Editing Caratacus

{{short description|1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Caratacus
| title        = King of the Britons<br>King of the Catuvellauni
| image        = CaractacusClaudius.jpg
| caption      = ''Caractacus before the Emperor Claudius at Rome'', 18th-century print, artist unknown ([[British Museum]]).
| succession   = King of the [[Catuvellauni]]
| reign        = 1st century AD, to {{circa|50}}
| predecessor  = [[Epaticcus]]
| successor    = None (Catuvellauni territory conquered by [[Claudius]])
| succession1  = [[King of the Britons]]
| reign1       = 43–50
| predecessor1 = [[Cunobelinus]]
| successor1   = [[Cogidubnus]]
| native_lang1 = [[British language (Celtic)|Brythonic]]
| native_lang1_name1 = ''*Caratācos''
| native_lang2 = [[Ancient Greek|Greek]]
| native_lang2_name1 = ''Καράτακος'' / ''Καρτάκης''
| father       = [[Cunobelinus]]
| mother       = Unknown
| birth_date   = {{circa|10}}?
| birth_place  = Probably in <br />Catuvellauni territory
| death_date   = After {{circa|50}}
| death_place  = [[Rome]]
}}
'''Caratacus'''{{efn|[[British language (Celtic)|Brythonic]] ''*Caratācos'', [[Middle Welsh]] ''Caratawc''; [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''Caradog''; [[Breton language|Breton]] ''Karadeg''; ''{{langx|el|Καράτακος}}''; variants [[Latin language|Latin]]: ''Caractacus'', Greek: ''Καταράκατος''}} was a 1st-century&nbsp;AD [[British Iron Age|British]] [[chieftain]] of the [[Catuvellauni]] tribe, who resisted the [[Roman conquest of Britain]].

Before the Roman invasion, Caratacus is associated with the expansion of his tribe's territory. His apparent success led to Roman invasion, nominally in support of his defeated enemies. He resisted the Romans for almost a decade, using [[guerrilla warfare]], but when he offered a [[pitched battle|set-piece battle]] he was defeated by Roman forces. After defeat he fled to the territory of Queen [[Cartimandua]], who captured him and handed him over to the Romans. He was sentenced to death but made a speech before his execution that persuaded the Emperor [[Claudius]] to spare him. Caratacus'<!--Caratacus' is grammatically correct, not "Caratacus's".--> speech to Claudius has been a popular subject in visual art.

==Name==
Caratacus' name appears as both ''Caratacus'' and ''Caractacus'' in manuscripts of Tacitus, and as ''Καράτακος'' and ''Καρτάκης'' in manuscripts of Dio. Older reference works tend to favour the spelling "Caractacus", coins minted during his rule show the beginning of his name CARA' on the obverse, but some modern scholars agree, based on [[historical linguistics]] and source criticism, that the original [[Common Brittonic]] form was ''*Karatākos'', pronounced {{IPA|cel|karaˈtaːkos|}}, cognate with [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''Caradog'', [[Breton language|Breton]] ''Karadeg'', and [[Irish language|Irish]] ''Carthach'', meaning "loving, beloved, dear; friend".<ref>[[Kenneth H. Jackson]], "Queen Boudicca?", ''Britannia'' 10 p. 255, 1979</ref>

==History==

===Claudian invasion===
Caratacus is named by [[Dio Cassius]] as a son of the Catuvellaunian king [[Cunobelinus]].<ref>[[Dio Cassius]], trans Earnest Cary, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/60*.html#19 60:19–22]</ref>  Based on [[coin]] distribution Caratacus appears to have been the protégé of his uncle [[Epaticcus]], who expanded Catuvellaunian power westwards most likely from his palace in Verulam, the heartland of the Catuvellauni, into the territory of the [[Atrebates]].<ref>John Creighton, ''Coins and power in Late Iron Age Britain'', Cambridge University Press, 2000; [[Philip de Jersey]] (1996), ''Celtic Coinage in Britain'', Shire Archaeology</ref> After Epaticcus died in about AD&nbsp;35, the Atrebates, under [[Verica]], regained some of their territory, but it appears Caratacus completely conquered the Atrebates, since Dio tells us Verica was ousted, fled to [[Ancient Rome|Rome]] and appealed to the [[Roman Emperor|emperor]] [[Claudius]] for help. This was the excuse used by Claudius to launch his [[Roman conquest of Britain|invasion of Britain]] in the summer of 43. 

The invasion targeted Caratacus' stronghold of [[Camulodunon]] (modern [[Colchester]]), previously the seat of his father Cunobelinus.<ref name="Crummy 19972">Crummy, Philip (1997) City of Victory; the story of Colchester – Britain's first Roman town. Published by Colchester Archaeological Trust ({{ISBN|1897719043}})</ref><ref>Todd, Malcolm. (1981) Roman Britain; 55BC – 400AD. Published by Fontana Paperbacks ({{ISBN|0006337562}})</ref> Cunobelinus had died some time before the invasion. Caratacus and his brother [[Togodumnus]] led the initial defence of the country against [[Aulus Plautius]]'s four [[Roman legion|legions]], thought to have been around 40,000 men, primarily using [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] tactics.'''<ref>Jorit Wintjes (2020) 'On the side of a righteous vengeance' – Counterinsurgency operations in Roman Britain, Small Wars & Insurgencies, 31:5, 1108–1129, DOI: 10.1080/09592318.2020.1764715</ref>''' They lost much of the south-east after being defeated in two crucial battles, the [[Battle of the Medway|Battle of the River Medway]] and [[River Thames]]. 

Dio reports that Togodumnus was killed (although both [[Miles Russell]] and John Hind argue that Dio was mistaken in reporting Togodumnus' death, that he was defeated but survived and was later appointed by the Romans as a friendly king over a number of territories, becoming the loyal king referred to by Tacitus as Cogidubnus or [[Togidubnus]])<ref>Russell, Miles. (2006) Roman Sussex, pp. 33-43. Published by Tempus ({{ISBN|0752436015}})</ref><ref>J. G. F. Hind, "A. Plautius' Campaign in Britain: An Alternative Reading of the Narrative in Cassius Dio (60.19.5–21.2)", ''[[Britannia (journal)|Britannia]]'' Vol. 38 (2007), pp. 93–106)</ref> and the Romans conquered the Catuvellaunian territories. Their stronghold of Camulodunon was converted into the first Roman [[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]] in Britain, [[Colonia Victricensis]].<ref name="Crummy 19972" /><ref>Crummy, Philip (1992) Colchester Archaeological Report 6: Excavations at Culver Street, the Gilberd School, and other sites in Colchester 1971–85. Published by Colchester Archaeological Trust ({{ISBN|0-9503727-9-X}})</ref><ref>Crummy, Philip (1984) Colchester Archaeological Report 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. Published by Colchester Archaeological Trust ({{ISBN|0-9503727-4-9}})</ref>

===Resistance to Rome===
{{Main|Caratacus' last battle}}
[[File:Caradog (5227657).jpg|left|thumb|Caradog watercolour painting by Thomas Prydderch.]]
We next hear of Caratacus in [[Tacitus]]'s ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'', leading the [[Silures]] and [[Ordovices]] of [[Wales in the Roman Era|Wales]] against Plautius' successor as [[Roman governors of Britain|governor]], [[Publius Ostorius Scapula]].<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Tac.+Ann.+12.33 12:33–38]</ref> Finally, in 50, Scapula managed to [[Caratacus' last battle|defeat Caratacus]] in a set-piece battle somewhere in Ordovician territory, capturing Caratacus' wife and daughter and receiving the surrender of his brothers. Caratacus himself escaped and fled north to the lands of the [[Brigantes]] (modern [[Yorkshire]]), where the Brigantian queen, [[Cartimandua]], handed him over to the Romans in chains. This was one of the factors that led to two Brigantian revolts against Cartimandua and her Roman allies, once later in the 50s and once in 69, led by [[Venutius]], who had once been Cartimandua's husband. With the capture of Caratacus, much of southern Britain from the [[Humber]] to the [[Severn]] was pacified and garrisoned throughout the 50s.<ref>A History of Britain, Richard Dargie (2007), p. 21</ref>

Legends place Caratacus' last stand at either [[Caer Caradoc]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Caer Caradoc Hill Fort |url=https://churchstretton.co.uk/directory/caer-caradoc-hill-fort/ |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=Church Stretton |language=en-GB}}</ref> near [[Church Stretton]] or [[British Camp]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=BBC |title=Malvern Hills - the story of British Camp |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/content/articles/2004/07/21/malvern_british_camp_feature.shtml |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref> in the [[Malvern Hills]], but the description of [[Tacitus]] makes either unlikely:

{{blockquote|[Caratacus] resorted to the ultimate hazard, adopting a place for battle so that entry, exit, everything would be unfavourable to us and for the better to his own men, with steep mountains all around, and, wherever a gentle access was possible, he strewed rocks in front in the manner of a rampart. And in front too there flowed a stream with an unsure ford, and companies of armed men had taken up position along the defences.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annals'', translated by A. J. Woodman, 2004; see also [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Tac.+Ann.+12.33 Church & Brodribb's translation]</ref>}}

Although the [[Severn]] is visible from British Camp, it is nowhere near it, so this battle must have taken place elsewhere. A number of locations have been suggested, including a site near [[Brampton Bryan]]. Bari Jones, in ''[[Archaeology Today]]'' in 1998, identified Blodwel Rocks at [[Llanymynech]] in [[Powys]] as representing a close fit with Tacitus' account.{{full citation needed|date=December 2012}}

===Captive in Rome===
After his capture, Caratacus was sent to Rome as a war prize, presumably to be killed after a [[Roman triumph|triumphal parade]]. Although a captive, he was allowed to address the [[Roman Senate]]. Tacitus records a version of his speech in which he says that his stubborn resistance made Rome's glory in defeating him all the greater:
[[Image:Caractacus-Claudius-Birrell-Fuseli.jpeg|thumb|Andrew Birrell (after [[Henry Fuseli]]), ''Caractacus at the Tribunal of Claudius at Rome'' (1792)|319x319px]]
{{blockquote|If the degree of my nobility and fortune had been matched by moderation in success, I would have come to this City as a friend rather than a captive, nor would you have disdained to receive with a treaty of peace one sprung from brilliant ancestors and commanding a great many nations. But my present lot, disfiguring as it is for me, is magnificent for you. I had horses, men, arms, and wealth: what wonder if I was unwilling to lose them? If you wish to command everyone, does it really follow that everyone should accept your slavery? If I were now being handed over as one who had surrendered immediately, neither my fortune nor your glory would have achieved brilliance. It is also true that in my case any reprisal will be followed by oblivion. On the other hand, if you preserve me safe and sound, I shall be an eternal example of your clemency.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annals'', translated by A. J. Woodman, 2004; see also [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Tac.+Ann.+12.37 Church & Brodribb's translation]</ref>}}

He made such an impression that he was pardoned and allowed to live in peace in Rome. After his liberation, according to Dio Cassius, Caratacus was so impressed by the city of Rome that he said "And can you, then, who have got such possessions and so many of them, still covet our poor huts?"<ref>Dio Cassius, ''Roman History'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/61*.html#33.3c Epitome of Book LXI, 33:3c]</ref>

==Legend==
===Medieval Welsh traditions===
Caratacus' memory may have been preserved in medieval Welsh tradition. A [[Harleian Genealogies|genealogy in the Welsh Harley MS 3859]] ({{circa|1100}}) includes the generations "''Caratauc map Cinbelin map Teuhant''", corresponding, via established processes of language change, to "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus, son of [[Tasciovanus]]", preserving the names of the three historical figures in correct relationship.<ref>[[Wikisource:Harleian MS 3859 Genealogies#15-16|''Harleian Genealogies'' 16]]; [https://web.archive.org/web/20040610042344/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2444/specs/caratacus.htm The Heirs of Caratacus] – Caratacus and his relatives in medieval Welsh genealogies</ref>

Caratacus does not appear in [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s ''[[History of the Kings of Britain]]'' (1136), although he appears to correspond to [[Arviragus]], the younger son of [[Kymbelinus]], who continues to resist the Roman invasion after the death of his older brother [[Guiderius]].<ref>[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]], ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' [[Wikisource:History of the Kings of Britain/Book 4#12|4.12–16]]</ref> In Welsh versions his name is Gweirydd, son of Cynfelyn, and his brother is called Gwydyr;<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth, ''The History of the Kings of Britain'', translated by [[Lewis Thorpe]], 1973; Peter Roberts (trans), ''The Chronicle of the Kings of Britain'', 1811</ref> the name Arviragus is taken from a poem by [[Juvenal]].<ref>Juvenal, ''[[Satires of Juvenal|Satires]]'', [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/4.shtml 4.126–127]</ref>

[[Caradog ap Bran|Caradog, son of Bran]], who appears in medieval Welsh literature, has also been identified with Caratacus, although nothing in the medieval legend corresponds except his name. He appears in the ''[[Mabinogion]]'' as a son of [[Bran the Blessed]], who is left in charge of Britain while his father makes war in [[Ireland]], but is overthrown by [[Caswallawn]] (the historical [[Cassivellaunus]], who lived a century earlier than Caratacus).<ref>''[[Mabinogion|The Mabinogion]]'': "[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/mab/mab22.htm Branwen, daughter of Llyr]"</ref> The [[Welsh Triads]] agree that he was Bran's son, and name two sons, Cawrdaf and Eudaf.<ref>Rachel Bromwich, ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein'', University of Wales Press, 1963; Triads from the [http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/triads1.html Red Book of Hergest] and [http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/triads2.html Peniarth MS 54]</ref>

Two hills in Shropshire bear the name Caer Caradoc (Welsh – Caer Caradog), meaning fort of Caradoc, and have popular associations with him. One is an Iron Age hill fort and Scheduled Monument near the town of Clun. It overlooks the village of Chapel Lawn. The other Caer Caradoc is a prominent hill and Iron Age hill fort near Church Stretton, 16 miles (26&nbsp;km) to the north-east.

===Modern traditions===
Caradog began to be identified with Caratacus only after the rediscovery of the works of Tacitus and new material appeared based on this identification. An 18th-century tradition, popularised by the Welsh antiquarian and forger [[Iolo Morganwg]], credits Caradog, on his return from imprisonment in Rome, with the introduction of Christianity to Britain. Iolo also makes the legendary king [[Coel Hen]] a son of Caradog's son [[Saint Cyllin]].<ref>[[Iolo Morganwg]], ''Triads of Britain'' [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#17|17]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#2|2]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#23|23]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#24|24]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#34|34]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#35|35]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#41|41]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#55|55]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#79|79]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#85|85]], [[Wikisource:Triads of Britain#91|91]]</ref> [[Richard Williams Morgan]] claimed that a reference to Cyllin as a son of Caratacus was found in the family records of [[Iestyn ab Gwrgant]] and used this as evidence of the early entry of Christianity to Britain:  "Cyllin ab Caradog, a wise and just king. In his days many of the Cymry embraced the faith in Christ through the teaching of the saints of Cor-Eurgain, and many godly men from the countries of Greece and Rome were in Cambria. He first of the Cymry gave infants names; for before, names were not given except to adults, and then from something characteristic in their bodies, minds, or manners."<ref name="Morgan1861">{{cite book|author=Richard Williams Morgan|title=St. Paul in Britain; or, The origin of British as opposed to papal Christianity|url=https://archive.org/details/stpaulinbritain01morggoog|access-date=8 August 2012|year=1861|pages=[https://archive.org/details/stpaulinbritain01morggoog/page/n173 161]–|publisher=The Marshall Press}}</ref>

Another tradition, which has remained popular among [[British Israelism|British Israelites]] and others, makes Caratacus already a Christian before he came to Rome, Christianity having been brought to Britain by either [[Joseph of Arimathea]] or [[Paul of Tarsus|St Paul]], and identifies a number of early Christians as his relatives.<ref>This article formerly made reference to a passage of Dio Cassius that described Caratacus as a "barbarian Christian". This derived from a [[transcription error]] in the version of the Cary translation of Dio online on the [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/home.html Lacus Curtius] website, which has now been corrected to read "barbarian chieftain" as per the print edition ([https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/61*.html#33.3c Dio 61.33.3c]). See also the [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10883 Foster translation] at [http://www.gutenberg.org/ Project Gutenberg], which also reads "barbarian chieftain".</ref>

One is [[Pomponia Graecina]], wife of [[Aulus Plautius]], the conqueror of Britain, who as Tacitus relates, was accused of following a "foreign superstition", which the tradition considers to be Christianity.<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0078%3Abook%3D13%3Achapter%3D32 13:32]</ref> Tacitus describes her as the "wife of the Plautius who returned from Britain with an ovation", which led [[John Lingard]] (1771–1851) to conclude, in his ''History and Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church'', that she was British;<ref>"We are, indeed, told that history has preserved the names of two British females, Claudia and Pomponia Graecina, both of them Christians, and both living in the first century of our era." [[John Lingard|Lingard, John]], ''History and Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church'', 2nd. ed. Newcastle, Walker, 1810 Vol. I., p1.</ref> however, this conclusion is a misinterpretation of what Tacitus wrote. An [[ovation]] was a military parade in honour of a victorious general, so the person who "returned from Britain with an ovation" is clearly Plautius, not Pomponia. This has not prevented the error being repeated and disseminated widely.

Another is [[Claudia Rufina]], a historical British woman known to the poet [[Martial]].<ref>[[Martial]], ''Epigrams'', XI:53 (ed. & trans. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Harvard University Press, 1993)</ref> Martial describes Claudia's marriage to a man named Pudens,<ref>Martial, ''Epigrams'' IV:13</ref> almost certainly [[Aulus Pudens]], an [[Umbria]]n [[centurion]] and friend of the poet who appears regularly in his ''Epigrams''. It has been argued since the 17th century<ref>Baronius, ''Annales Ecclesiastici'', Antwerp, 1614; Archbishop [[James Ussher]] (1637), ''British Ecclesiastical Antiquities'', Oxford; Cardinal [[Michael Alford (historian)|Michael Alford]] (1663), ''Annales Ecclesiae Britannicae: Regia Fides, Vol 1''; [[John Williams (Ab Ithel)|Williams, J.]] (1848), contributor John Abraham, ''Claudia and Pudens'', Herauld</ref> that this pair may be the same as the Claudia and Pudens mentioned as members of the Roman Christian community in ''[[Pastoral Epistles|2 Timothy]]'' in the [[New Testament]].<ref>''[[Pastoral Epistles|2 Timothy]]'' 4:21 – "Eubulus saluteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren."</ref> Some go further, claiming that Claudia was Caratacus' daughter, and that the historical [[Pope Linus]], who is described as the "brother of Claudia" in an early church document, was Caratacus' son. Pudens is identified with [[Saint Pudens|St. Pudens]], and it is claimed that the basilica of [[Santa Pudenziana]] in Rome, and with which St. Pudens is associated, was once called the ''Palatium Britannicum'' and was the home of Caratacus and his family.

This theory was popularised in a 1961 book called ''The Drama of the Lost Disciples'' by George Jowett, but Jowett did not originate it. He cites renaissance historians such as Archbishop [[James Ussher]], [[Caesar Baronius]] and [[John Hardyng]], as well as classical writers like [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]], [[Tacitus]] and [[Satires of Juvenal|Juvenal]], although his classical citations at least are wildly inaccurate, many of his assertions are unsourced, and many of his identifications entirely speculative. He also regularly cites ''[[St. Paul in Britain]]'', an 1860 book by [[Richard Williams Morgan|R. W. Morgan]], and advocates other tenets of British Israelism, in particular that the British are descended from the [[Ten lost tribes|lost tribes of Israel]].<ref>George Jowett, ''The Drama of the Lost Disciples'', Covenant Books, 1961</ref>

=== In the arts ===
{{refimprove-section|date=May 2024}}
[[File:William Blake Visionary Head of Caractacus -contrast increased.jpg|thumb|[[William Blake]]'s vision of Caratacus from his series of illustrations called the [[Visionary Heads]]|308x308px]]
* Caratach is anachronistically depicted as [[Boudica]]'s general in [[John Fletcher (playwright)|John Fletcher]]'s play ''[[Bonduca]]'' (1613). The historical Caratach was exiled from Britain nearly a decade prior to Boudica's war.
* Caratacus is the subject of [[William Mason (poet)|William Mason]]'s 1759 poem of the same name and the 1776 play based on it.
* Caratacus is the title character of the Italian opera ''Carattaco'' by [[Johann Christian Bach]], first performed in London in 1767
* In "[[The Major-General's Song]]", from [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s 1879 comic opera "[[The Pirates of Penzance]]", Major-General Stanley claims knowledge of "every detail of Caractacus's uniform".
* "Caractacus" is the title of a [[cantata]] by [[Edward Elgar]] in 1897–98 devoted to the defeat and capture of the king by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. It was first performed at the [[Leeds]] choral festival in 1898.
* Caractacus is the subject of a Victorian poem called ''Caractacus the Briton'' by William Stewart Ross, published 1881 in a collection titled [https://archive.org/details/laysofromancechi00ross ''Lays of Romance and Chivalry''], and distinguished by the refrain, "Caractacus the Briton, the bravest of the brave!"
* The defeat of Caradoc (Caratacus) by the Romans is the subject of [[Henry Treece]]'s 1952 adult novel, ''The Dark Island'',  the second book in his ''Celtic Tetralogy''.  As well, a poem titled ''Caratacus'' appears in Treece's ''Exiles'', a collection of poetry published in the same year.
* Caractacus briefly appears as a minor character in the [[Robert Graves]] novel, ''[[Claudius the God]]''.  In the [[I, Claudius (TV series)|television adaptation]] of Graves's novels, he is portrayed in a brief appearance by [[Peter Bowles]].
* Caratacus' capture and life as a captive in Rome is told from the point of view of his fictional daughter, Eigon, in [[Barbara Erskine]]'s time-slip novel, ''The Warrior's Princess'', pub. 2008.
* Caratacus is a major character in [[Douglas Jackson (author)|Douglas Jackson]]'s 2008 novel ''Claudius'', the sequel to ''Caligula'' (2008).
* Caradoc is a major character in author [[Pauline Gedge]]'s 1978 novel, ''The Eagle and The Raven''.
* Caratacus appears in several volumes of [[Simon Scarrow]]'s [[Eagle series|''Eagle'' series]], including ''Under the Eagle'', ''The Eagle's Conquest'', ''When the Eagle Hunts'', ''The Eagle and the Wolves'', ''The Eagle's Prey'', ''Blood Crows'' and ''Brothers In Blood''.
* Caradoc is a main character in [[Manda Scott]]'s series "Boudica" ("Dreaming the Eagle", "Dreaming the Bull", "Dreaming the Hound", "Dreaming the Serpent-Spear").
* Caratach appears as a stage character in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s [[alternate history]] novel ''[[Ruled Britannia]]''. In this novel, a fictional version of [[William Shakespeare]] writes a play called ''Boudicca'', which is almost identical to John Fletcher's ''Bonduca''. In the book's afterword Turtledove acknowledges Fletcher's influence, but in the novel itself he mistakenly suggests that Caratach was depicted as Boudicca's man in Tacitus's ''Annals''.
* "The Court of King Caractacus" is a nonsense song by [[Rolf Harris]]. The single reached No 9 in the [[ARIA Charts|Australian Singles Chart]] in 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/207188/i-Who-was-King-Caractacus-i|title=Who was King Caractacus?|date=17 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gkUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA33|magazine=Billboard|title=Hits of the World|volume=76 |number=28 |issn=0006-2510|date=11 July 1964|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|accessdate=10 December 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* Caratacus is referenced in the [[Paradox Interactive]] video game ''[[Crusader Kings II]]'' in the form of bloodline inherited by some characters in the game, the "Bloodline of Caradog".
* ''Caradog before Caesar in Rome'' is a painting by [[Ellis Owen Ellis]] (Ellis Bryn-Coch), a Welsh portrait painter who won a number of prizes in London art galleries after moving there in 1834.<ref>{{Cite DWB|id=s-ELLI-OWE-1813|title=ELLIS, ELLIS OWEN ('Ellis Bryn-coch '; 1813 - 1861), artist|last=Davies|first=William Llewelyn}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Caratacus Stone]]
* [[Vercingetorix]], king and chieftain of the [[Gauls|Gallic]] [[Arverni]] tribe which revolted against Rome during the last phase of [[Julius Caesar]]'s [[Gallic Wars]] in 52 BCE.

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Leonard Cottrell, ''The Roman Invasion of Britain'', Barnes & Noble. New York, 1992
* [[Sheppard Frere]], ''Britannia: a History of Roman Britain'', Pimlico, 1991

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://resourcesforhistory.com/caractacus.htm Caractacus] at [http://resourcesforhistory.com resourcesforhistory.com]
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/britannia/wales/caratacus.html Caratacus] at [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/ Encyclopaedia Romana]
* [http://www.roman-britain.co.uk/people/caratacus/ Caratacus] and the [http://www.roman-britain.co.uk/tribes/catuvellauni/ Catuvellauni] at [http://www.roman-britain.co.uk/ Roman-Britain.co.uk]

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Togodumnus]] }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[Catuvellauni#List of leaders of the Catuvellauni|King of the Catuvellauni]] }}
{{s-non | reason = Roman rule}}
{{s-reg | leg }}
{{s-bef | before = Metallanus }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[List of legendary kings of Scotland|King of Scotland]] }}
{{s-aft | after  = Corbredus I }}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caratacus}}
[[Category:Briton monarchs]]
[[Category:Celtic warriors]]
[[Category:1st-century monarchs in Europe]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]