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. Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ; in inscriptions after his death: IMP•C•IVLIVS•CAESAR•DIVVS[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 59 BC 58 BC 57 BC 56 BC 55 BC 54 BC 53 BC 52 BC 51... // For other senses of this word, see Legend (disambiguation). ... Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ... Beli Mawr (Beli the Great) was a Welsh ancestor deity. ...

History

Cassivellaunus is the first British individual known to history. He appears in Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico, 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. De Bello Gallico (literally On the Gallic Wars in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... The Thames (pronounced //) is a river flowing through southern England and connecting London with the sea. ... The Catuvellaunii (meaning probably good in battle) were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Isles, before the Roman invasion of Britain. ...

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. The Trinovantes or Trinobantes were one of the Celtic tribes that dwelt in pre-Roman Britain. ... Mandubracius or Mandubratius was a king of the Trinovantes of south-eastern Britain in the 1st century BC. His father, named Imanuentius in some manuscripts of Julius Caesars De Bello Gallico, was overthrown and killed by the warlord Cassivellaunus some time before Caesars second expedition to Britain in... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ...

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. The Segontiaci were a tribe of Iron Age Britain encountered by Julius Caesar during his second expedition to Britain in 55 BC.[1]. They surrendered to him as he was campaigning against Cassivellaunus in the Thames Valley, which suggests they were also based in the south-east. ... Ancalites refers to a Celtic tribe living in and around the Thames Valley area. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Cingetorix, meaning marching king or king of warriors, is a Celtic name borne by two chieftains of the 1st century BC, as related by Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico: Cingetorix was one of the two chieftains struggling for the supremacy of the Treveri of Gaul. ... Carvilius was one of the four kings of Kent during Caesars second expedition to Britain in 54 BC, alongside Cingetorix, Segovax and Taximagulus. ... Taximagulus was one of the four kings of Kent during Caesars second expedition to Britain in 54 BC, alongside Cingetorix, Carvilius and Segovax. ... Segovax was one of the four kings of Kent during Caesars second expedition to Britain in 54 BC, alongside Cingetorix, Carvilius and Taximagulus. ... Lugotorix was a British chieftain who was captured after a failed attack by the four kings of Kent on Julius Caesars naval camp in 54 BC. His name may mean mouse-king. References Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico 5:22 John Koch (1987), A Window into the Welsh Iron...

The Catuvellaunii (meaning probably good in battle) were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Isles, before the Roman invasion of Britain. ... Tasciovanus was a historical king of the British Catuvellauni tribe before the Roman conquest. ...

Legend

Historia Regum Britanniae

He appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), usually spelled Cassibelanus or Cassibelaunus. The younger son of the former king Heli, he become 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. Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... This article is about the Mythical British king Heli. ... Lud was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. ... Androgeus was a legendary Duke of Trinovantum and Kent as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. ... Tasciovanus was a historical king of the British Catuvellauni tribe before the Roman conquest. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Trinovantum (Latin: New Troy) refers to the capital city of the Trinovantes tribe of Celts who settled along the banks of the River Thames before the time of the Roman conquest of Britain. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county at the extreme South-West of England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ...

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.^[1] 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 had taken from Caesar, which is named Crocea Mors (Yellow Death). Walls of the excavated city of Troy Troy (Ancient Greek Τροία Troia, also Ίλιον; Latin: Troia, Ilium; German: Troja) is a legendary city, center of the Trojan War, described in the Trojan War cycle, especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. ... Brutus of Troy, also of Britain (Welsh: Bryttys), was the legendary founding king of Britain and great grandson of Aeneas, according to Italy for the accidental killing of his natural father Silvius, Brutus liberated a group of Trojans living in slavery in Greece and led them forth, received a vision... The Thames Estuary is a large estuary where the River Thames flows into the North Sea. ... Nennius was a legendary leader of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. ... Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Greek form tribounos) was a title shared by several elected magistracies and other governmental and/or (para)military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire. ...

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 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. The Wrestlers from Uffizi Gallery, Florence. ...

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. Map sources for Richborough at grid reference TR3361 Richborough is a settlement just north of Sandwich on the east coast of the English county of Kent. ...

Six years later, Cassibelanus died and was buried in York. Androgeus had gone to Rome with Caesar, so Tenvantius succeeded as king of Britain. York is a city in northern England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ...

Androgeus was a legendary Duke of Trinovantum and Kent as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. ... The term King of the Britons refers to kings of Celtic Great Britain as recorded by much later authors, including Nennius, Gildas, and predominantly Geoffrey of Monmouth. ... Tasciovanus was a historical king of the British Catuvellauni tribe before the Roman conquest. ...

Notes

1. ^ According to Caesar's own account, 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 Seven Books of History Against the Pagans, an influential 4th century Christian history.

Quintus Laberius Durus (d. ... Titus Labienus (c. ... A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was equivalent to a modern general officer in the Roman army. ... Paulus Orosius (c. ...

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. The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... Beli Mawr (Beli the Great) was a Welsh ancestor deity. ... Bran the Blessed, also known as Bran Vendigaid, Bendigeidfran or Branovices, is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. ...

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. 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. Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling) was the bardic name of Edward Williams (Llancarfan, Glamorgan, Wales 1747-1826), an influential antiquarian, collector and literary forger. ...

In popular culture

Cassivellaunus's reign and campaign against the Romans is mentioned in the introduction of the eighth Asterix book, Asterix in Britain. A shrewd, cunning little warrior; all perilous missions are immediately entrusted to him. ... Asterix in Britain is a French comic book, the eighth in the Asterix series. ...

References

• Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico 5:8-23
• Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae (pdf)
• "Branwen, daughter of Llyr", The Mabinogion
• Welsh Triads [1], [2]
• Iolo Morganwg, The Triads of Britain (Iolo's triads appear at this neo-pagan site, slightly re-written so as to substitute "the goddess" for "God" or "Christ")

Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ; in inscriptions after his death: IMP•C•IVLIVS•CAESAR•DIVVS[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... De Bello Gallico (literally On the Gallic Wars in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. ... Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ... Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling) was the bardic name of Edward Williams (Llancarfan, Glamorgan, Wales 1747-1826), an influential antiquarian, collector and literary forger. ...

External links

• Catuvellauni at Roman-Britain.org
• Catuvellauni at Romans in Britain