Trinovantes
Categories: Ancient Roman enemies and allies | Ancient Britons | Iron Age Britain | Roman Britain
The Trinovantes or Trinobantes were one of the Celtic tribes that lived in pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in current Essex and Suffolk, and included lands now located in the city of London. Their name may mean "the strong ones". Their capital was Camulodunum (modern Colchester), one proposed site of the legendary Camelot.
Shortly before Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 and 54 BC, the Trinovantes were considered the most powerful tribe in Britain. At this time their capital was probably at Braughing. In some manuscripts of Caesar's Gallic War their king is referred to as Imanuentius, although in other manuscripts no name is given. Some time before Caesar's second expedition this king was overthrown by Cassivellaunus, who is usually assumed to have belonged to the Catuvellauni. His son, Mandubracius, fled to the protection of Caesar in Gaul. During his second expedition Caesar defeated Cassivellaunus and restored Mandubracius to the kingship, and Cassivellaunus undertook not to molest him again. Tribute was also agreed.
The next identifiable king of the Trinovantes, known from numismatic evidence, was Addedomarus, who took power ca. 20-15 BC, and moved the tribe's capital to Camulodunum. For a brief period ca. 10 BC Tasciovanus of the Catuvellauni issued coins from Camulodunum, suggesting that he conquered the Trinovantes, but he was soon forced to withdraw, perhaps as a result of pressure from the Romans, as his later coins no longer bear the mark "Rex", and Addedomarus was restored. Addedomarus was briefly succeeded by his son Dubnovellaunus c. 10–5 BC, but a few years later the tribe was finally conquered by either Tasciovanus or his son Cunobelinus.
The Trinovantes reappear in history when they participated in Boudicca's revolt against the Roman Empire in 60 AD. Their name was given to one of the civitates of Roman Britain, whose chief town was called Caesaromagus (modern Widford, Essex).
Their name survived in British legend as Trinovantum, the supposed original name of London, in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere. Geoffrey claims the name derives from Troi-novantum or "New Troy", connecting this with the legend that Britain was founded by Brutus and other refugees from the Trojan War.
References
- Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico
- Caesar Augustus, Res Gestae Divi Augusti
- Tacitus, Annals
- Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae