Caratacus was a leader of the Catuvellauni tribe in Britain during the 1st century AD. He fought against the Romans when they tried to take over Britain. Before the Romans came to Britain, Caratacus helped his tribe grow their land. His success made the Romans come to Britain, even though they claimed they were helping his enemies who had been defeated. He fought the Romans for nearly ten years using surprise attacks. However, when he tried a big battle, the Romans won. After losing, he ran to the land of Queen Cartimandua. She caught him and gave him to the Romans. He was sentenced to die, but he spoke to Emperor Claudius, who decided not to kill him. His speech to Claudius is often shown in paintings and art.
Name
Caratacus' name is written as Caratacus and Caractacus in writings by Tacitus, and as Καράτακος and Καρτάκης in writings by Dio. Older books often use the spelling Caractacus. Coins made during his time show the start of his name, CARA', on the front side. However, some experts today believe, using studies of language and sources, that the original form in the Common Brittonic language was *Karatākos, pronounced [karaˈtaːkos], similar to the Welsh word Caradog, the Breton word Karadeg, and the Irish word Carthach. This name means "loving, beloved, dear; friend."
History
Dio Cassius wrote that Caratacus was the son of Cunobelinus, the king of the Catuvellauni. Based on where coins were found, it seems Caratacus was mentored by his uncle, Epaticcus. Epaticcus expanded the Catuvellauni’s power westward, likely from his palace in Verulam, which was the main area of the Catuvellauni, into the lands of the Atrebates. When Epaticcus died around AD 35, the Atrebates, led by Verica, regained some of their land. However, Dio Cassius said that Caratacus conquered the Atrebates completely. Verica was driven out, fled to Rome, and asked Emperor Claudius for help. This event gave Claudius a reason to invade Britain in the summer of 43 AD.
The invasion targeted Caratacus’s stronghold, Camulodunon (modern Colchester), which had been the home of his father, Cunobelinus. Cunobelinus had died before the invasion. Caratacus and his brother, Togodumnus, led the early defense against Aulus Plautius’s four legions, which were thought to have about 40,000 soldiers. They mainly used hit-and-run tactics. After losing two key battles, the Battle of the River Medway and the River Thames, they lost much of the southeast.
Dio Cassius reported that Togodumnus was killed, though some historians, like Miles Russell and John Hind, believe this may be incorrect. They argue that Togodumnus may have survived and later became a loyal Roman ally, known as Cogidubnus or Togidubnus. The Romans conquered the Catuvellauni’s lands, and Camulodunon was turned into the first Roman settlement in Britain, called Colonia Victricensis.
Later, Tacitus wrote in his Annals that Caratacus led the Silures and Ordovices of Wales against Publius Ostorius Scapula, who was the new Roman governor. In 50 AD, Scapula defeated Caratacus in a major battle in Ordovician territory. He captured Caratacus’s wife and daughter and forced his brothers to surrender. Caratacus escaped and fled north to the lands of the Brigantes (modern Yorkshire). The Brigantes’ queen, Cartimandua, handed him over to the Romans in chains. This event led to two revolts by the Brigantes later in the 50s and again in 69 AD, led by Venutius, who had once been Cartimandua’s husband. After Caratacus’s capture, much of southern Britain from the Humber to the Severn was controlled by the Romans in the 50s.
Legends say Caratacus’s final stand was at either Caer Caradoc near Church Stretton or British Camp in the Malvern Hills. However, Tacitus described the battle site as a place surrounded by steep mountains, with rocks blocking paths and a stream with an uncertain crossing. Since the Severn River is visible from British Camp but not near it, the battle likely happened elsewhere. Some historians, like Bari Jones, suggest Blodwel Rocks in Powys, Wales, as a possible location.
After his capture, Caratacus was sent to Rome as a war prize. He was likely to be executed after a victory parade. However, he was allowed to speak to the Roman Senate. Tacitus wrote that Caratacus said his resistance made Rome’s victory more glorious:
"If I had been more willing to give up my wealth and power, I would have come to Rome as a friend, not a prisoner. My refusal to surrender shows how strong I was. If you want to rule everyone, does that mean everyone must accept your rule? If I had surrendered immediately, your victory would not have been as great. If you spare me, I will always remember your kindness."
His speech impressed the Romans, and they let him live in peace in Rome. According to Dio Cassius, Caratacus was so amazed by Rome that he said, "Can you, who have so much, still want our simple homes?"
Legend
Caratacus' memory may have been kept in medieval Welsh stories. A family tree in the Welsh Harley MS 3859 (around 1100) lists the generations "Caratauc map Cinbelin map Teuhant," which match, through known changes in language, to "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus, son of Tasciovanus," correctly showing the relationships of these three historical people.
Caratacus is not mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136), but he may be the same as Arviragus, the younger son of Kymbelinus, who continued fighting the Romans after his older brother Guiderius died. In Welsh stories, his name is Gweirydd, son of Cynfelyn, and his brother is called Gwydyr. The name Arviragus comes from a poem by Juvenal.
Caradog, son of Bran, appears in medieval Welsh stories and has been linked to Caratacus, though no other details in the stories match except his name. He is described in the Mabinogion as a son of Bran the Blessed, who was left in charge of Britain while his father fought in Ireland. Caradog was later defeated by Caswallawn, the historical Cassivellaunus, who lived about a century earlier than Caratacus. The Welsh Triads also say Caradog was Bran's son and name two other sons, Cawrdaf and Eudaf.
Two hills in Shropshire are named Caer Caradoc (Welsh: Caer Caradog), meaning "fort of Caradoc." One is an Iron Age hill fort and protected historical site near Clun, overlooking Chapel Lawn. The other is a prominent hill and Iron Age hill fort near Church Stretton, 16 miles (26 km) to the north-east.
Caradog was linked to Caratacus only after the rediscovery of Tacitus' works and new stories based on this connection. An 18th-century tradition, popularized by the Welsh writer Iolo Morganwg, claims Caradog brought Christianity to Britain after returning from imprisonment in Rome. Iolo also said the legendary king Coel Hen was a son of Caradog's son, Saint Cyllin. Richard Williams Morgan noted a reference to Cyllin as a son of Caratacus in family records of Iestyn ab Gwrgant and used this as evidence that Christianity arrived in Britain early: "Cyllin ab Caradog, a wise and just king. In his time, many Welsh people accepted the faith in Christ through the teaching of the saints of Cor-Eurgain, and many holy men from Greece and Rome were in Wales. He was the first Welsh king to give names to infants; before, names were only given to adults, and then based on something about their bodies, minds, or behavior."
Another tradition, popular among British Israelites and others, claims Caratacus was already a Christian before going to Rome, with Christianity brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea or St. Paul. This tradition also links several early Christians to Caratacus' family.
One is Pomponia Graecina, wife of Aulus Plautius, the Roman conqueror of Britain. Tacitus wrote she was accused of following a "foreign superstition," which some believe was Christianity. However, Tacitus clearly states the person who "returned from Britain with an ovation" (a military celebration) was Plautius, not Pomponia. This mistake has been repeated widely despite being incorrect.
Another is Claudia Rufina, a British woman known to the poet Martial. Martial describes her marriage to a man named Pudens, likely Aulus Pudens, a Roman centurion and friend of Martial. Some argue Claudia and Pudens are the same people mentioned in the Bible as part of the early Christian community in Rome. Others claim Claudia was Caratacus' daughter and that Pope Linus, described as Claudia's brother in an old church document, was Caratacus' son. Pudens is linked to St. Pudens, and it is said the basilica of Santa Pudenziana in Rome, associated with St. Pudens, was once called the Palatium Britannicum and was the home of Caratacus and his family.
This idea was popularized in a 1961 book, The Drama of the Lost Disciples, by George Jowett. Jowett did not create the theory but cited Renaissance historians like Archbishop James Ussher and classical writers like Caesar and Tacitus, though his classical references are inaccurate and many of his claims lack sources. He also referenced St. Paul in Britain (1860) by R. W. Morgan and supported beliefs from British Israelism, which claims the British are descendants of the lost tribes of Israel.
In modern culture
Caractacus has been mentioned in many modern works. The famous "Major-General's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera, "The Pirates of Penzance," includes a line about Caractacus:
"Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform, And tell you every detail of Caractacus's uniform."
Caractacus's connection to musical comedy continued in the 20th century with Rolf Harris's humorous cumulative song, "The Court of King Caractacus." The chorus ends with these words:
"Now if you want to take some pictures of the fascinating witches who put the scintillating stitches in the britches of the boys who put the powder on the noses on the faces of the ladies of the harem of the court of King Caractacus…"
Other works that mention Caractacus include Edward Elgar's "Caractacus," Seamus Kennedy's "King Caractacus," and Mandalaband's (2011) "Palatium Britannicum." Additionally, the father in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is named Caractacus Pott, a name borrowed from the original historical figure, though the character is not related to the real person.