Cartimandua Totally Explained

Everything about Cartimandua totally explained

Cartimandua (or Cartismandua, ruled ca.43 - 69), whose name appears to contain the Celtic element mandu(a) "pony",was a queen of the Brigantes, who formed a large tribal agglomeration in northern England in the early Roman period. She is known from the work of a single Roman historian, Tacitus.

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. 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. Of "illustrious birth" according to Tacitus, 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.
Having given the Claudius the greatest exhibit of his triumph, Cartimandua was rewarded with great wealth.
She wasn't 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 the kingdom. 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, her "self-indulgence" and sexual impropriety in rejecting her husband in favour of a common soldier, and her "cunning strategems" in taking Venutius' relatives hostage. However, he also consistently names her as a queen (regina), the only one such known in early Roman Britain - Boudica, the only other British female leader of the period, isn't described in these terms.

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