Caratacus: The ancient freedom fighter

In this episode I look at this ancient British chieftain and warrior unsuccessful attempt to resist the invasion of Rome.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to episode three of Just History. First of all, I would just like to thank everyone who has listened to an episode, downloaded an episode, keep tuning in, keep telling all your friends if they like history. And it has been truly amazing to see people from Denmark to England to here in Melbourne all downloading the podcast. So thank you all for your ongoing support. Also it would be great if people could subscribe at just three dollars a month to help keep the history flowing. Anyway, enough of that. Um let's get into the history. Today we're having a look at a character called Caracatus. Now everyone loves a story about a freedom fighter. So today's podcast is about a man who defied Rome for seven years of unrelenting guerrilla warfare in northern and southern Wales. The question is why Caractus? I look through some of the other contenders. Spartacus, a Thracian who was enslaved, who literally carved out a career in arenas as a gladiator. He led other gladiators and other slaves in an uprising which was ultimately unsuccessful, and his life was ended by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. I felt he has already been covered in detail by a range of other podcasts immortalized in the Kirk Douglas classic film Spartacus, a ballet of the same name, and most recently in a Netflix series called Spartacus Blood and Sand. It's a highly entertaining romp through the history of Spartacus that well and truly deserves its eighteen plus rating. So if you want to have a look at that, don't say I didn't warn you. The next candidate was Queen Bodicea, the legendary warrior queen who led her people the Arcini and other Britons who eagerly joined her rampage across England. Her uprising was motivated for revenge for an unprovoked Roman attack upon her hometown and the rape of her daughters. After sacking the cities of Colchester and Londinium, she was defeated in battle and was killed in this battle. Again, her deeds have been well covered in detail by a range of other podcasts, but I think I will another day have a podcast on Queen Bodicea and Queen Cartamondra, who we'll meet later on in this podcast. Just to explain, my interest in characters began many years ago when I read the excellent book The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge, a historical fiction that tells the story of the resistance of the British tribes to Roman invasion and occupation. I love this book so much that it eventually fell apart after many rereads. It is now unfortunately out of publication, but if you can track it down a copy, it is a great story and well worth the read. He gives you an excellent understanding of Britain tribal life and the complexities of intertribal politics and warfare prior to the Roman invasion and occupation. So on to the story of Caracatus. Caracatus resisted the Romans from the Roman invasion of Britain in forty three AD to his final defeat in fifty AD. As is often the case, the main historical sources are the Roman historians Tacticus and Cassius Dio. Now we have to always remember this in Roman history that we are in fact dealing with a limited amount of sources. And in many ways what we call Roman history always operates within these limitations just purely because of what has survived from the written record. However, that plus archaeological evidence and new evidence coming to hand has allowed us to continue to build up a more and more detailed picture of what of Roman history and also what Roman life looked like from on a day to day basis. Caracticus was from a British tribe the Cantu Villani. This tribe was centered in southeast southeastern Britain in areas of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Southern Cambridgeshire. The Catuvalani were warlike and had been highly successful in expanding their territory in southern England, and this essentially justified Emperor Claudius' decision to invade in forty three AD. He argued that their behaviour and expansion was threatening to disrupt trade with Rome and as therefore to maintain trade he had no choice but to intervene. In the invasion of Britain, Caracticus faced the Romans at the Battle of Medway and the Battle of the Thames. The Battle of Medway revolved around British taking a defensive position on the river Medway. The Romans used auxiliary troops. Now auxiliaries were troops that came from other provinces of the Roman Empire. So for example, Gauls or Illyrians or Dalmatians or Thracians. And these troops were extremely handy in that they offered some tactical flexibility other than the more heavily armored legionaries who made up the backbone of the Roman army. Now there are a lot of good websites and a lot of good podcasts that go into great detail about what makes up a Roman legion. So I'll leave it at that today, but that could also be a possible podcast in the future. Anyway, the Romans used their auxiliaries to cross the river and they then set about attacking the British chariots and caused considerable disruption to an important part of the British army. The British were surprised at the Romans' willingness and ability to cross the river. The battle was a bloody affair stretching over two days and ultimately the Romans were able to prevail. The Britons fell back to the Thames River where another battle was fought and again the Romans were victorious. Now one of the key reasons that the Romans were so successful in pitch battle against the ancient British was essentially that they were heavier armed. They had better armor. So if they could see off the initial assault of the Brit ancient British tribes and other tribes such as Gauls, their heavier armor and tighter formation tended to turn things in their favour. They were then able to just press forward. And that's what they did. They used relatively short swords, large shields, and it was all revolved around the concept of getting in at close quarters, and it was incredibly effective. The Cantua Valley were then unable to stop the Romans from taking their capital and Caracticus escaped to Wales with his family. The second phase of Caracticus' resistance was based in Wales with the help of the Silius and the Order Vichade tribes. Two tribes who'd had minimal contact with the Romans and fiercely resisted occupation. They really hadn't traded with the Romans, they were fiercely protective of their religious practices and their cultural practices and were willing allies in his ongoing guerrilla war. After seven long years of guerrilla warfare, the Roman governor in fifty AD Publius Severus Scapula finally managed to find Caracterus and defeat him in a pitch battle in the territory of the Ordovici. Again, Caractacus took up a defensive position in a fortified position somewhere along the Severn River. The exact site has still not been found. There are a number of possibilities, however. This to this date there have been no conclusive archaeological finds that confirm an exact location. But the search continues. The Romans crossed the river and forced their way up the steep slope and were able to push the British back and establish a foothold on the other side of the river and were once again ultimately victorious. Caracticus' family were captured, but Caracticus again escaped, this time to the lands of the Brigantes, a northern tribe who were led by Queen Cartamanjua. Queen Cartamanjua took the politically sensible step of slapping him in chains and handing him straight over to the Romans. Clearly antagonizing the Romans and losing their territory did not appeal to Queen Kartamanjua. Just as a side note and for a bit of extra spice, Paul Engedge in the aforementioned The Eagle and the Raven suggests that Kartumanjua had been held as a hostage which was a commonplace practice between British tribes to ensure a peace treaty in a Ute, and that her and Caracticus had had a passionate relationship, which he ultimately ended in favour of marriage to another woman. Revenge is the dish best served cold power. There's absolutely no historical evidence to support this. However, as I said, it does at least spice up the story a little bit. Caracticus and his family were then taken to Rome and he was put on trial and effectively asked to beg for his life. So he was given the opportunity to make a speech to the Senate and to Emperor Claudius and part of it is preserved by Tacticus. And he said If the degree of my nobility and fortune had been matched by moderation and success, I would have come to this city a friend rather than a as a captive, nor would you have disdained to receive the treaty of peace one sprung from brilliant ancestors and commanding a great many nations. But my present lot, disfiguring as it is to me, is magnificent to you. I had horses, men, arms and wealth. What wonder if I was unwilling to lose them? If you wish to command everyone, does it really follow that everyone should accept your slavery? If I were now being handed over as one who had surrendered immediately, neither my fortune nor your glory would have achieved brilliance. It is also true that in my case any reprisal will be followed by oblivion. On the other hand, if you preserve me safe and sound, I shall be an eternal example of your clemency. This speech deserves some closer analysis. Taking at face value Tacticus' account, Caracticus rather skillfully walks a tightrope of justifying his own actions while appealing for mercy, and it certainly worked as Emperor Claudius granted him clemency, and he was offered a pardon and allowed to live in peace in Rome. After his liberation, according to Dio Cassius, Caracticus 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 still covet our poor huts the legacy of Caracticus? As is always the case, history should be about more than just names and dates. What does it all mean? I think it's fair to say that Caracticus created the conditions for ongoing resistance to Roman occupation as their province of Britannia proved to be an ongoing source of trouble and a drain on their resources. Resistance continued in Wales for some years after its capture. The Icini rebellion led by Queen Bodicea is also an important part of the greater narrative. The actions of Queen Cartamandua also led to a civil war in Vigantia. Her husband Venutius was so appalled by her actions that he took up arms against her and the Romans. The situation got so out of hand it led to the Romans sending in the Ninth Legion to her aid. Also as a side note, Publius Severus Scapular, upon hearing of Caracticus pardon, died Sunata, perhaps exhausted after all his efforts or finally defeated by hearing his adversary had emerged unscathed. Another point I'd like to highlight is the longevity and effectiveness of guerrilla warfare. I think it highlights just how long guerrilla warfare has been practiced for. It's by no means a modern invention. The hit and run tactics used by Caracticus were a constant drain on Roman resources. They attacked forts, smaller Roman camps, disrupted supplies, all of which were designed with the plan of hoping perhaps that the Romans might just pack up and go home. However it wasn't to be. Britain in some ways has been described as Rome's version of the Vietnam War. This is again seen by the decision to build Hadrian's Wall in 122 AD as a means of protecting their northern boundary, also the later and less well known Anton Wall in one hundred forty two, a toast structure further north after an unsuccessful attempt to subsubdue the tribes of Scotland. Hadrian's Wall a magnificent structure and if you ever get the chance it's truly amazing and incredibly well preserved. And as I've already said, I certainly intend to walk along it at some point in the next twelve months. So I'm very much looking forward to that. But it has also been suggested rather than just being a barrier, it was also a way of regulating who could and couldn't cross the border and also it's a way of raising taxes as always by imposing duties on incoming goods. Also, it shows how the Romans were capable of acts of mercy with defeat their defeated foe, perhaps thinking it might send a positive message to the inhabitants of their troublesome province of Britannia. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy it. And if you'd never heard of Caracticus before, well I hope you got something out of it, and I hope you we all have an understanding now of who he was and some of his achievements. Keep downloading the episodes and as I said earlier, don't be afraid to subscribe to keep the history flowing. And until next time, thank you very much and goodbye.