Cartimandua or Cartismandua (reigned ) was a 1st-century queen of the

Brigantes The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geog ...

, a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

people living in what is now

northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angles, Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Scandinavian York, K ...

. She came to power around the time of the

Roman conquest of Britain The Roman conquest of Britain refers to the conquest of the island of Britain by occupying Roman forces. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by 87 when the Stan ...

, and formed a large tribal agglomeration that became loyal to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The only account of her is by the Roman historian

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

, through which she appears to have been widely influential in early

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...

. Her name may be a compound of the

Common Celtic Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally c ...

roots ''*carti-'' "chase, expel, send" and ''*mandu-'' "pony".

History

Although Cartimandua is first mentioned by Tacitus in AD 51, her rule over the Brigantes may have already been established when the Roman emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...

began the organised conquest of Britain in 43: she may have been one of the eleven "kings" who

's triumphal arch says surrendered without a fight. If not, she may have come to power after a revolt of a faction of the Brigantes was defeated by

Publius Ostorius Scapula Publius Ostorius Scapula standing at the terrace of the Roman Baths (Bath) Publius Ostorius Scapula (died 52) was a Roman statesman and general who governed Britain from 47 until his death, and was responsible for the defeat and capture of Ca ...

in 48. Being of "illustrious birth", according to Tacitus,Tacitus, ''

Histories Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to: * the plural of history * ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus * ''The Histories'', by Timaeus * ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius * ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust), ...

'' 3.45 Cartimandua probably inherited her power, as she does not appear to have obtained it through marriage. She and her husband, Venutius, are described by Tacitus as loyal to Rome and "defended by our

oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

arms". In 51, the British resistance leader

Caratacus Caratacus (Brythonic ''*Caratācos'', Middle Welsh ''Caratawc''; Welsh ''Caradog''; Breton ''Karadeg''; Greek ''Καράτακος''; variants Latin ''Caractacus'', Greek ''Καρτάκης'') was a 1st-century AD British chieftain of the ...

sought sanctuary with Cartimandua after being defeated by Ostorius Scapula in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, but Cartimandua handed him over to the Romans in chains.Tacitus, ''Annals'' 12.36 Having given Claudius the greatest exhibit of his

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

, Cartimandua was rewarded with great wealth. She later divorced Venutius, replacing him with his armour-bearer,

Vellocatus Vellocatus was a first-century king of the Brigantes tribe of northern Britain. He was originally armour-bearer to Venutius, husband of Cartimandua, the queen of the Brigantes and an ally of Rome. Some time after 51 AD Cartimandua split with ...

. In 57, although Cartimandua had seized his brother and other relatives and held them hostage, Venutius made war against her and then against her Roman protectors. He built alliances outside the Brigantes, and during the governorship of

Aulus Didius Gallus Aulus Didius Gallus was a Roman general and politician of the 1st century AD. He was governor of Britain between 52 and 57 AD. Career The career of Aulus Didius Gallus up to 51 can be partly reconstructed from an inscription from Olympia. H ...

(52–57) he staged an invasion of the kingdom of the Brigantes. The Romans had anticipated this and sent some cohorts to defend their client queen. The fighting was inconclusive until Caesius Nasica arrived with a

legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

, the '' IX Hispana'', and defeated the rebels. Cartimandua retained the throne thanks to prompt military support from Roman forces.Tacitus, ''Annals'' 12.40 She was not so fortunate in 69. Taking advantage of Roman instability during the

year of four emperors A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

, Venutius staged another revolt, again with help from other nations. Cartimandua appealed for troops from the Romans, who were only able to send

auxiliaries Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, ...

. Cartimandua was evacuated, leaving Venutius in control of a kingdom at war with Rome. After this, Cartimandua disappears from the sources.

Representation by Tacitus

In his ''

Annals Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

'' and the ''

'', Tacitus presents Cartimandua in a negative light. Although he refers to her loyalty to Rome, he invites the reader to judge her "treacherous" role in the capture of Caratacus, who had sought her protection; her "self-indulgence"; her sexual impropriety in rejecting her husband in favour of a common soldier; and her "cunning stratagems" in taking Venutius' relatives hostage. However, he also consistently names her as a queen (''regina''), the only one such known in early Roman Britain.

Boudica Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...

, the only other female British leader of the period, is not described in these terms. One of the later mediaeval

Welsh triads The Welsh Triads ( cy, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a ...

likewise mentions "treachery" against Caratacus (Caradoc) by one ''Aregwedd Foeddawg'' whom some identify with Cartimandua: in a garbled account, Caradoc is made a son of

Brân the Blessed Brân the Blessed ( cy, Bendigeidfran or ''Brân Fendigaidd'', literally "Blessed Crow") is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of ...

who is named as one of the "Three Blessed Kings" for introducing Christianity to the Britons after captivity in Rome.

References

*Delamarre, Xavier (2003). ''Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise'', Editions Errance.

External links

The Heroic Age: Brigantia, Cartimandua and Gwenhwyfar
{{authority control 1st-century women rulers 1st-century monarchs in Europe Celtic women Briton rulers Queens regnant in the British Isles Roman client rulers Women in 1st-century warfare Women in ancient European warfare Women in war in Britain

History

Representation by Tacitus

References

Further reading

External links