Celts: The Trinovantes

[Shogun 144]

In this article we will give a short history of the Trinovantes tribe of Prydain, that is Ancient Britain. The strongest tribe in Prydain before the coming of the Romans, the Trinovantes became favored by Rome.

Unfortunately there is not much known about the Trinovantes. Because the Celts did not keep records much of what we know about the Trinovantes has to be pieced together from the archeological findings and the coinage they left behind. The record becomes clearer after the Romans arrive, but is still somewhat murky. The Trinovantes were Brythonic Celts, the original Celtic arrivals in the 5th Century BC. We also know that like the Iceni the Trinovantes grew wealthy on trade across the Channel. However they were far more involved in this trading then the Iceni, as a result the Trinovantes were one of the few tribes in Prydain to be aware of what was happening in the outside world. Perhaps this heavy trading would explain the most amazing thing about the Trinovantes. That is that they were the most powerful tribe in Prydain for what appears to have been a good length of time. At the time of Caesar's invasion the Trinovantes were the most powerful tribe in Prydain, even over the Belgic Celts, who were more warlike then the Brythonic Celts.

The arrival of Rome turned the whole of Prydain upside down. About the time of Caesar's invasion the king of the Trinovantes was Mannuetios, called Imanuentius by the Romans and it appears he was well aware of the conquest of Gaul. Caesar records in De Bello Gallico (Latin: The Gallic War) receiving an offer of surrender from the Trinovantes, asking him to spare them should he come to Prydain. Not long after that Mannuetios became involved in a struggle with the king of the Casse, Vellaunus (better known as Cassivellaunus), and was slain in the war. Mandubracius, heir of the Trinovantes, fled to Gaul and asked for Roman aid. When the Romans invaded Prydain in 54 BC the Trinovantes were the only tribe that welcomed them, giving the Romans much needed supplies and a safe haven. After defeating Cassivellaunus and his followers Caesar was ready to leave, as events in Gaul demanded his return. But before he left he made sure that all of Prydain understood that the Trinovantes were a Roman client state under his official protection. No harm was to come to them.

In the years that followed Mandubracius appeared to have ruled as a good king, and the capital of the Trinovantes at Braughing (modern Hertfordshire) prospered. Around 30 BC, after the death of Cassivellaunus, Mandubracius offered the hand of his daughter in marriage to the king of the Catuvellauni, which he accepted. This marriage solidified the bond enforced by Caesar, but this didn’t stop the bad feelings between the two tribes. Mandubracius died fifteen years later in 15 BC. His succession ignited a major dispute between the Trinovantes and the Catuvellauni. When the unnamed son of Cassivellaunus died ten years after his marriage he was succeeded by Tasciovanus, the grandson of Mandubracius. As the old king had no sons of his own it appeared that Tasciovanus was set to become king of two tribes, creating a super power that would dominate Prydain. But the Trinovantes did not want an outsider ruling over them. Rallying under the nobleman Addedomarus they opposed the succession of Tasciovanus and placed Addedomarus on the throne at Braughing, who then moved the capital to the city of Camulodunum. The two rivals nearly came to blows, and several small skirmishes did in fact occur, but ultimately the threat of Roman intervention insured Addedomarus stayed on the throne. Of the reign of Addedomarus not much is known, except that he laid much of the foundation of what would make Camulodunum great during the time of Cunobelinus, and that he shifted the coinage of the Trinovantes to conform to the Catuvellauni model. He died in 5 BC and was succeeded by his son, Dubnovellaunus. Much like his father not much is known of the reign of Dubnovellaunus. One event that was recorded in the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Latin: The Deeds of the Divine Augustus) is that around 7 AD Dubnovellaunus arrived in Rome with the king of the Atrebates and reaffirmed the status of the Trinovantes and Atrebates as clients of Rome. Two years later the ambitious Cunobelinus, taking advantage of Roman distraction over the diaster at Teutoberg, conquered the Trinovantes and killed Dubnovellaunus. Cunobelinus ruled as king of the Trinovantes for about a year. In 10 AD he became king of the Catuvellauni, as his first act he made the Trinovantes a member of the Catuvellauni federation, and made their capital his new ruling seat.

The Trinovantes made their last stand with Boudicca. When the Romans returned to Prydain in 43 AD to conquer the island once and for all the Trinovantes at long last got their freedom back from the Catuvellauni. Claudius promised not long after that he would restore the Trinovantes to their former lands. But the Emperor had no intention of keeping his promise, only concerned with pacifying the Trinovantes for now. This became clear when the Romans turned Camulodunum into a Colonia for retired soldiers and their families. When Boudicca rose in revolt in 60 AD the Trinovantes joined her. After the defeat at Watling Street and the end of the rebellion we hear no more of the Trinovantes as a separate people.

In conclusion the Trinovantes were a major tribe in southeastern Britain. While our knowledge about them is small, we do know that they had a significant impact on Prydain and even post-conquest Roman Britain.