Cartimandua; Accomplished Tactician or Sell Out?

Cartimandua was the (not quite) infamous warrior Queen and tactician of the Brigantes - a tribe of ancient Britons - who controlled the majority of what is now Northern England. However, unsurprisingly, her rise to power and her childhood were never recorded because who would have thought a baby girl would achieve something of consequence. Cartimandua rose to infamy in 43CE following the Roman invasion of Britain due to her anomalous response: deciding to side with the Romans. Some may say it was a backhanded method dissimilar from the heroics of Boudicca’s rebellion, yet seemingly it worked out better for Cartimandua than Boudicca…

When the Romans invaded, eleven of the British tribal groups either surrendered or were defeated in battle, however, Caratacus if the Catuvellauni managed to flee supposedly making it to Wales and avoiding capture for 9 years. However, Tacitus wrote that Caratacus instead fled into the territory of the Brigantes - a slight mistake on his part - and immediately Cartimandua handed him over to Emperor Claudius. This tactical choice cemented the union between the Roman Empire and the Brigantes, a relationship which is further emphasised by archaeological data.

The relationship between the Romans and the Brigantes directly correlated to the growth of Brigantine powers. After their alliance, the Iron Age settlement of Stanwick (North Yorkshire) grew in size to cover 1.2 miles². Furthermore, arguably the most interesting vein of archaeology - material culture - also supports this idea. For example, throughout Stanwick, Roman wine amphorae, tableware and glass have been discovered. This further indicates a close trading relationship between the Romans and the Brigantes as well as suggesting that the union with the Empire improved the quality of life of the Brigantes. I would argue that this in turn supports the idea that Cartimandua was an accomplished tactician - an evaluation I am willing to fight Tacitus over.

In addition to having an interesting political life, what originally drew me to Cartimandua was her personal life. Natalie Haynes' self-titled podcast ‘Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics’ massively inspired my interest in Cartimandua especially the comparison to Paris of Trojan War fame and the description of her marriage as some sort of reverse ‘Helen of Troy’ story. In 57CE Venutius (Cartimandua’s first husband) led a revolt against her following her replacing him with a younger model; Vellocatus. Or potentially he was motivated by internal politics but I prefer the more dramatic jealous version. In response Cartimandua kidnapped Venutius’ brothers - a move that he didn’t appreciate and responded to with further violence - however, Rome sent a legion which successfully defended Cartimandua’s rule.

Following her victory, she married Vellocatus (her original husband’s ARMOUR BEARER) and due to - what I’m assuming to be a somewhat bruised ego - Venutius attacked again. Yet, this time his invasion coincided with the death of Emperor Nero and the Roman Civil War. This meant that there was no spare legion to help defend Cartimandua so instead this time Rome only sent auxiliary troops. The troops succeeded in rescuing Cartimandua but were unable to protect her rule over the Brigantes, and beyond that point her fate is unknown. Therefore, once again I stand by the argument that Cartimandua was as skilled a tactician as she was skilled in upsetting men like her husband and seemingly Tacitus. Her mutually beneficial relationship with the Roman Empire arguably saved her life and is what allowed her to retain authority over the Brigantes as long as she did.

However, Tacitus disagrees with me. The only written references we have to Cartimandua were recorded by the Romans, specifically Tacitus who tends to colour her character due to his distaste for powerful women. Thus, he described her as motivated by lust and rejected as a ruler given the support Venutius received during his attempted coup and of course her delicate female sensibilities. However, across Iron Age Britain women were accepted as rulers within their own right without needing the authority of their husbands. To conclude, Cartimandua earned her legacy as an accomplished tactician and skilled politician due to her relationship with the Roman Empire - no matter what Tacitus has to say about it.