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Cassivellaunus
Cassivellaunus
The Oxford Companion to British History
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2002
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© The Oxford Companion to British History 2002, originally published by Oxford University Press 2002. (Hide copyright information)
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Cassivellaunus. British chief or king. Cassivellaunus is known only from the war diaries of Julius
Caesar and Dio Cassius' later derivative account of Caesar's invasions of 55 and 54 bc. Nevertheless, he may well have been a key figure in the political development of south-eastern Britain before the Roman conquest. Caesar recounts that before his invasions, Cassivellaunus had been in a continual state of warfare with neighbouring tribes. His territory is described as beginning some 75 miles from the sea, and on the far side (that is, on the north bank) of the Thames. This places him in the Chilterns and suggests that he may have been the first local chieftain to found a kingdom here which was later to dominate most of south-east England under the tribal name of the
Catuvellauni. His abilities as a war leader are confirmed by his selection by the British, even those he had recently been fighting, to lead the opposition to Caesar. His subsequent handling of his forces and his use of guerrilla tactics, which prevented Caesar from achieving the total victory he was seeking, suggest a shrewd military mind. The location of his stronghold is uncertain but Wheathamstead near Welwyn is possible.
Keith Branigan
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BRITAIN AD 1.(Britain at the first millennium AD)
Magazine article from: History Today; 1/1/2000; ; 700+ words
; ...in order to deal with his invasion. He described a King Cassivellaunus at the head of that empire, a high-king commanding lesser...broadly identifiable as Kent. Of course, his depiction of Cassivellaunus served to give him a worthy adversary, whose conquest could...
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Foray into Britain.(Julius Caesar)
Magazine article from: Calliope; 12/1/2006; ; 700+ words
; ...resisted bravely, Caesar quickly captured their leader, Cassivellaunus, but it was a hollow victory. Many British fighters remained...the forests and continued to harass the Romans. Also, Cassivellaunus had little gold, silver, or tin to offer his captors...
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Revealed: our friends the Romans did not invade Britain after all Astonishing new archaeological finds reveal they were already our countrymen 50 years before Claudius spun his way into the history books. Steve Bloomfield reports
Newspaper article from: The Independent on Sunday; 6/26/2005; ; 700+ words
; ...landed in Dover before marching towards London, defeating Cassivellaunus the King of Catuvellauni in Hertfordshire. News of an impending...the Trinovantes appealed to Caesar to protect them from Cassivellaunus who had run a series of raids into their territory. Dr...
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Inside INFO
Newspaper article from: The Press; 6/13/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...disclosed form on heavy tracks. Talk Back did not have much luck at Wanganui last start and looks to be coming solid. Cassivellaunus and Walter are both recent placegetters over this trip and must be top chances if they can cop the track. RACE 2: Matamata...
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Albion Ablaze and A View to a Death.(Book review)
Newspaper article from: Reviewer's Bookwatch; 8/1/2009; ; 700+ words
; ...Marcus. However, in this and the next year, in which Caesar carries out a full scale invasion to unseat the tyrant, Cassivellaunus, Marcus plays a role wholly unsuspected by historians (while still remaining credibly within Caesar's version of the...
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Cassivellaunus
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Cassivellaunus , fl. 54 BC, British chieftain, a...Caesar crossed the Thames River into Cassivellaunus's home country. Aided by discontented British tribes, he attacked Cassivellaunus in his strong fort in the marshes (probably...
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Julius Caesar
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
...reputation in the Gallic Wars . In 55 BC, Caesar made explorations into Britain, and in 54 BC he defeated the Britons, led by Cassivellaunus. Caesar met his most serious opposition in Gaul from Vercingetorix , whom he defeated in Alesia in 52 BC By the end of...
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Caesar, Julius
Book article from: A Dictionary of British History
...was wrecked by storms. The following year he returned and defeated the tribes of south‐eastern Britain under Cassivellaunus . For these incursions into a semi‐mythical island the Senate voted a longer thanks giving than for the conquest...
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Hertfordshire
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to British History
...bordering Essex. In the immediate pre-Roman period, the area was part of the territory of the Catuvellauni , whose chief, Cassivellaunus , opposed Caesar's expeditions. His grandson Cunobelinus seems to have moved his capital from Verulamium , near St Albans...
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Catuvellauni
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to British History
...called Tasciovanus by the coins issued by him and his successor Cunobelinus . In fact, it seems likely that the chief called Cassivellaunus who had opposed Caesar in 54 bc had already begun to carve out the Catuvellaunian kingdom. The tribal name means ‘...
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