Caratacus

*Caratācos",

 Greek "Καράτακος";

variants Latin "Caractacus",

 Greek "Καρτάκης"

was a historical British chieftain of the

Catuvellauni tribe ,

 who led the British resistance to the Roman conquest.

 The legendary Welsh character Caradoc and the legendary British king Arvirargus may be based upon Caratacus.

Caratacus is named by Dio Cassius as a son of the Catuvellaunian king Cunobelinus.

 Based on coin distribution Caratacus appears to have been the protegé of his uncle Epaticcus, who expanded Catuvellaunian power westwards into the territory of the Atrebates. John Creighton, "Coins and power in Late Iron Age Britain", Cambridge University Press, 2000; Philip de Jersey (1996), "Celtic Coinage in Britain", Shire Archaeology] After Epaticcus died ca. 35, the Atrebates, under Verica, regained some of their territory, but it appears Caratacus completed the conquest, as Dio tells us Verica was ousted, fled to Rome and appealed to the emperor Claudius for help. This was the excuse used by Claudius to launch his invasion of Britain in the Summer of 43.

Cunobelinus had died some time before the invasion. Caratacus and his brother Togodumnus led the initial defence of the country against Aulus Plautius's four legions thought to have been around 40,000 men, primarily using guerrilla tactics. They lost much of the south-east after being defeated in two crucial battles on the rivers Medway see also Battle of the Medway and Thames. Togodumnus was killed and the Catuvellauni's territories were conquered. Claudius was present in August when his legions marched into Camulodunum, the capital of the Catuvellauni [A History of Britain, Richard Dargie (2007),  , but Caratacus survived and carried on the resistance further west.

Resistance to Rome

 Finally, in 51, Scapula managed to defeat Caratacus in a set-piece battle somewhere in Ordovician territory , see the Battle of Caer Caradoc), capturing Caratacus' wife and daughter and receiving the surrender of his brothers.

 Caratacus himself escaped, and fled north to the lands of the Brigantes (modern Yorkshire where the Brigantian queen, Cartimandua handed him over to the Romans in chains. (This was one of the factors that led to two Brigantian revolts against Cartimandua and her Roman allies, once later in the 50s and once in 69, led by Venutius, who had once been Cartimandua's husband). With the capture of Caratacus, much of southern Britain from the Humber to the Severn was pacified and garrisoned throughout the 50s [A History of Britain, Richard Dargie (2007), p. 21] .

Legend places Caratacus' last stand at British Camp in the Malvern Hills, but the description of Tacitus makes this unlikely:

Although the Severn is visible from British Camp, it is nowhere near it, so this battle must have taken place elsewhere. A number of locations have been suggested, including a site near Brampton Bryan.

Captive in Rome

After his capture, Caratacus was sent to Rome as a war prize, presumably to be killed after a triumphal parade. Although a captive, he was allowed to speak to the Roman senate. Tacitus records a version of his speech in which he says that his stubborn resistance made Rome's glory in defeating him all the greater:

He made such an impression that he was pardoned and allowed to live in peace in Rome. After his liberation, according to Dio Cassius, Caratacus was so impressed by the city of Rome that he said "And can you, then, who have got such possessions and so many of them, covet our poor tents?" Dio Cassius,

Caratacus' name

Medieval British traditions

Boudicca joined forces with the Trinovantes and together they raised an army to fight the Romans.

 Boudicca's army captured and burned London Colchesterahcf St Albans. The Romans were forced-fe raise largest army they had ever had to defeat queen Boudicca.

 The Romans killed anyonewho had fougt them Boudicca poisoned herself to prevent the romans catching her.....

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