-So, Julius Caesar was now gone for good (seeing as how he'd been assassinated in Rome in 44 BC) and Commius had gone to Britannia as an ambassador for the Romans but secretly was hoping to forge his own kingdom!
-It is surprising that Commius was actually somewhat successful, as it would be assumed that he was just a Roman shill. However, he gained popularity by renouncing the Romans and sticking true to his word. Maybe it made him look good that the Romans had tried to have him assassinated.
-34 BC- Octavian was now in power in Rome, and had put into motion plans to invade Britannia!
-However, in the eastern half of the Roman empire Marc Antony and Cleopatra were out of control, so Octavian's Britannia campaign had to be temporarily suspended.
-Unfortunately for Octavian, this kept on getting delayed again and again due to constant drama back in Rome and within the empire (even after Octavian became emperor (and thus became known as Augustus).
-Meanwhile, because of this relatively peaceful time in Britannia, trade had picked back up between the island and the mainland.
-Gold, livestock, slaves, etc. were exported for wine (British wine sucked ass, apparently), olive oil, and glass.
-After Augustus, Tiberius (Augustus' adopted son) was emperor of Rome.
-Tiberius' adopted son, Germanicus, was commander over a number of Roman legions.
-During this time, a small band of his soldiers actually got shipwrecked in Britannia and returned to Rome with stories of magic, monsters, etc. This really seemed to intimidate the Romans, and so they put off any ideas of invasion for the time being!
-After Emperor Tiberius died he was replaced by Caligula (son of Germanicus).
-It seems as if he wasn't intimidated at all by the horror stories of Britannia, as he declared a complete invasion of the island in 40 AD.
-However, it's unclear what exactly went down, but after sailing around the English channel for a bit just off the coast of Gaul, Caligula returned to land and ordered for the legions to start picking up seashells off the beach (??).
-Caligula and the legions then returned to Rome, declaring victory or something.
-After Caligula was assassinated by Praetorian officers, Caligula's uncle Claudius was emperor.
-Meanwhile in Britannia, Commius' new kingdom of Atrebates was eventually divided up into three separate kingdoms by his three sons (or it was his two sons and some other dude; it's unclear) after Commius kicked the bucket.
-Eventually, this kingdom was re-unified and ruled by Commius' son Verica (recorded by the Romans as "Bericus") in 15 AD.
-Verica ruled as king of the Atrebates from the city of Calleva Atrebatum (outside of modern-day Basingstoke, Hampshire) from 15-40 AD.
-During this time the Atrebates began fighting with their rivals the Catuvellauni.
-Eventually, the Catuvellauni were victorious in conquering the Atrebates, so Verica fled to Rome to appeal to the Romans for help to get their kingdom back!
-This was great timing for Verica, as Claudius had been desperate to do something dramatic and grandiose that would show the Romans that he was a powerful guy.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Sunday, November 25, 2018
The Island at the Edge of the World - Part 3
-54 BC- Julius Caesar begins to eye Britannia again...
-This time around, however, he built up a massive fleet (600 transports and 200 warships) and five of his legions (out of the eight total under his control).
-News spread among the Britons that Caesar's invasion was imminent, so they quickly began planning for negotiations and building up their defenses.
-One important character during this time was a dude named Cassivallaunus, leader (most likely) of the Catuvellauni tribe (inhabited southeast Britannia) and the combined allied Britannic forces against Rome.
-In July, Caesar's war fleet set sail for Britannia, aiming to land at the same beach where he landed last time.
-Surprisingly, there was no resistance when they landed.
-It's most likely that this was because Cassivellaunus knew that it would be foolish to attack Caesar's massive army on the beach, and instead it made more sense to retreat inland to attack from a more advantageous position.
-After landing, they immediately set up camp, but without resting Caesar left behind a small force and immediately marched his forces out of camp in order to start kicking ass.
-Early in the morning, they finally came across the Briton army (most likely at a crossing of the River Stour (near modern-day Kent). The Romans were way too powerful, so much of the Briton army fled to a hill-fort nearby (most likely in modern-day Bigbury Wood, Kent).
-By using the testudo ("tortoise") formation, the Romans were able to breach the hill fort's defenses and take it over.
-At this point, shit was going pretty well for Caesar, but his luck was about to run out.
-He soon received word that a vicious storm was on the way- just like when he landed last time!
-The storm damaged his ships pretty badly, so Caesar was forced to recall his forces and regroup back at camp in order to figure out what to do.
-Caesar then spent the next 10 days reorganizing, repairing, and fortifying everything.
-Meanwhile, the Britons were busy regrouping as well, and ultimately Cassivellaunus was officially selected to lead the allied resistance against the Romans.
-This was bad news for the Romans because before the Britons were unorganized, but now they were amassing huge numbers and far outnumbered the Roman forces.
-Additionally, the Britons' method of using their chariots for charging and guerrilla warfare was still something that the Romans had trouble defending against.
-Unfortunately for the Britons, Cassivellaunus made a fatal error when he tried to engage the Romans in a proper battle, not realizing that this is where the Roman legions excelled (especially when they had their cavalry, which they didn't have during their previous invasion)!
-The Briton army was defeated badly in one huge battle, but luckily for the Britons Cassivellaunus escaped and was able to start raising another army.
-Guerrilla warfare quickly started up again. However, Cassivellaunus had difficulty sustaining the campaign this time around, as in actuality up to this point Britannia had always been plagued by inter-tribal warfare, and a lot of the other tribes hated the Catuvellauni and wanted to see their downfall.
-The Trinovantes (led by Mandubracius) especially hated the Catuvellauni because they had killed Mandubracius' father, Imanuentius).
-Mandubracius began to plot to ally with the Romans in order to get back at the Catuvellauni, so he eventually pledged his loyalty to the Romans in exchange for their support!
-Many others began to follow suit (including the Cenimagni, Segontiaci, Ancalites, Bibroci, and Cassi tribes).
-Caesar was now in a great position in Britannia.
-Unfortunately, there began to be numerous Celtic uprisings in Gaul during this time, and Caesar realized that he was on a major time crunch- he had to finish up whatever he was doing in Britannia because he had to go quell the rebellions in Gaul!
-He soon received intel on the location of Cassivellaunus' secret hideout (near modern-day Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire), so he immediately sent Roman forces there to crush Cassivellaunus once and for all.
-Desperate for relief, Cassivellaunus sent his troops to go attack Caesar's naval base in order to distract the Romans. Unfortunately, the Britons failed to do much damage and were quickly routed.
-Although the Romans were successful in taking out Cassivellaunus' oppidum (fortified settlement), Caesar didn't have enough time to sustain the campaign in Britannia, so instead he began to work on some sort of peace deal with the Britons which would hopefully cause a stall in hostilities (until he could return, of course haha).
-The Romans sent Commius (chieftain of the Atrebates tribe of Gaul) to negotiate peace, and this actually worked!
-Caesar then ordered a complete recall of the Roman forces in Britannia back to Gaul in September 54 BC.
-Caesar would never return, of course, as he would be murdered 44 BC.
-Britannia would be more or less safe from the Romans for another 100 years or so!
-The Romans didn't trust Commius, however, so they eventually tried to have him killed, but they were unsuccessful. Commius then fled to Britannia where he started a new tribe (also called the Atrebates)!
-Thus, the old Roman trade routes (with the exception of those of modern-day Essex) from Gaul were severed, and Britannia grew much more insulated.
-Oddly enough, although Commius hated the Romans with a passion, his descendants would ultimately sell out to the Romans the next time they invaded the island!
-This time around, however, he built up a massive fleet (600 transports and 200 warships) and five of his legions (out of the eight total under his control).
-News spread among the Britons that Caesar's invasion was imminent, so they quickly began planning for negotiations and building up their defenses.
-One important character during this time was a dude named Cassivallaunus, leader (most likely) of the Catuvellauni tribe (inhabited southeast Britannia) and the combined allied Britannic forces against Rome.
-In July, Caesar's war fleet set sail for Britannia, aiming to land at the same beach where he landed last time.
-Surprisingly, there was no resistance when they landed.
-It's most likely that this was because Cassivellaunus knew that it would be foolish to attack Caesar's massive army on the beach, and instead it made more sense to retreat inland to attack from a more advantageous position.
-After landing, they immediately set up camp, but without resting Caesar left behind a small force and immediately marched his forces out of camp in order to start kicking ass.
-Early in the morning, they finally came across the Briton army (most likely at a crossing of the River Stour (near modern-day Kent). The Romans were way too powerful, so much of the Briton army fled to a hill-fort nearby (most likely in modern-day Bigbury Wood, Kent).
-By using the testudo ("tortoise") formation, the Romans were able to breach the hill fort's defenses and take it over.
-At this point, shit was going pretty well for Caesar, but his luck was about to run out.
-He soon received word that a vicious storm was on the way- just like when he landed last time!
-The storm damaged his ships pretty badly, so Caesar was forced to recall his forces and regroup back at camp in order to figure out what to do.
-Caesar then spent the next 10 days reorganizing, repairing, and fortifying everything.
-Meanwhile, the Britons were busy regrouping as well, and ultimately Cassivellaunus was officially selected to lead the allied resistance against the Romans.
-This was bad news for the Romans because before the Britons were unorganized, but now they were amassing huge numbers and far outnumbered the Roman forces.
-Additionally, the Britons' method of using their chariots for charging and guerrilla warfare was still something that the Romans had trouble defending against.
-Unfortunately for the Britons, Cassivellaunus made a fatal error when he tried to engage the Romans in a proper battle, not realizing that this is where the Roman legions excelled (especially when they had their cavalry, which they didn't have during their previous invasion)!
-The Briton army was defeated badly in one huge battle, but luckily for the Britons Cassivellaunus escaped and was able to start raising another army.
-Guerrilla warfare quickly started up again. However, Cassivellaunus had difficulty sustaining the campaign this time around, as in actuality up to this point Britannia had always been plagued by inter-tribal warfare, and a lot of the other tribes hated the Catuvellauni and wanted to see their downfall.
-The Trinovantes (led by Mandubracius) especially hated the Catuvellauni because they had killed Mandubracius' father, Imanuentius).
-Mandubracius began to plot to ally with the Romans in order to get back at the Catuvellauni, so he eventually pledged his loyalty to the Romans in exchange for their support!
-Many others began to follow suit (including the Cenimagni, Segontiaci, Ancalites, Bibroci, and Cassi tribes).
-Caesar was now in a great position in Britannia.
-Unfortunately, there began to be numerous Celtic uprisings in Gaul during this time, and Caesar realized that he was on a major time crunch- he had to finish up whatever he was doing in Britannia because he had to go quell the rebellions in Gaul!
-He soon received intel on the location of Cassivellaunus' secret hideout (near modern-day Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire), so he immediately sent Roman forces there to crush Cassivellaunus once and for all.
-Desperate for relief, Cassivellaunus sent his troops to go attack Caesar's naval base in order to distract the Romans. Unfortunately, the Britons failed to do much damage and were quickly routed.
-Although the Romans were successful in taking out Cassivellaunus' oppidum (fortified settlement), Caesar didn't have enough time to sustain the campaign in Britannia, so instead he began to work on some sort of peace deal with the Britons which would hopefully cause a stall in hostilities (until he could return, of course haha).
-The Romans sent Commius (chieftain of the Atrebates tribe of Gaul) to negotiate peace, and this actually worked!
-Caesar then ordered a complete recall of the Roman forces in Britannia back to Gaul in September 54 BC.
-Caesar would never return, of course, as he would be murdered 44 BC.
-Britannia would be more or less safe from the Romans for another 100 years or so!
-The Romans didn't trust Commius, however, so they eventually tried to have him killed, but they were unsuccessful. Commius then fled to Britannia where he started a new tribe (also called the Atrebates)!
-Thus, the old Roman trade routes (with the exception of those of modern-day Essex) from Gaul were severed, and Britannia grew much more insulated.
-Oddly enough, although Commius hated the Romans with a passion, his descendants would ultimately sell out to the Romans the next time they invaded the island!
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
The Island at the Edge of the World - Part 2
-Although the Britons of the local area where Caesar had landed sued for peace by surrendering, Caesar knew that the island was far from pacified.
-By arriving here, he knew that he had possibly stirred up a hornet's nest and that the entire island would have to be neutralized if they were going to stay out of his invasion of Gaul.
-To make matters worse, a violent storm was arriving, and it was seriously fucking up his fleet, so Caesar realized that he was in danger of getting trapped on the island because his fleet was so small, so after the storm Caesar decided to sail back to Gaul and regroup his forces.
-Because of the storm, it's also possible that the Romans believed they had displeased the god Oceanus by daring to cross his borders or whatever.
-Meanwhile, the Britons were realizing what a shitty situation the Romans were in, so a horde began amassing and surrounding his camp. Acting fast, Caesar ordered one legion to forage/raid for food and supplies and another legion to repair/build ships.
-This was risky because very little men were then available for defense.
-Of course, while wandering the countryside, the legion came under attack by a horde of Britons.
-The Britons' favorite method of attack was to plow their chariots straight into the Roman line and then the chariot warriors would jump off and attack the stunned Roman infantry before a chariot (the same one or a different one) would crash through the line again and pick up any survivors and take them back to safety. Rinse, repeat.
-As a response, Caesar was able to gather a reinforcement force to save the legion from complete slaughter, and they were able to then drive off the horde.
-Because of more storms along the coast, the hordes refrained from attacking, but used this time to gather their forces while Caesar's men feverishly worked to repair their fleet.
-The Romans were an efficient killing machine, but were still no match for the sheer number of brutal barbarians that were amassing to attack, and the Britons soon began mounting full-on assaults.
-This was a dumb strategy in the long run for the Britons because the Romans were already used to these kinds of attacks (due to fighting with the Gauls), so the Britons were unable to break the Roman defenses.
-They were just two completely different styles of warfare fighting against each other- the Romans were methodical, slow, and mechanical in their killing, whereas the Britons were a warrior people who believed in 1-1 combat and honor.
-The Romans, of course, were not about to break rank and fight the Britons individually, so the Britons were ultimately unsuccessful.
-Overall, the Britons failed to annihilate the Romans because they had a terrible strategy- they should have played it slow (e.g. guerrilla warfare, sabotage, starving them out, etc.).
-In response to the Briton assaults, Caesar ordered his legions to go out and slaughter the local population of farmers and villagers, something that most likely horrified the Britons as even they probably didn't do shit like this (these towns and farmers would have been valuable resources for local rulers!).
-In order to appease these foreign monsters, the Britons sent ambassadors to the Romans in order to once again sue for peace.
-Caesar accepted, took some Britons as hostages, and then left the island.
-Surprisingly, the Senate back in Rome declared that Caesar's expedition had been a success. Caesar had been extremely lucky. They even had a record-breaking 20-day supplicatio (public holiday of mass prayer held to either beg the gods for aid or give them thanks (in this case, the latter)).
-Before this 20-day supplicatio, the record had been 15 days (Caesar's victory over the Belgae), and before that, 10 days (Pompey's victory over Mithridates VI of Pontus).
-This wasn't the last 20-day supplicatio for Caesar, however. Roughly a decade later, Rome would throw another one for Caesar's victory over Vercingetorix (king of the Gauls) in 46 BC.
-By arriving here, he knew that he had possibly stirred up a hornet's nest and that the entire island would have to be neutralized if they were going to stay out of his invasion of Gaul.
-To make matters worse, a violent storm was arriving, and it was seriously fucking up his fleet, so Caesar realized that he was in danger of getting trapped on the island because his fleet was so small, so after the storm Caesar decided to sail back to Gaul and regroup his forces.
-Because of the storm, it's also possible that the Romans believed they had displeased the god Oceanus by daring to cross his borders or whatever.
-Meanwhile, the Britons were realizing what a shitty situation the Romans were in, so a horde began amassing and surrounding his camp. Acting fast, Caesar ordered one legion to forage/raid for food and supplies and another legion to repair/build ships.
-This was risky because very little men were then available for defense.
-Of course, while wandering the countryside, the legion came under attack by a horde of Britons.
-The Britons' favorite method of attack was to plow their chariots straight into the Roman line and then the chariot warriors would jump off and attack the stunned Roman infantry before a chariot (the same one or a different one) would crash through the line again and pick up any survivors and take them back to safety. Rinse, repeat.
-As a response, Caesar was able to gather a reinforcement force to save the legion from complete slaughter, and they were able to then drive off the horde.
-Because of more storms along the coast, the hordes refrained from attacking, but used this time to gather their forces while Caesar's men feverishly worked to repair their fleet.
-The Romans were an efficient killing machine, but were still no match for the sheer number of brutal barbarians that were amassing to attack, and the Britons soon began mounting full-on assaults.
-This was a dumb strategy in the long run for the Britons because the Romans were already used to these kinds of attacks (due to fighting with the Gauls), so the Britons were unable to break the Roman defenses.
-They were just two completely different styles of warfare fighting against each other- the Romans were methodical, slow, and mechanical in their killing, whereas the Britons were a warrior people who believed in 1-1 combat and honor.
-The Romans, of course, were not about to break rank and fight the Britons individually, so the Britons were ultimately unsuccessful.
-Overall, the Britons failed to annihilate the Romans because they had a terrible strategy- they should have played it slow (e.g. guerrilla warfare, sabotage, starving them out, etc.).
-In response to the Briton assaults, Caesar ordered his legions to go out and slaughter the local population of farmers and villagers, something that most likely horrified the Britons as even they probably didn't do shit like this (these towns and farmers would have been valuable resources for local rulers!).
-In order to appease these foreign monsters, the Britons sent ambassadors to the Romans in order to once again sue for peace.
-Caesar accepted, took some Britons as hostages, and then left the island.
-Surprisingly, the Senate back in Rome declared that Caesar's expedition had been a success. Caesar had been extremely lucky. They even had a record-breaking 20-day supplicatio (public holiday of mass prayer held to either beg the gods for aid or give them thanks (in this case, the latter)).
-Before this 20-day supplicatio, the record had been 15 days (Caesar's victory over the Belgae), and before that, 10 days (Pompey's victory over Mithridates VI of Pontus).
-This wasn't the last 20-day supplicatio for Caesar, however. Roughly a decade later, Rome would throw another one for Caesar's victory over Vercingetorix (king of the Gauls) in 46 BC.
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