Caratacus's last battle

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The final battle in Caratacus's resistance to Roman rule was fought in 50 AD. The Romans defeated the Britons and in the aftermath captured Caratacus himself, since 43 the leader of armed opposition to the Roman conquest of Britain.

Location[]

Caratacus chose a battlefield in steep hills, placing the Britons on the higher ground. This position made both approach and retreat difficult for the Romans, and comparatively easy for his own forces. Where the slope was shallow, he built rough stone ramparts, and placed armed men on them. In front of them was a river which appeared difficult to cross, but in the event the Roman troops crossed it easily.^[1]

The battle[]

The Roman commander, Publius Ostorius Scapula, was reluctant to assault the British position, but the enthusiasm of his men won him over. The river was crossed without difficulty. The Roman soldiers came under a rain of missiles, but employed the testudo formation to protect themselves and dismantled the stone ramparts. Once inside the defences, the Romans broke through in bloody fighting. The Britons withdrew to the hilltops, but the Romans kept up the attack, with missiles from lighter-armed auxiliaries and hand-to-hand assault from armoured legionaries. The Britons were generally without body armour or helmets and their ranks broke; both groups of Roman troops then closely pursued the fugitives.

Aftermath[]

Caratacus's wife, son, and daughter were captured and his brother surrendered, but Caratacus himself escaped. He fled north, seeking refuge among the Brigantes. The Brigantian queen, Cartimandua, however, was loyal to Rome, and she handed him over in chains. He was exhibited as part of the Emperor Claudius's Roman triumph in Rome. He gave a speech which persuaded the emperor to spare him and his family. His defeat was publicly likened by the Senators to some of Rome's greatest victories, and Ostorius Scapula was awarded triumphal ornaments for defeating him.

Suggested sites[]

The site of the battle is unknown. Tacitus's account limits it to the territory of the Ordovices, a large area of central and north-east Wales whose boundaries are no longer known. His topographical details include an un-named river, fordable in some stretches, tactically close to high hills offering inaccessible slopes and loose rocks but also some paths up with gentler gradients. Various sites have been claimed by local legends, though no location has achieved academic plausibility. The hill fort on Caer Caradoc Hill in Shropshire is connected with the battle by virtue of its name.^[2] Local legend places it at British Camp in the Malvern Hills. However, the Severn, though visible from the latter location, is too distant to fit Tacitus's description of the site, and the Severn is not visible from the former location. A position just west of Caersws, Cefn Carnedd where the remains of earthworks still stand, has also been suggested,^[3] as has a location near Chapel Lawn, Shropshire.^{[citation needed]}

References[]

• Tacitus, Annals 12:33-38
• Sheppard Frere, Britannia: a History of Roman Britain, 3rd edition, 1978, p. 64