Cassivellaunus

Family: British · Role: commander · First appears: The Gallic War, Book V, 7–14

In Book V of the Gallic War, Cassivellaunus had fought perpetual wars against the other British states before the Britons placed him in command of the whole war. At the Thames, Caesar’s legions and cavalry drove his forces from the riverbank. Cassivellaunus had killed Imanuentius, who had ruled the Trinobantes; Mandubratius, Imanuentius’s son, escaped by flight, and the Trinobantes appealed to Caesar for his protection.

Cassivellaunus ordered Cingetorix (king in Kent), Carvilius, Taximagulus and Segonax to gather their forces and attack the Roman naval camp. Alarmed by the desertion of the states, he sent ambassadors to Caesar to negotiate a surrender. Caesar demanded hostages and annual tribute, and forbade Cassivellaunus to wage war against Mandubratius or the Trinobantes.

Relationship record

Life events

• Cassivellaunus had fought perpetual wars against the other states.(The Gallic War, Book V, 7–14)
  • “At an earlier period perpetual wars had taken place between him and the other states”
• The Britons placed Cassivellaunus in command of the whole war and its conduct.(The Gallic War, Book V, 7–14)
  • “the Britons had placed him over the whole war and the conduct of it.”
• Caesar's legions and cavalry drove Cassivellaunus's forces from the riverbank.(The Gallic War, Book V, 15–22 · 📍 the river Thames)
  • With: Caesar
  • “the enemy could not sustain the attack of the legions and of the horse, and quitted the banks, and committed themselves to flight.”
• Cassivellaunus killed Imanuentius, who had possessed the sovereignty of the Trinobantes.(The Gallic War, Book V, 15–22)
  • With: Imanuentius
  • “whose father, Imanuentius, had possessed the sovereignty in that state, and had been killed by Cassivellaunus”
• Cassivellaunus ordered the four kings to gather their forces and attack the naval camp.(The Gallic War, Book V, 15–22 · 📍 Kent)
  • With: Cingetorix (king in Kent) Carvilius Taximagulus Segonax
  • “Cassivellaunus sends messengers into Kent, which, we have observed above, is on the sea, over which districts four several kings reigned, Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax, and commands them to collect all their forces, and unexpectedly assail and storm the naval camp.”
• Cassivellaunus sent ambassadors to Caesar to negotiate a surrender.(The Gallic War, Book V, 15–22)
  • With: Caesar
  • “being alarmed most of all by the desertion of the states, sends ambassadors to Caesar to treat about a surrender”
• Caesar demanded hostages and annual tribute, and forbade Cassivellaunus to make war on Mandubratius or the Trinobantes.(The Gallic War, Book V, 15–22)
  • With: Caesar Mandubratius
  • “demands hostages, and prescribes what tribute Britain should pay each year to the Roman people; he forbids and commands Cassivellaunus that he wage not war against Mandubratius or the Trinobantes.”

The Gallic War, Book V, 7–14

• enemies with Caesar “When he had come thither, greater forces of the Britons had already assembled at that place, the chief command and management of the war having been entrusted to Cassivellaunus, whose territories a river, which is called the Thames, separates from the maritime states at about eighty miles from the sea.”

The Gallic War, Book V, 15–22

• enemies with Caesar “Caesar, discovering their design, leads his army into the territories of Cassivellaunus to the river Thames; which river can be forded in one place only, and that with difficulty.”
• enemies with Imanuentius “whose father, Imanuentius, had possessed the sovereignty in that state, and had been killed by Cassivellaunus; he himself had escaped death by flight”
• enemies with Mandubratius “they entreat him to protect Mandubratius from the violence of Cassivellaunus, and send to their state some one to preside over it, and possess the government.”
• subordinate: Cingetorix (king in Kent) (Cassivellaunus commands Cingetorix to gather forces and attack the camp.) “Cassivellaunus sends messengers into Kent, which, we have observed above, is on the sea, over which districts four several kings reigned, Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax, and commands them to collect all their forces, and unexpectedly assail and storm the naval camp.”
• subordinate: Carvilius (Cassivellaunus commands Carvilius to gather forces and attack the camp.) “Cassivellaunus sends messengers into Kent, which, we have observed above, is on the sea, over which districts four several kings reigned, Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax, and commands them to collect all their forces, and unexpectedly assail and storm the naval camp.”
• subordinate: Taximagulus (Cassivellaunus commands Taximagulus to gather forces and attack the camp.) “Cassivellaunus sends messengers into Kent, which, we have observed above, is on the sea, over which districts four several kings reigned, Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax, and commands them to collect all their forces, and unexpectedly assail and storm the naval camp.”
• subordinate: Segonax (Cassivellaunus commands Segonax to gather forces and attack the camp.) “Cassivellaunus sends messengers into Kent, which, we have observed above, is on the sea, over which districts four several kings reigned, Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax, and commands them to collect all their forces, and unexpectedly assail and storm the naval camp.”

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Extracted from the original text of Caesar's Commentaries — The Gallic War and The Civil War. Made with Rho MD.