the Gaels, Welsh, Cornish and Bretons. ...

In the early to mid 1st century AD Adminius was ruler of eastern Kent, a kingdom which presumably fell within his father's sphere of influence, but was deposed around AD 39 or 40. The elderly Cunobelinus, who had maintained friendly relations with the Roman Empire, may have lost control to an anti-Roman faction led by his other sons, Togodumnus and Caratacus, who may have been instrumental in forcing Adminius out of power. Alternatively, his fall may have been the result of a revolt of the Cantiaci against Catuvellaunian rule. Adminius fled to continental Europe with a small group of followers and surrendered to the Romans. The emperor at the time, Caligula, presented this relatively minor event as a great victory over the foreign tribes of Britain and even penned an extravagant report which he insisted was read to the Roman senate. (Redirected from 1st century AD) (1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 99. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... For alternate uses, see Number 39. ... For alternate uses, see Number 40. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... Togodumnus was a historical king of the British Catuvellauni tribe at the time of the Roman conquest. ... Caratacus (also spelled Caractacus) was a historical British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who led the British resistance to the Roman conquest. ... The Cantiaci were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands, previous to the Roman invasion of Britain. ... Roman Emperor is the title historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... Gaius Caesar Germanicus Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and third member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 37 to 41. ...

Adminius appears to have persuaded Caligula that Britain was vulnerable to attack and that an invasion would be an even more famous victory for him. It is likely that the capture of the British prince was the germ of Caligula's initiative to launch an invasion of Britain. The invasion never happened either because of Caligula's famous eccentricity which Roman historians record led him to order his army to collect seashells from Gaulish beaches as war trophies, or because of a mutiny in the invasion force assembled at Boulogne. Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ... Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city and commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

In any case, Rome's refusal to return the fugitive Adminius to his father was one of the contributary factors to growing anti-Roman sentiment in Britain which necessitated Claudius' successful invasion in AD 43. A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Drusus (August 1, 10 BC - October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24th 41 to his death in 54. ... For alternate uses, see Number 43. ...