Cunobeline orCunobelin (Common Brittonic: *Cunobelinos, "Dog-Strong"), also known by his name'sLatin formCunobelinus, was a king inpre-Roman Britain from aboutAD 9 to aboutAD 40.[1] He is mentioned in passing by the classical historiansSuetonius andDio Cassius, and many coins bearing his inscription have been found. He controlled a substantial portion of southeastern Britain, including the territories of theCatuvellauni and theTrinovantes, and he was called "King of the Britons" (Britannorum rex) by Suetonius.[2] Cunobeline may have been aclient king of Rome, based on the images and legends appearing on his coins.[3][4] Cunobeline appears in British legend asCynfelyn (Welsh),Kymbelinus (medieval Latin) orCymbeline, as inthe play byWilliam Shakespeare.
His name is a compound composed of the Common Brittonic*cuno- "dog" and*belino- "strong", meaning "Strong as a Dog," or "Strong Dog."[5][6]
Fromnumismatic evidence, Cunobelinus appears to have taken power around AD 9 after the death of his fatherTasciovanus, minting coins from bothCamulodunum (Colchester, capital of theTrinovantes) andVerlamion (later the Roman town ofVerulamium, now modernSt Albans), capital of theCatuvellauni. Some Verulamium coins call him the son ofTasciovanus, a previous king of the Catuvellauni.[7] Some of Tasciovanus' coins bear the titlerigonos, a derivative of theBrittonic root*rīgo- meaning "king".[8] Unlike his father's, Cunobelinus' coins name no co-rulers.[7] His earliest issues are, however, from Camulodunum, indicating that he took power there first,[9] and some have a palm or laurel wreath design, a motif borrowed from the Romans indicating a military victory. It is possible that, following the Roman defeat in theBattle of the Teutoburg Forest inGermania in AD 9, he was emboldened to act against the Trinovantes.[10] The Trinovantes were a Roman ally whose independence was protected by a treaty withJulius Caesar in 54 BC. Still, problems in Germania severely discouragedAugustus's territorial ambitions and ability to defend allies in Britain.[10]
Cunobelinus appears to have maintained quite good relations with theRoman Empire. He used the titleRex (Latin 'king') and classical motifs on his coins, and his reign saw increased trade with the continent.Archaeology shows an increase in luxury goods imported from the continent, including Italian wine and drinking vessels, olive oil, andfish sauces fromHispania, glassware, jewellery, and Gallo-Belgic tableware, which from their distribution appear to have entered Britain via the port of Camulodunum.[11] According toStrabo, he was probably one of the British kings who sent embassies to Augustus. Strabo reports Rome's lucrative trade with Britain: the island's exports included grain, gold, silver, iron, hides, slaves, and hunting dogs.[12]
Cunobelinus had three sons,Adminius,Togodumnus andCaratacus, and a brother,Epaticcus, known to history. Epaticcus expanded his influence into the territory of theAtrebates in the early 20s, taking the Atrebatan capitalCalleva (Silchester) by about 25. He continued to expand his territory until he died at about 35 when Caratacus took over from him and the Atrebates recovered some of their territories.[citation needed]
Adminius, judging by his coins, had control ofKent by this time. Suetonius tells us that in about 40, he was banished from Britain by his father and sought refuge with the emperorCaligula. Caligula treated this as if the entire island had submitted to him and prepared an invasion of Britain. He abandoned it, however, in farcical circumstances by ordering his soldiers to attack the waves and gather seashells as the spoils of victory.[13]
Cunobelinus died about 40,[1] probably within a year of that date.[14] Indeed, he was dead by 43.[15] TheLexden Tumulus on the outskirts ofColchester has been suggested as his tomb (although the earlier Trinovantian kingAddedomarus is another candidate for its occupant).[16] Caratacus completed the conquest of the Atrebates, and their king,Verica, fled to Rome, providing the new emperor,Claudius, with a pretext for theconquest of Britain. Caratacus and Togodumnus led the initial resistance to the invasion.Dio Cassius tells us that the "Bodunni", a tribe who were tributary to the Catuvellauni, changed sides and supported the Romans. This is probably a misspelling of theDobunni ofGloucestershire, indicating that Cunobelinus's hegemony extended beyond the West Country.[17]
Based on epigraphic evidence, it is possible thatSallustius Lucullus, the Roman governor of Britain in the late 1st century, was his grandson.[18]
Cunobelinus's memory was preserved in British legend and beyond. In the early 9th century, inHistoria Brittonum, Cunobeline appears asBellinus, son ofMinocannus, and is described as a British king in the time of Julius Caesar. The names of Cunobeline and his son Adminius probably became corrupt due to a series of scribal errors in the transmission of the name fromSuetonius'Life of Caligula toOrosius'sHistoria adversus Paganos, the latter of which was a primary source for the author of theHistoria Brittonum:
In theWelsh Triads and medieval literature such asBranwen ferch Llŷr, theDream of Macsen Wledig, andLludd and Llefelys, the Historia Brittonum's "Bellinus son of Minocannus" was transformed into Welsh asBeli Mawr ("Beli the Great") son ofMynogan (also spelledManogan). Beli, son of Mynogan/Managan, also appears in several medieval Welsh genealogies.[19]
A mid-10th centurygenealogy preserved in the medieval Welsh manuscriptHarleian 3859 contains three generations which read "Caratauc map Cinbelin map Teuhant". This is the equivalent of "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus, son of Tasciovanus," putting the three historical figures in the correct order. However, the wrong historical context and the degree of linguistic change suggest a long period of oral transmission. The remainder of the genealogy contains the names of a sequence of Roman emperors and twoWelsh mythological figures, Guidgen (Gwydion) and Lou (Lleu).[20]
InGeoffrey of Monmouth'sHistoria Regum Britanniae (composed around 1136,) Cunobeline appears multiple times. Geoffrey borrowed theHistoria Brittonum's Bellinus and styles him as the general of Cassibelanus (i.e.,Cassivellaunus) in his wars against Caesar (in the Welsh translations of Geoffrey's Historia, theBrut y Brenhinedd, Bellinus becomesBeli, steward ofCaswallawn). The next appearance in Geoffrey's Historia is as Heli (son of Cligueillus), the father of the three brothers Cassibellanus, Lud, and Nennius, who reigned for forty years (in the Welsh translations,Beli Mawr is substituted for Geoffrey's Heli.)[19] He then appears as Kymbelinus, son ofTenvantius, a mighty warrior raised in the courts ofAugustus. He was very friendly with the Roman court: his country was equipped with Roman weapons, and all tributes to Rome were paid out of respect, not requirement. He had two sons,Guiderius andArvirargus. Guiderius succeeded him but died in the early stages ofClaudius's invasion, leaving Arvirargus to carry on the fight.[21]
Geoffrey's story was incorporated intoRaphael Holinshed'sChronicles in 1577,[22] where it was found byWilliam Shakespeare and used as the basis of hisromance,Cymbeline. Beyond the name, there is virtually nothing in common between Cymbeline's figure and the historical Cunobelinus. The king, under the influence of his wicked second wife, forbids his daughter Imogen to marry Posthumus Leonatus, a low-born but worthy man, preferring that she marry his boorish stepson Cloten, leading to mistaken identity, jealousy caused by false accusations of infidelity and war with Rome provoked by the withholding of tribute, again at the instigation of the queen. In the end, peace between Britain and Rome is re-established, and Cymbeline is reunited with his two sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, who were abducted in childhood by Belarius, a wrongly banished nobleman. Imogen is reconciled with Posthumus. Cloten and his mother, the evil queen, get their just deserts.[23]
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