Editing Britannia

{{short description|National personification of the United Kingdom}}
{{For|the province of the Roman Empire|Roman Britain}}
{{Other uses|Britannia (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}

[[File:Britannia-Statue.jpg|thumb|The [[Armada Memorial]] in [[Plymouth]] depicting Britannia|alt=A photograph of a statue of Britannia on a stone plinth outdoors]]

The image of '''Britannia''' ({{IPAc-en|b|r|ɪ|ˈ|t|æ|n|i|ə}}) is the [[national personification]] of [[United Kingdom|Britain]] as a helmeted female warrior holding a [[trident]] and shield.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Delahunty|first1=Andrew|title=A Dictionary of Reference and Allusion|year=2010|chapter=Britannia|chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199567454.001.0001/acref-9780199567454-e-310|edition=3rd|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199567454.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-956745-4|access-date=2021-02-15|last2=Dignen|first2=Sheila}}</ref> An image first used by the Romans in [[classical antiquity]], the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Britannia}} was the name variously applied to the [[British Isles]], [[Great Britain]], and the [[Roman province of Britain]] during the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>{{Citation|last1=Cannon|first1=John|title=A Dictionary of British History|year=2015|chapter=Britannia|chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191758027.001.0001/acref-9780191758027-e-516|edition=3rd|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780191758027.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-175802-7|access-date=2021-02-15|last2=Crowcroft|first2=Robert}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Citation|last=Hargreaves|first=A. S.|title=The Oxford Companion to British History|year=2015|editor-last=Crowcroft|editor-first=Robert|chapter=Britannia|chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199677832.001.0001/acref-9780199677832-e-616|edition=2nd|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199677832.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-967783-2|access-date=2021-02-15|editor2-last=Cannon|editor2-first=John}}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/britannia|dictionary=Collins Dictionary|title=Britannia|accessdate=14 February 2021}}</ref> The Roman Britannia was typically depicted reclining or seated, with not a trident but a spear and shield, appearing on Roman coins of the 2nd century AD. The classical allegory was revived in the [[early modern period]].<ref name=":1" /> On [[coins of the pound sterling]] issued by [[Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland]], Britannia appears with her shield bearing the [[Union Flag]].<ref name=":1" /> To symbolise the [[Royal Navy]]'s victories, Britannia's spear became the trident in 1797, and a helmet was added to the coinage in 1825.<ref name=":1" />

By the 1st century BC, Britannia had replaced [[Albion]] as the prevalent Latin name for the island of [[Great Britain]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Warmington|first=Eric Herbert|title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary|year=2012|editor-last=Hornblower|editor-first=Simon|chapter=Albion|chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-249|edition=4th|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-954556-8|access-date=2021-02-15|editor2-last=Spawforth|editor2-first=Antony J.|editor3-last=Eidinow|editor3-first=Esther}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Millett|first=Martin J.|title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary|year=2012|editor-last=Hornblower|editor-first=Simon|chapter=Britain, Roman|chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-1178|edition=4th|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-954556-8|access-date=2021-02-15|editor2-last=Spawforth|editor2-first=Antony|editor3-last=Eidinow|editor3-first=Esther}}</ref> After the [[Roman conquest of Britain|Roman conquest]] in 43 AD, ''Britannia'' came to refer to the [[Roman province]] that encompassed the southern two-thirds of the island (see [[Roman Britain]]). The remaining third of the island, known to the Romans as [[Caledonia]], lay north of the [[River Forth]] in modern [[Scotland]]. It was intermittently but not permanently occupied by the [[Roman army]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last1=Richmond|first1=Ian Archibald|title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary|year=2012|editor-last=Hornblower|editor-first=Simon|chapter=Caledonia|chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-1258|edition=4th|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-954556-8|access-date=2021-02-14|last2=Millett|first2=Martin J. Millett|editor2-last=Spawforth|editor2-first=Antony|editor3-last=Eidinow|editor3-first=Esther}}</ref> The name is a [[Latinisation of names|Latinisation]] of the native [[Common Brittonic|Brittonic]] word for Great Britain, ''Pretanī'', which also produced the [[Hellenization|Greek]] form ''Prettanike'' or ''Brettaniai''.

In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be [[personification|personified]] as a goddess, armed with a spear and shield and wearing a [[Corinthian helmet]]. When Roman Britain was divided into four provinces in 197 AD, two were called [[Britannia Superior]] ({{Literal translation|Upper Britain}}) in the south and [[Britannia Inferior]] ({{Literal translation|Lower Britain}}) to the north. The name ''Britannia'' long survived the [[end of Roman rule in Britain]] in the 5th century and yielded the name for the island in most European and various other languages, including the English [[Britain (place name)|Britain]] and the modern Welsh ''[[Prydain]]''. In the 9th century the associated terms ''[[Bretwalda]]'' and ''Brytenwealda'' were applied to some Anglo-Saxon kings to assert a wider hegemony in Britain and hyperbolic inscriptions on coins and titles in charters often included the equivalent title ''rex Britanniae''. However, when England was unified the title used was ''rex Angulsaxonum'' ('king of the Anglo-Saxons'). Britannia derives from the P-Celtic name Pritanā.

After centuries of declining use, the Latin form was revived during the [[English Renaissance]] as a rhetorical evocation of a British national identity.  Especially following the [[Acts of Union 1707|Acts of Union]] in 1707, which joined the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], the personification of the martial Britannia was used as an emblem of British maritime power and unity, most notably in the patriotic song "[[Rule, Britannia!]]".

A British cultural icon, she was featured on all modern British coinage series until the redesign in 2008, and still appears annually on the gold and silver "[[Britannia (coin)|Britannia]]" bullion coin series. In 2015 a new definitive [[Two pounds (British coin)|£2 coin]] was issued, with a new image of Britannia. She is also depicted in the [[Brit Awards]] statuette, the [[British Phonographic Industry]]'s annual music awards.

== Greek and Roman periods ==
{{Main|Roman Britain|Britain (name)}}

{{multiple image
| align    = right
| total_width = 450
| image1   = Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius RIC 0742 (reverse showing Britannia).jpg
| caption1 = Reverse of ''[[sestertius]]'' of [[Antoninus Pius]] ({{Reign|138|161}}), marked: {{Smallcaps|britannia}} (and {{Smallcaps|{{abbr|s·c·|senatus consulto}}}}) showing Britannia with shield and spear in the characteristic reclining pose
| image2   = Carausius 286-93 Expectate Veni (11 2) Reverse (cropped).jpg
| caption2 = Reverse of a ''[[denarius]]'' of [[Carausius]] ({{Reign|286|293}}), ruler of the Roman [[Britannic Empire]], showing Britannia (left) welcoming the emperor with the words {{smallcaps|veni expectate}} ({{Literal translation|Come, O expected one}})<ref name=":2">{{Cite ODNB|last=Hewitt|first=Virginia|year=2017|orig-year=2004|title=Britannia (fl. 1st–21st cent.), allegory of a nation, emblem of empire, and patriotic icon|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-68196 |access-date=2021-02-15|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/68196}}</ref>
}}

The first writer to use a form of the name was the [[ancient Greece|Greek]] explorer and geographer [[Pytheas]] in the 4th century BC. Pytheas referred to ''Prettanike'' or ''Brettaniai'', a group of islands off the coast of North-Western Europe. In the 1st century BC, [[Diodorus Siculus]] referred to ''Pretannia'',<ref name="Snyder">[[#refSnyder2003|Snyder]], p.&nbsp;12.</ref> a rendering of the indigenous name for the ''[[Pretani]]'' people whom the Greeks believed to inhabit the [[British Isles]].<ref>[[#refAllen2007|Allen]], p.&nbsp;174.</ref><ref>[[#refDavies2000|Davies]], p.&nbsp;47.</ref> Following the Greek usage, the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] referred to the ''Insulae Britannicae'' in the plural, consisting of ''[[Albion]]'' (Great Britain), ''[[Hibernia]]'' (Ireland), ''[[Thule]]'' (possibly [[Iceland]] or [[Orkney]]) and many smaller islands. Over time, Albion specifically came to be known as ''Britannia'', and the name for the group was subsequently dropped.<ref name="Snyder" />
Although the creation and unification of the province of Britannia is commonly attributed to the emperor [[Claudius]] in 43 AD, [[Julius Caesar]] had already established Roman authority over the Southern and Eastern Britain dynasties during his two expeditions to the island in 55 and 54 BC.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aG-ulE1cVMAC&pg=PA3|title=Britannia: The Creation of a Roman Province|last=Creighton|first=John|date=2006-01-31|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134318407|pages=3|language=en}}</ref> Just as Caesar himself had been an ''obside'', hostage,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://latinlexicon.org/definition.php?p1=1010889|title=Definition - Numen - The Latin Lexicon - An Online Latin Dictionary - A Dictionary of the Latin Language|website=latinlexicon.org}}</ref> in Bithynia as a youth, he also had taken the King's sons back to Rome as ''obsides'' and to be educated.

The [[Roman conquest of Britain|Roman conquest]] of the island began in AD 43, leading to the establishment of the [[Roman province]] known in Latin as ''[[Roman Britain|Britannia]]''. The Romans never successfully conquered the whole island, building [[Hadrian's Wall]] as a boundary with ''[[Caledonia]]'', which covered roughly the territory of modern [[Scotland]], although the whole of the boundary marked by Hadrian's Wall lies within modern-day [[Northern England]]. A southern part of what is now Scotland was occupied by the Romans for about 20 years in the mid-2nd century AD, keeping in place the [[Picts]] to the north of the [[Antonine Wall]]. People living in the Roman province of Britannia were called ''Britanni'', or [[Britons (historical)|Britons]]. Ireland, inhabited by the [[Scoti]], was never invaded and was called [[Hibernia]]. [[Thule]], an island "six days' sail north of Britain, and [...] near the frozen sea", possibly [[Iceland]], was also never invaded by the Romans.{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}}

Claudius paid a visit while Britain was being conquered and was honoured with the [[Roman naming convention|agnomen]] ''Britannicus'' as if he were the conqueror; a [[frieze]] discovered at [[Aphrodisias]] in 1980 shows a bare breasted and helmeted female warrior labelled <small>BRITANNIA</small>, writhing in agony under the heel of the emperor.<ref>''Roman Britain'' By Timothy W. Potter and Catherine Johns, University of California Press, 1992 p.40</ref> She appeared on coins issued under [[Hadrian]], as a more regal-looking female figure.<ref name="24carat">{{cite web|url=http://www.24carat.co.uk/britanniaframe.html |title=Britannia on British Coins |publisher=Chard |access-date=25 June 2006}}</ref> Britannia was soon [[personification|personified]] as a goddess, looking fairly similar to the goddess [[Athena]]-[[Minerva]] - both are seated and replete with helmet, spear (trident) and shield. Early portraits of the goddess depict Britannia as a beautiful young woman, wearing a [[Corinthian helmet]], and wrapped in a white garment with her right breast exposed. She is usually shown seated on a rock, holding a trident, and with a spiked shield propped beside her. Sometimes she holds a [[Standard-bearer|standard]] and leans on the shield. On another range of coinage, she is seated on a globe above waves: Britain at the edge of the (known) world. Similar coin types were also issued under [[Antoninus Pius]].

== British revival ==

[[File:The death of Admiral Lord Nelson - in the moment of victory! by James Gillray (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Britannia mourning the death of [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson]] at the victorious [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in a cartoon by [[James Gillray]]]]

=== Medieval use ===

After the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire|Roman withdrawal]], the term "Britannia" remained in use in Britain and abroad. Latin was ubiquitous amongst native [[Romano-British|Brythonic]] writers and the term continued in the [[Welsh Literature|Welsh tradition]] that developed from it. Writing with variations on the term ''Britannia'' (or ''[[Prydein]]'' in the native language) appeared in many Welsh works such as the ''[[Historia Britonum]]'', ''[[Armes Prydein]]'' and the 12th-century ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'', which gained unprecedented popularity throughout western Europe during the [[High Middle Ages]].

Following the migration of [[Celtic Britons|Brythonic]] Celts, the term ''Britannia'' also came to refer to the [[Armorica|Armorican peninsula]] (at least from the 6th century).<ref>
{{cite book
| last                  = Fleuriot
| first                 = Léon
| author-link            = Léon Fleuriot
| title                 = Les Origines de la Bretagne: l'émigration
| trans-title=The origins of Brittany: emigration
| year                  = 1980
| publisher             = Payot
| location              = Paris
| language              = fr
| isbn                  = 2228127108
| pages                  = 52–53
}}
</ref> The modern English, French, Breton and Gallo names for the area, all derive from a literal use of ''Britannia'' meaning "land of the Britons". The two "Britannias" gave rise to the term ''Grande Bretagne'' (Great Britain) to distinguish the island of Britain from the continental peninsula.

Following the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain]], the term "Briton" only referred to the [[Britons (historical)|native British]], Celtic-speaking inhabitants of the province; this remained the case until the modern era. The use of the term as an inhabitant of the island of [[Great Britain]] or the [[UK]] is relatively recent.<ref name=oed>{{cite web|title=Britishness|work=Oxford English Dictionary Online|url=http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50027736?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=Britishness&first=1&max_to_show=10|date=September 2008|access-date=14 September 2010}}</ref>

=== Renaissance and British Empire ===

{{Multiple image
| align             =
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       =
| image1            = Reception of the American Loyalists.jpg
| alt1              =
| caption1          = ''Reception of the American Loyalists by Great Britain in the Year 1783'' engraved by [[Henry Moses (engraver)|Henry Moses]] after [[Benjamin West]]. [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] seek aid from Britannia after their expulsion from the [[United States]].
| image2            = GillrayBritannia.jpg
| caption2          = ''Britannia between Scylla and Charybdis'' by [[James Gillray]] (1793). [[William Pitt the Younger]], [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], steers the ship ''[[Constitution of the United Kingdom|Constitution]]'' carrying Britannia.
}}

It was during the reign of [[Elizabeth I]] that "Britannia" again came to be used as a [[personification]] of Britain. In his 1576 "General and rare memorials pertayning to the Perfect Arte of Navigation", [[John Dee]] used a [[Book frontispiece|frontispiece]] figure of Britannia kneeling by the shore beseeching Elizabeth I, to protect her empire by strengthening her navy.<ref name=":2" />

With the death of Elizabeth in 1603 came the succession of her Scottish cousin, James VI, King of Scots, to the English throne. He became James I of England, and so brought under his personal rule the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of England|England]] (and the dominion of Wales), [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]]. On 20 October 1604, [[James VI and I]] proclaimed himself as "King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland", a title that continued to be used by many of his successors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/britstyles.htm#1604|title=Royal Arms, Styles, and Titles of Great Britain|first=Francois|last=Velde|website=heraldica.org}}</ref> When James came to the English throne, some elaborate pageants were staged. One pageant performed on the streets of London in 1605 was described in [[Anthony Munday]]'s ''Triumphs of Reunited Britannia'':
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[File:50PREVISEDBRITANNIA.jpg|thumb|Britannia on a 50p coin.]] -->

<blockquote>On a mount triangular, as the island of Britain itself is described to be, we seat in the supreme place, under the shape of a fair and beautiful nymph, Britannia herself...</blockquote>

Britain's first road atlas was updated in a series of editions titled from the early 18th into the early 19th century using the title ''[[Britannia Depicta]]''.

During the reign of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], Britannia made her first appearance on English coins on a [[Farthing (British coin)|farthing]] of 1672 (see ''Depiction on British coinage and postage stamps'' below). With the constitutional unification of England with Scotland in 1707 and then with Ireland in 1800, Britannia became an increasingly important symbol and a strong rallying point among Britons.

British power, which depended on a liberal political system and the supremacy of the [[Royal Navy|navy]], lent these attributes to the image of Britannia. By the time of [[Queen Victoria]], Britannia had been renewed. Still depicted as a young woman with brown or golden hair, she kept her [[Corinthian helmet]] and her white robes, but now she held [[Neptune's trident]] and often sat or stood before the ocean and tall-masted ships representing British naval power. She also usually held or stood beside a Greek [[hoplite]] shield, which sported the British [[Union Flag]]: also at her feet was often the British Lion, an animal found on the arms of England, Scotland and the Prince of Wales.

[[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] is shown symbolically passing his trident to Britannia in the 1847 fresco "Neptune Resigning to Britannia the Empire of the Sea" by [[William Dyce]], a painting Victoria commissioned for her [[Osborne House]] on the [[Isle of Wight]].

[[File:Triple Entente.jpg|thumb|left|1914 Russian poster depicting the [[Triple Entente]] – Britannia (right) and [[Marianne]] (left) flank [[Mother Russia]], with Britannia's association with the sea provided by an [[anchor]]]]

New Zealanders adopted a similar personification of their country in [[Zealandia (personification)|Zealandia]], Britannia's daughter, who appeared on postage stamps at the turn of the 20th century<ref>[http://stampsnz.com/1901_penny_universal.html 1901 Penny Universal], Stamps NZ. Retrieved 25 January 2010.</ref> and still features in the [[New Zealand Coat of Arms]].<ref>[http://www.ngw.nl/int/nzl/nz-nat.htm National Coat of Arms of New Zealand] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205000745/http://www.ngw.nl/int/nzl/nz-nat.htm |date=5 December 2010 }}, Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 25 January 2010.</ref>

Perhaps the best analogy is that Britannia is to the United Kingdom and the [[British Empire]] what [[Marianne]] is to France or perhaps what [[Columbia (name)|Columbia]] is to the United States. Britannia became a very potent and more common figure in times of war, and represented British liberties and democracy.

=== Modern associations ===

During the 1990s the term ''[[Cool Britannia]]'' (drawn from a humorous version by the [[Bonzo Dog Band]] of the song "[[Rule, Britannia!|Rule Britannia]]", with words by James Thomson [1700–1748], which is often used as an unofficial [[national anthem]]), was used to describe the contemporary United Kingdom.<ref>J. Ayto, ''Movers and Shakers: a Chronology of Words that Shaped our Age'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), {{ISBN|0-19-861452-7}}, p. 233.</ref> The phrase referred to the fashionable scenes of the era, with a new generation of pop groups and style magazines, successful young fashion designers, and a surge of new restaurants and hotels. Cool Britannia represented late-1990s Britain as a fashionable place to be.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6766539.stm "Cool Britannia"]. BBC News. Retrieved 9 November 2016</ref>

Britannia is sometimes used in political cartoons to symbol the United Kingdom's relationship with other countries.<ref>e.g. by [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2020/dec/22/ben-jennings-on-uk-and-france-crisis-talks-to-reopen-border-cartoon?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other Ben Jennings in ''The Guardian''.]</ref>

=== Depiction on British currency and postage stamps ===

{{Multiple image
| align = right
| direction =
| total_width = 300
| image1 = British pre-decimal halfpenny 1936 reverse.png
| alt1 =
| caption1 = 1936 [[Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin)|halfpenny]]
| image2 = Coin britannia george VI.jpeg
| caption2 = 1937 [[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|penny]]
| header = Britannia on coins of [[George VI]] ({{reign|1936|1952}})
}}

==== Coinage ====

Although the archetypical image of Britannia seated with a shield first appeared on Roman bronze coins of the 1st century AD struck under [[Hadrian]], Britannia's first appearance on British coinage was on the [[Farthing (British coin)|farthing]] in 1672, though earlier pattern versions had appeared in 1665, followed by the [[Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin)|halfpenny]] later the same year. The figure of Britannia was said by [[Samuel Pepys]] to have been modelled on Frances Teresa Stuart, the future [[Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox|Duchess of Richmond]],<ref name="24carat"/> who was famous at the time for refusing to become the mistress of Charles II, despite the King's strong infatuation with her. Britannia then appeared on the [[British halfpenny coin]] throughout the rest of the 17th century and thereafter until 1936. The halfpennies issued during the reign of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] have Britannia closely resembling the queen herself.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/halfp.html |title=3 – The Halfpenny |work=Coins of the UK |publisher=Tony Clayton}}</ref> When the [[Bank of England]] was granted a charter in 1694, the directors decided within days that the device for their official seal should represent 'Brittannia sitting on looking on a Bank of Mony' (sic). Britannia also appeared on the [[History of the English penny|penny coin between 1797 and 1967]], occasional issues such as the fourpence under [[William IV]] between 1836 and 1837, and on the [[Fifty pence (British coin)|50 pence]] coin between 1969 and 2008.<ref>{{cite news
  |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/gordonbrown/story/0,,2247910,00.html
  |title=Brown blamed as Britannia gets the boot
  |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]  |access-date=28 January 2008  | first=Steven | last=Morris | date=28 January 2008
}}</ref> See "External Links" below for examples of all these coins and others.

In the spring of 2008, the [[Royal Mint]] unveiled [[Coins of the pound sterling#2008 redesign|new coin designs]] "reflecting a more modern twenty-first century Britain"<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.royalmint.com/PackedSets/UKL8SPS.aspx |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081014082751/http://www.royalmint.com/PackedSets/UKL8SPS.aspx |archive-date=14 October 2008 |title=2008 Emblems of Britain Silver Proof Collection |publisher=The Royal Mint
}}</ref> which do not feature the image of Britannia. The government pointed out, however, that earlier-design 50p coins will remain in circulation for the foreseeable future.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7326491.stm |title=Royal Mint unveils coin designs|publisher=BBC News |date=2 April 2008}}</ref> Also Britannia still appeared on the gold and silver "[[Britannia (coin)|Britannia]]" bullion coins issued annually by the Royal Mint.

A new definitive £2 coin was issued in 2015, with a new image of Britannia. In late 2015, a limited edition (100000 run) £50 coin was produced, bearing the image of Britannia on one side and Queen [[Elizabeth II]] on the obverse.<ref>[http://www.royalmint.com/shop/Britannia_2015_UK_50_pound_Fine_Silver_Coin "Britannia 2015 UK £50 Fine Silver Coin"]. Royal Mint. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203012326/http://www.royalmint.com/shop/Britannia_2015_UK_50_pound_Fine_Silver_Coin# |date=3 December 2015 }}</ref>
[[File:Britannia 2021.jpg|thumb|150x150px|2021 Britannia one ounce gold bullion coin featuring four advanced security features for the first time]]
In October 2020, The Royal Mint released the 2021 Britannia bullion coin range. The original 1987 coin design by Philip Nathan was enhanced with new security features. The Royal Mint claims this makes the Britannia "the world's most visually secure bullion coin." The security features include a latent image, micro-text, surface animation and tincture lines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Royal Mint unveil the world's most visually secure bullion coin |url=https://www.royalmint.com/aboutus/press-centre/the-royal-mint-unveil-the-worlds-most-visually-secure-bullion-coin/ |access-date=2022-05-24 |website=Royal Mint}}</ref>{{third-party inline|date=May 2022}}

In 2021, the Royal Mint issued a new range of commemorative coins featuring a redesigned Britannia as a woman of colour.<ref>[https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/britannia-woman-of-colour "For The First Time, The Royal Mint Issues A Coin Featuring Britannia As A Woman Of Colour"] British Vogue</ref>

==== Banknotes ====
{{main|Bank of England note issues}}

{{multiple image
| align    = right
| total_width = 300
| image1   = Bank of England £5 note 1952.jpg
| caption1 = A 1952 Bank of England five pound note or "white fiver" showing Britannia in the top left corner
| image2   = Stamp irl 1922 2N6se.jpg
| caption2 = A 1922 [[King George V Seahorses]] postage stamp, featuring Britannia with an [[Irish Free State]] overprint
}}

A figure of Britannia appeared on the "white fiver" (a five pound note printed in black and white) from 1855 for more than a century, until 1957.<ref>{{cite web
  | url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/others/%C2%A35_note,_bank_of_england.aspx | title=£5 note, Bank of England | publisher=British Museum | access-date=24 January 2013
  | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203091018/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/others/%C2%A35_note,_bank_of_england.aspx | archive-date=3 February 2013
}}</ref>

From 1928 "Britannia Series A" ten shilling and one pound notes were printed with a seated Britannia bearing both a spear and an olive branch.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bsswebsite.me.uk/A%20Short%20History%20of/banknotes.html | title=A Short History of English Banknotes | date=17 June 2009 | access-date=24 January 2013 | author=Sharples, BS}}</ref>

The 25 cents fractional paper currency of the Dominion of Canada (1870, 1900 and 1923 respectively) all depict Britannia.

==== Postage stamps ====

Britannia also featured on the high value Great Britain definitive postage stamps issued during the reign of [[George V]] (known as '[[King George V Seahorses|seahorses]]') and is depicted on the £10 stamp first issued in 1993.

=== Britannia watermark in paper ===

The Britannia [[watermark]] has been widely used in papermaking, usually showing her seated. An example can be found at [http://papermoulds.typepad.com/photos/m255_bachelor_son_laid_mo/m255c-batchelor-son-britannia-watermark.html papermoulds.typepad.com]

=== Brit Awards ===

Britannia is depicted in the [[Brit Award]] statuette, the [[British Phonographic Industry]]'s annual music awards.<ref name="Zaha">{{cite news|title=Dame Zaha Hadid's Brit Awards statuette design unveiled|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38160633|publisher=BBC|date=1 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="Hirst">{{cite news|title=Damien Hirst's 2013 Brit Award statue unveiled|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/20965660/damien-hirsts-2013-brit-award-statue-unveiled|publisher=BBC|date=1 December 2016}}</ref> The statuette of Britannia has been regularly redesigned by some of the best known British designers, stylists and artists, including [[Damien Hirst]], [[Tracey Emin]], [[Peter Blake (artist)|Sir Peter Blake]] and also the late [[Vivienne Westwood|Dame Vivienne Westwood]] and [[Zaha Hadid|Dame Zaha Hadid]].<ref name="Zaha"/><ref name="Hirst"/>

== Namesakes ==
{{see also | Britannia (disambiguation)}}
[[File:First-class rater Britannia.2.jpg|thumb|King George V's famed racing yacht [[HMY Britannia (Royal Cutter Yacht)|HMY ''Britannia'']] in the 1890s]]
[[File:1888 History of Flagellation.png|thumb|Caricature of Britannia being flogged (c. 1770)]]
[[File:Boeing 767-304(ER), Britannia Airways JP6291725.jpg|thumb|right|[[Britannia Airways]] with depiction of Britannia on the livery]]

The name "Britannia", symbolising Britain and British patriotism, has been adopted for a variety of purposes, including:

* [[Britannia silver]], a high-grade [[alloy]] of silver introduced in Britain in 1697.
* [[Britannia coin]]s, a series of British [[gold bullion]] coins issued since 1987, which have nominal values of 100, 50, 25, and 10 [[Pound sterling|pounds]].
* [[HMS Britannia|HMS ''Britannia'']], any of eight vessels of the [[Royal Navy]].
* [[HMY Britannia (Royal Cutter Yacht)|HMY ''Britannia'']], King George V's famed racing yacht, scuttled in 1936. [[K1 Britannia|K1 ''Britannia'']] is a 1994 replica (refit in 2012).
* [[Britannia Royal Naval College]], the Royal Navy's officer training college at Dartmouth.
* The former [[Royal Yacht Britannia|Royal Yacht ''Britannia'']], the Royal Family's personal yacht, now retired in [[Leith]], Edinburgh Scotland.
* [[RMS Britannia|RMS ''Britannia'']], the first steam [[ocean liner]] owned by [[Samuel Cunard]] in 1840.
* [[SS Britannia (1925)|SS ''Britannia'']], a 1925 British liner, sunk by the [[German auxiliary cruiser Thor|German auxiliary cruiser ''Thor'']] in 1941 with the loss of 122 crew and 127 passengers.<ref>[http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?135786 Wrecksite: SS Britannia (+1941)]</ref>
* [[MV Britannia (2015)|MV ''Britannia'']], the [[flagship]] of the [[P&O Cruises]] fleet, which came into service in 2015.
* [[Bristol Britannia|Bristol Type 175 Britannia]], a 1952 British [[turbo-prop]] [[airliner]].
* [[Bristol Type 603|Bristol Type 603S3 Britannia]], a 1983 British luxury car.
* [[Pugnaces Britanniae]], war dog of Britain.
* The patriotic song "[[Rule, Britannia!]]", set to music in 1740.
* Company names such as [[Britannia Building Society]], [[Britannia Airways]] and [[Britannia Industries]].
* The ''Britannia'' Class, an alternative name for the [[BR Standard Class 7]] series of steam locomotives produced between 1951 and 1954, the first of the BR "standard" classes. The first built was now-preserved [[BR Standard Class 7 70000 Britannia|No. 70000 ''Britannia'']].
* The [[Britannia Building Society]] operated under this name from 1975, continuing as a brand after merger with [[The Co-operative Bank]] in 2009.
* Britannia is a community south of the town of Bacup, in Lancashire, UK, and "home" of the [[Britannia Coconut Dancers]].
* Britannia [[Sea Scout]]s is a sea scouting group connected to [[Sea Scouts New Zealand]] located in Evans Bay, in the [[Wellington]] zone of [[New Zealand]]. Britannia was started in 1927.

== See also ==

* [[Scota]], a personification of Scotland
* [[Hibernia (personification)]], a personification of Ireland
* [[Kathleen Ni Houlihan]], a personification of Ireland
* [[Prydain]], Welsh name for Great Britain in both ancient and modern times
* [[William Camden]], author of ''Britannia'', author of topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland, first published in 1586
* [[Britannia Superior]]
* [[Britannia Inferior]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Notes ==
{{refbegin|40em}}
* {{Cite book| first=Stephen| last=Allen| title=Lords of Battle: The World of the Celtic Warrior| publisher=Osprey Publishing| year=2007| isbn=978-1-84176-948-6| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=28C63w4vKD8C| ref=refAllen2007}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{Cite book| first=Robin George| last=Collingwood| title=Roman Britain and the English Settlements| publisher=Biblo & Tannen Publishers| year=1998| isbn=0-8196-1160-3| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fMcbnMFn8lcC| ref=refCollingwood1998}}
* {{Cite book| first=Norman| last=Davies| title=The Isles a History| publisher=Macmillan| year=2000| isbn=0-333-69283-7 | ref=refDavies2000}}
* Hewitt, Virginia. "Britannia (fl. 1st–21st cent.)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,'' [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/68196 online edition 2007, accessed 28 Aug 2011]
* {{Cite book| first=Christopher| last=Snyder| title=The Britons| publisher=Blackwell Publishing| year=2003| isbn=0-631-22260-X| url=https://archive.org/details/britons00snyd| url-access=registration| ref=refSnyder2003}}
* M. Dresser (ed.), 'Britannia', Patriotism: the making and unmaking of British national identity, vol. 3
* R. Samuel, National fictions (1989), pp.&nbsp;26–49
* Britannia depicta: quality, value and security, National Postal Museum (1993)
* H. Mattingly, Nerva to Hadrian, reprint (1976), vol. 3 of Coins of the Roman empire in the British Museum
* J. M. C. Toynbee, The Hadrianic school: a chapter in the history of Greek art (1974)
* M. Henig, 'Britannia', ''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae]]'', 3/1 (1983), pp.&nbsp;167–69
* K. T. Erim, 'A new relief showing Claudius and Britannia from Aphrodisias', Britannia, 13 (1982), pp.&nbsp;277–81
* H. Peacham, Minerva Britannia, or, A garden of heroical devises (1612)
* J. Thomson, Britannia: a poem (1729)
* R. Strong, Gloriana, the portraits of Queen Elizabeth I (1987)
* H. A. Atherton, Political prints in the age of Hogarth. A study of the ideographic representation of politics (1974)
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Britannia}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060105130558/http://www.romanbritain.freeserve.co.uk/britannia.htm Britannia on British coins and medals] – [[Guy de la Bédoyère]]
* {{Cite episode| title = Age of Conquest | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qn322| access-date = 12 January 2016| series = Seven Ages of Britain |  series-link = Seven Ages of Britain (BBC series) | credits = David Dimbleby| network = BBC 1| minutes = 6:56}}

{{National personifications}}
{{Celtic mythology (ancient)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Britannia| ]]
[[Category:Fictional British people]]
[[Category:Roman Britain]]
[[Category:Roman goddesses]]
[[Category:Terminology of the British Isles]]