Cartimandua, British queen of the Brigantes. Cartimandua was queen in her own right. In AD 51 she handed over to the Romans Caratacus, the leader of the Welsh resistance. Her treaty relationship with the Romans provided them with a friendly native state on the northern frontiers of the new province. However both personal and political differences with her consort Venutius led to considerable instability. Venutius' ambitions were initially thwarted by Roman intervention in support of Cartimandua, but during the civil wars of AD 69 he seized the kingdom. The queen was rescued by Roman cavalry, but never regained her throne.
Cartimandua
| British History: Cartimandua |
| Classical Literature Companion: Cartimandua |
Cartimandua, British queen of the Brigantes who made a treaty with the Roman emperor Claudius. In AD 51 she handed over the fugitive Caratacus to Rome. She divorced her husband Venutius and married one of his officers, but in 68 Venutius defeated Cartimandua and regained the kingdom. In order to rescue the queen the Romans advanced further north into Britain.
| Archaeology Dictionary: Cartimandua |
[Na]
Queen of the Brigantes tribe of northern England at about the time of the Roman conquest. She was pro-Roman and reputedly surrendered Caratacus to the Romans in ad 51. This caused a breach with her husband, Venutius, who thereafter led the native resistance to the Romans until the Brigantes were conquered under Petilius Cerialis and Agricola in the ad 70s.
| Celtic Mythology: Cartimandua |
Chieftainess of the north British people the Brigantes at the time of Roman expansion (1st cent. AD). She repudiated her husband and took command of her people, but sought protection from the Romans and became in a sense their client. When Caradog (Caractacus) fled to her in defeat, she betrayed him to the Romans. In worship she invoked Brigantia—‘the high one’. Often compared with Boudicca.
Bibliography
- Ian Richmond, “‘Queen Cartimandua’”, Journal of Roman Studies,
44 (1954), 50 ff
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Cartimandua |
Cartimandua (kär'tĭmăn'jəwə), fl. 1st cent. A.D., British queen of the Brigantes. Ruler of the largest and most powerful tribe in Roman Britain (inhabiting the area that is now Yorkshire), she surrendered Caractacus to the Romans (A.D. 51). The Romans supported her rule as a client-queen in order to stabilize the region and quell dynastic conflicts. She was overthrown in A.D. 69 when she repudiated her husband, Venutius, for his armor-bearer. The Brigantes were then subjugated under direct Roman rule.
| Wikipedia: Cartimandua |
| Cartimandua | |
|---|---|
| Queen of the Brigantes | |
 |
|
| Artistic depiction of Cartimandua. | |
| Reign | c. AD 43 – c. AD 69 |
| Predecessor | unknown |
| Successor | Venutius |
| Spouse | Venutius Vellocatus |
| Father | Unknown |
| Mother | Unknown |
| Born | c. 1st century AD |
| Died | After c. AD 69 |
Cartimandua or Cartismandua (ruled c. 43 – 69) was a queen of the Brigantes, a Celtic people in what is now Northern England, in the 1st century. She came to power around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, and formed a large tribal agglomeration that became loyal to Rome. She is known exclusively from the work of a single Roman historian, Tacitus, though she appears to have been widely influential in early Roman Britain. Her name may contain the Indo-European element *mandw-, "pony".[1]
Contents |
History
Although Cartimandua is first mentioned by Tacitus in AD 51, her rule over the Brigantes may have already been established when the emperor Claudius began the organized conquest of Britain in 43: she may have been one of the eleven "kings" who Claudius' triumphal arch says surrendered without a fight.[2] If not, she may have come to power after a revolt of a faction of the Brigantes was defeated by Publius Ostorius Scapula in 48.[3] Of "illustrious birth" according to Tacitus,[4] she probably inherited her power as she appears to have ruled by right rather than through marriage. She and her husband, Venutius, are described by Tacitus as loyal to Rome and "defended by our [Roman] arms". In 51 the British resistance leader Caratacus sought sanctuary with Cartimandua after being defeated by Ostorius Scapula in Wales, but Cartimandua handed him over to the Romans in chains.[5]
Having given Claudius the greatest exhibit of his triumph, Cartimandua was rewarded with great wealth.[4] She later divorced Venutius, replacing him with his armour-bearer, Vellocatus. In 57, although Cartimandua had seized and held his brother and other relatives 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 (52 - 57) he staged an invasion of the kingdom. 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, the IX Hispana, and defeated the rebels. Cartimandua retained the throne thanks to prompt military support from Roman forces.[6]
She was not so fortunate in 69. Taking advantage of Roman instability during the year of four emperors, Venutius staged another revolt, again with help from other nations. Cartimandua appealed for troops from the Romans, who were only able to send auxiliaries. Cartimandua was evacuated, leaving Venutius in control of a kingdom at war with Rome.[4] After this, Cartimandua disappears from the sources.
Cartimandua's representation by Tacitus
In his moralising narratives the Annals and the Histories, 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;[4] her "self-indulgence"[4] her sexual impropriety in rejecting her husband in favour of a common soldier; and her "cunning strategems" in taking Venutius' relatives hostage.[6] However, he also consistently names her as a queen (regina),[4][5][6] the only one such known in early Roman Britain. Boudica, the only other British female leader of the period, is not described in these terms.
References
Further reading
- Howarth, Nicki (2008), Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes (Stroud: The History Press).
- Salmonson, Jessica Amanda (1991), The Encyclopedia of Amazons, Paragon House, page 50
- Braund, David. Ruling Roman Britain: Kings, Queens, Governors, and Emperors from Julius Caesar to Agricola. (New York: Routledge, 1996).
External links
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 | British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Classical Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Celtic Mythology. A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Copyright © James MacKillop 1998, 2004. All rights reserved. Read more |
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