Caratacus: Rome VS Britain (Ancient History Documentary)

what does it take to be a good military leader when everything is on the line it is often charisma tactical sagacity tenacity timing and a heap of cunning that mark one out at times it can come down to the simple refusal to quit when all others around have raised the white flag in the history of britain there have been many such men among them karataka stands glimmering like a distant star from near the beginning of recorded british history though often overshadowed by the more popularized buddh

ica the role of karatakas in the war against rome was in reality more significant and far longer lasting he went from being one of the most powerful kings of the island to a rootless rebel taking up residence with whatever tribe would agree to stand with him and his band against rome this is the story of that rebel king the man who refused to kneel his decade-long battle against the invasion of his lands his cunning bravery and betrayal a true legend of britain hi friends i'm kevin maclean don't

forget to like subscribe and consider supporting the channel through patreon or paypal much thanks to all of my supporters though the invasion of britain by julius caesar between 55 and 54 bc ultimately ended in what might be called a failure the general portrayed it back home as a victory with castlevalanis said to have surrendered and offered hostages and annual tribute according to a note from caesar to cicero he obtained no loot from britain there is also no record of the amounts of annual

tribute being received from britain though it's possible that tribute was given yet the invasion attempt and the conquest of their cousins just across the channel could not but have had a dramatic effect on the tribal politics of britain the main figure who had led the fight against caesar castlevalanas made a dramatic impact on the british consciousness so much so that his name survived into medieval welsh legends in some he was the son of a god or equated to a god in the triads of britain he i

s said to have been one of the three golden shoemakers he strove against caesar for the love of fleur and snuck into rome disguised as a shoemaker fey and gwyrien welsh gods are also some of the three golden shoemakers and they also disguise themselves as shoemakers fey's wife is blodiwith meaning flower face there would appear to be a complete overlap of themes according to welsh genealogical text taskiovannus became king of the catholani tribe while the specifics are not certain taskiovanes wa

s a real king that ruled after castlevalanis as he minted several different coins bearing his name and may have expanded catelvillani power over former regions of the trinovantes most importantly kamala dunham he was succeeded by another famous king who enters early british history kuno bellin one of several of his sons and it was kuno belen who is father of karatakos the historian suetonius writing nearly a hundred years later called kuno belen the king of the britons this was an exaggeration a

t least in part for he had only direct rule over southeastern britain in the region of the catholani and the trinovantes he does however appear to have been the most powerful king known in britain at that time and it's possible that he held some type of sacridotal leadership over the other tribes at least in southern britain much like the office of the high king in ireland while the high king might not have controlled the entire territory he was nonetheless seen as a symbolic sovereign with a re

ligious as well as political role [Music] in contrast to what was soon to come kuno bellin had good relations with rome there was increased trade with the empire and some of his coins included roman motifs roman depictions of gods and even roman titles like rex meaning king some have suggested he was a client king of rome it is possible but if so this relationship was not to last kuno bellin had three sons togodunas adminios and karatakos tacitus implies that there may have been other sons that

we do not know from our sources ku nobelin also had a brother epiticos who was an accomplished warrior who won control over the atrobatian capital of kaleva roughly modern day silchester it was karatakas who rose up to take over his uncle's role while we do not know much about the early lives of these three brothers we might venture some guesses that kuno bellen was seen as a client king of rome seemed supported by roman sources and some of his coins yet from an early age his sons are given impo

rtant political positions karatakas and togudumnus may have been responsible for the flight of their brother and it may be that the friendly relations with rome were a front to a larger ambition on the part of kunobelen to buy time in order to expand their power in order to resist direct roman control they likely saw on the horizon with gold just to the south it didn't take a military strategist to see what was likely to be the fate of britain his son adminis the black sheep does not appear to h

ave favored the notion of defiance instead running to the arms of rome roman historian suetonius reports that administ went over to the romans with a close cohort of men requesting that rome aid him in casting out his father and installing him as king over all britain a haughty demand surely yet there is some indication that his request did not fall on deaf ears caligula was the emperor at that time and this episode led to his infamous march against the sea it is claimed that caligula intended t

o invade britain and as administer requested that the troops were all drawn up and that they marched north to look dunham batavorum i have suggested that this act presented as the actions of a madman by roman historians may have been related to a gaulish ritual but whatever the truth caligula did not end up crossing the channel dashing at minius's hopes yet caligula's rule was not long the victim of assassination and soon there was another emperor looking to make a name for himself through milit

ary conquest tiberius claudius kaiser augustus garmanicus he set his sights on britain just after becoming emperor back in britain karatakas and his brother togodomus were heating things up they gained control over the atrobates and verrica the king fled to rome requesting claudius's aid to help strike back at the catalani interestingly roman historian dio cassius says that verica was overthrown in a rebellion but this was ultimately blamed on the two cantavalani kings as varica was a very open

client king of rome it is possible that an anti-roman sentiment was building up among the tribes whose nobility was affronted by the prospect of paying tribute to the empire and that karatakas and togodumnus were in some way leading or organizing that sentiment which led to varicose overthrow the katavalani kings appear to play an important role in the affairs of other tribes and it is also to them that the other tribes rally when the time comes to fight the invaders making it very possible that

they held a role similar to the high kings of ireland since the invasion of julius caesar the canto vallani are shown to be the main organizers and defenders of the land able to unite tribes under them to do battle against outside threats under kuno belan and his sons they were rapidly expanding their tangible power they would have known that in order to stand on equal footing with rome they needed to unite they had removed their pro-roman brother they either overthrew or were behind the overth

row of a roman client king and from their new power base in camelot dunham they were increasing their military force rome saw an opportunity but they also recognized a growing challenge that if left unchecked might become a serious problem suetonius records that britain was in rebellion refusing to pay tribute because of the roman refusal to return certain fugitives the fugitive implied may have been verica adminius or both though the demand may also have been an excuse refusal to pay the tribut

e was a gamble but likely one they had to take while we don't know exactly how much tribute was being extracted from britain but it was said that britain supplied more tribute than would have been possible to extract through taxation if the island was invaded if true it was likely an extraordinary burden upon the nobles and common people alike that was helping to fuel anti-roman's sentiment much as it did in germania during the same period with the dispossession of the atrobates providing his ju

stification claudius urged on by general aolos platius prepared to launch a full-scale invasion of britain it is unknown exactly how many troops he used but there were likely four legions involved the second augusta the ninth hispania the fourteenth gemina and the twentieth valeria wiktrix plus at least twenty thousand auxiliaries war elephants were also brought by claudius and shipped across the channel which must have been quite a shock for native britons large sturdy ships were constructed sp

ecifically for the purpose of the channel crossing recalling the trouble that julius caesar had encountered and wishing to leave little to fate or the weather perhaps even as claudius made preparations for the invasion the great king kuno belen father of karatakas departed to the other world it is thought that the great burial mound near colchester may belong to him built by karatakas and togo domnes it isn't certain which brother became king they may have shared power between them but in either

case they worked closely together to face the massive challenge that now crept towards them sometime during the morning of their father they received word through their contacts in gaul that rome was on the move with its sight set on britain and them in particular gathering their men and solidifying the other tribes of britain behind their lead they prepared for the most difficult battle of their lives it was in the summer of 43 a.d that claudius's forces crossed the channel the emperor did not

join the initial assault but left the gruelling work to aolus platius the roman general who had helped push for the invasion as well as the future emperor vespasian and his brother they sent their best clearly expecting tough resistance they may have landed in rutopia known as richborough castle today the british forces led by togodomnas and karatakos would have been unlikely to know where or exactly when the romans were to land though they would certainly have known what was coming warriors fr

om nearby tribes flocked to their banners in the lead-up to the invasion along with supplies slings javelins spears short swords were common in their ranks and they drew upon large numbers of chariots roman writers commented that one of the particular feats that british warriors would practice was walking out upon the yoke of the chariot while it was being driven taking great dexterity it is also a feat ascribed to heroic figures in irish tales perhaps karatakas and his brother put on such darin

g displays before the hosts to enliven their courage as they tensely awaited the arrival of the roman troops after roman forces landed scouts would have raced down the many narrow chariot paths to bring word to the catavillani kings of their position number and general course it was decided that they would mass their forces at the river crossing probably near rochester kent along the river medway in the meantime forces were deployed to skirmish with and harass the advancing roman legions being s

ure to fall back and draw them onward to the desired site for the main event the british had set up their position on the far side of the river and it was expected that the romans would have difficulty with the crossing leaving them vulnerable while they attempted the forward they hadn't counted on cracked celtic troops able to swim the river even in their full armor the celts crossed surprising the british forces and they set about attacking the chariot force causing disarray which gave the res

t of the roman troops time to attempt the ford yet the forces under karatakas and togo dominus were able to check the romans for the entire day holding them in a stalemate the second day saw bitter fighting on both sides with british forces nearly overrunning and capturing ganeus josirios geta a roman senator and general yet in the end gaeta was able to turn the battle around decidedly resulting in the british forces falling back to the thames after the day's fighting which saw many casualties o

n both sides gata's turning of the battle was so stunning that he was awarded a roman triumph despite not even being of the rank of consular something unprecedented though the details of the battle do not survive it should be assumed that he was responsible for reversing a potential roman defeat that the british forces of karatakas and togo domnes were able to meet the roman invasion force in direct battle and sustain intense fighting for several days without breaking fighting on equal footing a

nd strategically retreating to a better location speaks to discipline and preparation among the british forces these were not barbarian troops fighting heedlessly as perhaps was the case with the iceni rebellion later but patient and calculating experienced warriors both places of battle were well chosen by the catholani kings and the edge which the romans held in the contest appears to have been not their superior tactics but their armor tactically karatakas and togu dominus did everything righ

t in their first major engagement against the juggernaut rome the british forces crossed satem somewhere near where it enters the sea the battle at this site was not well recorded but it appears that the britons attempted to hold the far side of the river as they did previously assailing those who came across the romans became bogged down here and lost many men in their attempt to cross the river and there was vicious fighting at the fore yet here again the roman celtic auxiliary troops proved p

ivotal to roman's success one group fords the river easily in their armor swimming across while another group quickly traveled to the west where a small bridge was located togo domnes and karatakos busy holding down the roman legions then found themselves beset by celts on all sides at some point in the battle togudomnus is hit perhaps it was a javelin cast as he ordered his men to retreat maybe a sword thrust as he dueled one of the celts who had encircled them whatever it was he was injured ba

dly overrun by celts the british retreated to the safety of the swamps and as the celtic forces tried to pursue them they found the swamp with something far different than the river ford the local british knew the trackways through it but those who eagerly pursued them soon found themselves the ones who were hunted many roman celts never found their way out of that swamp though they had lost many men the forces of togodomnas and karatakas remained intact sequestered in the safety of the swamps t

hey had time to see to their wounded dogudomnus though he had managed to escape was quickly succumbing to his injuries perhaps with keratakus at his side he gave his last words to his brother before closing his eyes for the last time with his brother gone the fate of his people and britain lay heavily upon him yet it was a weight he bore without kneeling though the situation now looked bleak together with his closest comrades he planned what their next move was to be they may have headed back to

camelo dunham at this point though the sources are not clear general platius held his troops back at the thames feeling cautious after their close calls and the losses at the river crossings and in the swamps he waited for the reinforcements that were coming along with emperor claudius war elephants and siege equipment likely intended to awe the population into surrender and also to besiege the capital camelot dunham back in the catalvalani stronghold there was likely some very hard conversatio

ns taking place various tribes may have recalled their men already intending to surrender the icini to the north if they ever lent troops were now vowing to be loyal roman allies yet karatakas would not hear it with passion and indignation he stirred the people once more to resist they as free men could not forever endure the yoke of slavery nor be disarmed or made to kneel before foreigners in their own lands vowing to avenge his brother's death karatakas gathered his diminished forces and prep

ared for yet another battle this time with emperor claudius himself some historians believe the battle never took place but cassius dio says that when emperor claudius arrived with his reinforcements including war elephants the enemy had amassed again on the far side of the river a pitch battle was fought but the forces of karatakas were routed yet the king of the cantavalani escaped along with his core group of men which may have included other brothers unnamed in history with the main organize

d opposition defeated amber claudius and his elephants marched to camelot dunham modern colchester and there received the surrender of the 11 tribes that had supported karatakas in his struggle against the imperial power in most tales this would be the end but not this one karatakas had vowed not to give up the fight and he didn't after retreating with his forces he seems to have went west probably going from tribe to tribe attempting to build up an alliance against the invasion force with those

tribes who had not yet surrendered to rome he found welcome arms in modern day wales and became war leader of the siliures and the ordovasis the two tribes generally corresponding to south and north wales respectively from his wild mountain strongholds he waged guerilla war upon roman forces for almost a decade leading nighttime raids hit and run strikes aiding tribes resisting the romans and acting much in the character of later british figures like robin hood and more exactly like owing glend

or who would later take up the same tactics against the english from the exact same region the actions of keratakos made him a very famous and popular figure in britain legends of him survive in welsh mythology and gods like they and gwyrion are said to be his descendants in medieval genealogies joffrey of monmouth called him arviragos son of kimberlinus and he appears in shakespeare as well where an interesting mythological tale is spun about him that seems to take elements from earlier pagan m

yths he and his brother guidarios were kidnapped by bedlarius an enemy of his father but were trained by him and treated as his sons in welsh versions of joffrey's history he and his brother are called gwereth and gwidir finally he is also represented as karadog son of bran bran being bendigram legendary king of britain and a god karadog is the middle welsh rendition of the name karatakos but karatakas was not only making a name for himself at home his fame was reportedly spreading widely as a h

eroic and unrelenting warrior who used his daring and cunning to outwit a much more powerful foe and one who refused to be captured or surrendered pacitus says that even in rome he was celebrated as a hero despite being one of their most enduring enemies caratacos must have been quite a character to inspire such feelings even in rome in 50 a.d somewhere in the mountains of north wales in the lands of the ordovasi karatakas arranged to fight a decisive battle against the roman general scapula in

his ranks were men from various tribes who wished to resist the might of rome and had flocked to his banner of defiance he had chosen a well-fortified position as he always did and tacitus says that he flew hither and thither protesting that that day and that battle would be the beginning of a recovery of their freedom or of everlasting bondage he appealed by name to their forefathers who had driven back the dictator caesar by whose valor they were free from the roman acts and tribute and still

preserved the persons of their wives and their children while he was thus speaking the hosts shouted applause every warrior bound himself by his national oath not to shrink from weapons or wounds the location of the battle is disputed but though karatakas had carefully picked a fortified location to gain every tactical advantage his forces were defeated as before the defeat seems less to do with bad tactics or even training or discipline of the troops and more to do with a lack of equipment even

tacitus makes reference to this saying quote as long as it was a fight with missiles the wounds and the slaughter fell chiefly on our soldiers but when we had formed the military testudo and the rude ill-compacted fence of stones was torn down and it was an equal hand-to-hand engagement the barbarians retreated to the heights yet even there both light and heavy-armed soldiers rushed to attack the first harass the foe with missiles while the latter closed with them and the opposing ranks of the

britons were broken destitute as they were of the defense of breastplates or helmets tacitus says the britons fought better than the roman forces at a distance but when the romans were able to close on them the lack of armor of the british forces proved their primary weakness and ultimately the reason for their defeat yet despite this loss and the capture of his wife daughter and unnamed brothers karatakas of the many wiles manages to slip through the fingers of rome yet again escaping into the

wilds he fled north entering the lands of the brigantes they were nominal allies of rome but a great number of the people were rebel sympathizers including the former husband of queen catamandua venutius karatako's sought to recruit troops or at least obtain sanctuary instead cartamandua had her soldiers seize him and throw him in chains in exchange for wealth and the increased support of rome queen cartamandua handed karatakas over to the romans after this act of treachery she never again held

the respect of her people two rebellions were staged against her led by her ex-husband juenutius in the first she maintained power only through the direct military intervention of roman troops and auxiliaries the second time she was not so fortunate escaping to roman held territories but never again returning to the lands of the brigantes one of the reasons cited for her overthrow was her treachery against karatakas with the rebel king finally captured claudius held a great spectacle in rome wit

h the main exhibit being karatakas his wife daughter and brothers tasres says nine years after the beginning of the war in britain his fame had spread thence and traveled to the neighboring islands and provinces and was actually celebrated in italy all were eager to see the great man who for so many years had defied our power even at rome the name of karatakas was no obscure one it was an amazing feat for a man to gain such fame across such a wide area of europe in under a decade with many years

of that time spent fighting from the mountains of wales his many deeds from the time of his defeat upon the ford and the death of his brother togo domnes were likely seen as heroic and romantic and in welsh myth he appears to have been transformed into an almost divine figure that he was even thought of as a folk hero in italy speaks to just how significant a figure he must have been and the number of word-of-mouth tales that were spreading about him presenting him likely as a type of robin hoo

d this favor that karatakas had in rome was not confined only to the plebians however for a strange almost unheard-of thing happened when caratacos was brought before emperor claudius and situated before the tribunal while all the others bent down in submission karatakas refused to kneel instead standing defiantly without a trace of humbleness according to tacitus he said had my moderation in prosperity been equal to my noble birth and fortune i should have entered this city as your friend rathe

r than as your captain and you would not have disdain to receive under a treaty of peace a king descended from illustrious ancestors and ruling many nations my present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to myself i had men and horses arms and wealth what wonder if i parted with them reluctantly if you romans choose to lord it over the world does it follow that the world is to accept slavery right to have been at once delivered up to you as a prisoner neither my fall nor your triumph wo

uld have become famous my punishment would be followed by oblivion whereas if you save my life i shall be an everlasting memorial to your clemency claudius in a remarkable twist granted this unrepentant warrior and his family their lives he was apparently given his own residence in rome by a noble and lived out the rest of his days there very likely he was not allowed to return to britain or even leave the city diocasius said that once when he was walking through rome after having been granted h

is life he looked about the grand buildings of the city the great works of art and architecture and muse it is a wonder to me that possessing such marvels you still desire are humble huts the question of karatakas fits also with his comments recorded by tacitus that of trying to understand the roman imperial mindset which was somewhat alien to the britons karatakas was indignant that roman should strive to take what was his he prized his freedom and the independent destiny of his people and he w

as motivated also by that which motivated all the ancient heroes of greece immortality if he had not fought with all that he had he would have died in obscurity his death would be oblivion through his acts he achieved what he sought he became an immortal remembered in myth and history as a great warrior rebel and king of britain i hope you liked the video and if you did please like subscribe and consider supporting me on patreon or paypal again much thanks to all of my wonderful supporters and a

s always stand tall