Cassivellaunus
Cassivellaunus was a prominent figure in the middle of the first century BCE, serving as the king or chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, located in present-day Hertfordshire, England. His leadership emerged during a crucial period marked by Julius Caesar's invasions of southeast England in 55 and 54 BCE. In response to these incursions, various British tribes united under Cassivellaunus, appointing him as their commander in chief. Despite initial resistance, he faced defeat in battles across Kent and along the Thames River, prompting him to employ guerrilla warfare and scorched-earth tactics.
However, the situation worsened for Cassivellaunus as the Trinovantes tribe, previously opposed to him, allied with Caesar after the restoration of their prince, Mandubracius. This shift led to the defection of several other tribes, weakening Cassivellaunus's position. Ultimately, the Romans captured his capital, forcing him to negotiate peace, agree to pay tribute, and recognize the independence of the Trinovantes. Despite these challenges, Cassivellaunus survived Caesar's campaign, and the Catuvellauni remained influential in southeast England, laying the groundwork for future unification among tribes in the region.
Cassivellaunus
Related civilizations: Imperial Rome, Britain
Major role/position: Chieftain, soldier
Life
In the middle of the first century b.c.e., Cassivellaunus (kas-uh-vuh-LAW-nuhs) was presumably king, or chieftain, of the Catuvellauni tribe, based north of the Thames in Hertfordshire with a capital at Wheathampstead, or Prae Wood near St. Albans, and aspirations southward to the sea.
In the wake of Julius Caesar’s first invasion of southeast England in the late summer of 55 b.c.e. and before his second landing on the shores of Kent in the summer of 54 b.c.e., all the relevant Britons united for the time being and made Cassivellaunus commander in chief.
Defeated in Kent and again on the Thames, Cassivellaunus resorted to guerrilla and scorched-earth tactics, only to have Caesar detach the Trinovantes of Essex, whose king Cassivellaunus had killed and whose exiled prince Mandubracius had already been befriended by Caesar in Gaul. After Mandubracius’s restoration, other tribes defected, including the Cenimagni, Segontiaci, Ancalites, Bibroci, and Cassi, who helped the Romans to take Cassivellaunus’s capital and make him sue for peace. He agreed to pay tribute and leave the Trinovantes independent, after which Caesar withdrew across the English Channel again, leaving Cassivellaunus alive and the Catuvellauni to dominate southeast England.
Influence
Subversion of his Catuvellauni by the Trinovantes proved the need for unification of the two leading tribes, which took place by merger or conquest early in the next century.
Bibliography
Fere, Sheppard. Britannia: History of Roman Britain. London: Routledge, 1987.
Salway, Peter. The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1993.