Divorced, Beheaded, Died: The History of Britain's Kings and Queens in Bite-Sized Chunks (2 page)

The Warrior Kings and Queens of Britain

When the Romans arrived in the first century
BC
, Britain was inhabited by people who spoke a dialect of the Celtic language and who claimed to be indigenous. The country was divided into various territories, each ruled by a king or queen. Apart from legends, we know little about these early rulers, but when Julius Caesar first attempted to invade Britain in 55
BC
, events began to be reported in written accounts for a Roman audience and a clearer picture begins to emerge of the warrior kings and queens of Britain.

C
ASSIVELLAUNUS

Reigned
c.
54
BC

Cassivellaunus was a king of the Catuvellauni tribe, whose kingdom centred on what is now Hertfordshire. Although the exact dates of his reign are not known, Cassivellaunus is first mentioned as the leader of the combined British defence forces against Julius Caesar’s second invasion of Britain in 54
BC
. Although he failed to defeat Caesar in open battle, his use of guerrilla tactics led to Caesar abandoning his conquest after a face-saving battle, and the Roman legions did not return to Britain for another nine decades. He appears as a heroic, almost godlike figure, Caswallon, in the medieval Welsh stories, the
Mabinogion
.

C
UNOBELINUS

Reigned
c.
AD
10–41

By Cunobelinus’s time, the territory of the Catuvellauni had been combined with that of their neighbouring tribe, the Trinovantes (Essex), and their capital had moved to what is now Colchester. Cunobelinus was a master of diplomacy, and he kept Rome on his side despite extending his power over most of south-eastern Britain. The Roman historian Tacitus gave him the title of
Britannorum Rex
and his coins have been discovered across England and Wales, so he can therefore claim to be the first recognized king of Britain. Because of these good relations with Rome, his reign saw a substantial increase in trade with the continent, with many luxury goods such as wine and olive oil being imported. Shakespeare based his play
Cymbeline
on Cunobelinus, although there are not many similarities between fact and fiction.

C
ARATACUS

Reigned
c.
AD
41–51

On the death of Cunobelinus, two of his sons, Caratacus and Togodumnus, took over his territory. Their aggressive attacks on the neighbouring kingdom of the Atrebrates (Hampshire) led their king, Verica, to seek Roman protection, giving Emperor Claudius an excuse to invade in
AD
43. Within a short while, Togodumnus was killed and Caratacus had lost his kingdom. But he did not give up, and led a staunch and bloody campaign against the Romans for several years. Finally, the Romans forced a pitched battle in Wales in
AD
51 and Caratacus was defeated, although he managed to escape. He attempted to persuade the large northern tribe of the Brigantes to join the anti-Roman resistance, but was betrayed by their queen, Cartimandua, and handed over to the Romans. He was due to be executed, but his bravery and bearing led to a pardon and the freedom to live out the rest of his life in Rome. Welsh legend remembers him as Caradog.

B
OUDICCA

Reigned
c.
AD
60

The wealthy King Prasutagus of the Iceni (based in East Anglia) had a policy of peace with the Romans. He died in around
AD
60, whereupon the Romans revoked Icenian independence, seized Iceni territory and recalled their loans. Prasutagus’s widow, Boudicca (or Boadicea as she is sometimes known), was flogged and their two daughters were raped.

In revenge, Boudicca led the attack against the Romans with extraordinary brutality. She initially met with outstanding success, destroying the Ninth Legion and burning down the three leading Roman towns – Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium and Verulamium (St Albans) – killing an estimated 80,000 people. But perhaps she became over-confident. The Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paullinus, and his two legions returned from attacking the druids in Anglesey and destroyed Boudicca’s army, despite being vastly outnumbered. Boudicca is said to have committed suicide, and according to popular legend she is buried under Platform 9 of Kings Cross Station. The Romans gradually regained the initiative and Roman rule continued for over 300 years.

C
OGIDUBNUS

Died
c.
AD
80

In Chichester there is a Roman inscription dedicated to the ‘Great King of Britain’, Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus. His Roman names are the names of Emperor Claudius, suggesting that he, or perhaps his father, helped the Romans during the invasion, possibly assisting the future Emperor Vespasian to reduce British resistance in the west. Roman historian Tacitus records that after the Roman conquest Cogidubnus was given control of several territories and remained loyal to the Romans until his death. At Fishbourne, outside Chichester, there is a fabulous Roman palace that might have been his.

L
UCIUS

Reigned
c.
AD
124–201

Although King Lucius’s name is recorded by the Venerable Bede, one of the most reliable early historians, there has been great reluctance to accord Lucius historical status. Vatican records reported that Pope Eleutherius received a letter from Lucius requesting to be made a Christian. It is therefore possible that he was Britain’s first Christian king, although some have suggested that the papal record contains a typographical error and actually referenced a king of Edessa. Lucius is said to have reigned for over seventy years, and to have founded St Peter Upon Cornhill in the City of London in
AD
179, though both seem unlikely to archaeologists.

Emperors Who Ruled From Britain

Roman rule in Britain was established by Emperor Claudius’s successful invasion in
AD
43. On arrival, they met with fierce resistance from some of Britain’s Celtic tribal leaders, especially in the west, but others allied themselves with their Roman conquerors and became client-kings, leading to dynasties of Romano-British rulers. By the end of the first century, most of the resistance had died down, and Roman control continued until the early fifth century. A handful of the Roman leaders were created Emperor while in Britain, and have a special relationship with Britain that, in one way or another, means Britain can stake a claim to them.

A
LBINUS

Reigned
c.
AD
193–197

Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus was governor of Britain in
AD
193 when Emperor Pertinax was murdered. There were three claimants to the throne: Albinus, Septimius Severus and Niger. All three men had control of various legions that were scattered around the empire, which led to all three being declared emperor. Severus initially allied himself with Albinus and turned his attention towards Niger, whom he defeated in
AD
194. He then betrayed his ally and Albinus was defeated and executed in
AD
197.

C
ARAUSIUS

Reigned
c.
AD
286–293

Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius gained success as a general in northern France, and was given the task of eliminating Saxon pirates from Roman waters. He was accused of keeping the pirates’ booty for himself, however, and was condemned to death. Refusing to accept his sentence, he gathered together an army and declared himself emperor of Britain and northern France. His military and diplomatic skills were so great that his rule was largely uncontested by Rome. But in
AD
293 he was murdered by his financial officer, Allectus, who took over as emperor. This spin-off empire lasted another three years, until Allectus was killed by troops of Constantius Chlorus, father of Constantine the Great, and Britain was reunited with the Roman Empire.

C
ONSTANTINE THE
G
REAT

Reigned
AD
306–337

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus was proclaimed emperor in York on the death of his father, Constantius Chlorus, in
AD
306. The appointment was hotly disputed and it was not until
AD
324 that he defeated the last of his rivals and his position was finally secured. He was the first Christian Roman emperor and his policy of religious tolerance led to the
AD
313 Edict of Milan, which forbade persecution on the grounds of religion. He built a magnificent city on the site of the ancient city of Byzantium, named it Constantinople and declared it the new capital of the Roman Empire. Although he did not spend much time in Britain, he is linked to the country by the legend that his mother, Helen, was the daughter of the mythical Old King Cole. Whatever the truth of this, he is undoubtedly an important figure in the history of Britain because he was responsible for paving the way to Christianity’s widespread acceptance in the country.

M
AGNUS
M
AXIMUS

Reigned
c.
AD
383–388

Magnus Maximus was an experienced soldier from Spain who was appointed a count of Britain. In
AD
383 he was proclaimed emperor by his troops and took legions out of Britain to consolidate his control of the western empire, thus weakening Britain’s defences. There is some evidence that he recruited barbarian tribes to defend the western coastline of Britain, as several Welsh dynasties (Powys, Gwent, Dyfed) begin their family tree with Macsen Wledig, thought to be the local name for Magnus. He is also thought to have begun the settlement of British people in Brittany. Despite a solid reputation as emperor, Magnus soon lost power and was executed.

T
HE
E
ND OF
R
OMAN
B
RITAIN

AD
407–411

In
AD
406–7 the Roman Empire was assailed by a series of barbarian invasions and Roman troops were withdrawn from Britain to protect the empire’s heartland. In
AD
407 local British troops seized their opportunity to rebel and declared a soldier, Marcus, emperor. He did not live up to expectations, however, and he was killed later that same year. Power then passed to a local British aristocrat, Gratian. His too was a short-lived reign and he was murdered after only four months, when he refused the army permission to attack the barbarians in Gaul.

Flavius Claudius Constantinus, a talented soldier, was then proclaimed Emperor Constantine III, or Constantine II of Britain. Constantine immediately went on the offensive and took all available troops to the continent to wrestle for control of the empire. Despite some considerable initial success, Constantine and his troops were eventually overwhelmed and he surrendered and was beheaded in
AD
411. But Rome was greatly weakened by the events of the past few years, and Roman rule ended after Constantine’s death.