Vortimer

Family: Britons · Role: son of Vortigern · First appears: Book VI 12–14

Vortimer was the son of Vortigern and sibling of Catigern and Pascentius. When the Britons deposed Vortigern, they unanimously made Vortimer their king: “For this reason the Britons quickly desert him, and unanimously set up Vortimer his son for their king”. He fought four battles against Horsa and the Saxons and was victorious in all; at Epsford, Horsa and Catigern met and killed each other. After these successes, Vortimer restored his subjects to their possessions and, at the instance of St. Germanus, rebuilt their churches.

Vortimer’s stepmother Rowen was stirred to contrive his death and arranged for him to be poisoned. After taking the draught, he was seized with a sudden illness and died. Later, Hengist brought forces because he thought Vortimer was still living and might be needed against him.

Relationship record

Life events

• The Britons deposed Vortigern and unanimously made Vortimer their king.(Book VI 12–14)
  • With: Vortigern
  • “For this reason the Britons quickly desert him, and unanimously set up Vortimer his son for their king”
• Rowen arranged Vortimer's poisoning, and Vortimer died from the poisonous draught.(Book VI 12–14)
  • With: Rowen
  • “so that this brave soldier, as soon as he had taken it, was seized with a sudden illness, that deprived him of all hopes of life”

Book VI 12–14

• parent: Vortigern “For he had already three sons, whose names were Vortimer, Catigern, and Pascentius.”
• siblings with Catigern “For he had already three sons, whose names were Vortimer, Catigern, and Pascentius.”
• siblings with Pascentius “For he had already three sons, whose names were Vortimer, Catigern, and Pascentius.”
• with Rowen (Rowen is Vortimer's stepmother.) “But his goodness quickly stirred up the enmity of the devil against him, who entering into the heart of his stepmother Rowen, excited her to contrive his death.”
• enemies with Horsa “Four battles he fought with them, and was victorious in all: the first upon the river Dereuent; the second upon the ford of Epsford, where Horsa and Catigern, another son of Vortigern, met and, after a sharp encounter, killed each other;”
• with St. Germanus (St. Germanus prompted Vortimer to rebuild the churches.) “Vortimer, after this great success, began to restore his subjects to their possessions which had been taken from them, and to show them all marks of his affection and esteem, and at the instance of St. Germanus to rebuild their churches.”

Book VI 15–17

• enemies with Hengist “But the reason why he brought them, was because he thought Vortimer was yet living, and that he should have occasion for them against him, in case of an assault.”
• parent: Vortigern (Vortimer is identified as Vortigern's son by the immediately connected passage.) “Vortigern, after the death of his son, was again restored to the kingdom, and at the request of his wife sent messengers into Germany to Hengist, with an invitation to return into Britain, but privately, and with a small retinue, to prevent a quarrel between the barbarians and his subjects. But Hengist, hearing that Vortimer was dead, raised an army of no less than three hundred thousand men”

⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →

Extracted from the original text of The History of the Kings of Britain. Made with Rho MD.