ROMAN WALES - The Campaign in Wales

The Romans had overwhelmed South-East England. In AD 43 a force of over 40,000 fighting men, under Aulius Plautius, had landed in what is now Kent. This massive display of force not only defeated the opposing tribes in battle, but also encouraged other tribes that the future lay in a peace treaty with the Romans.

Caratacus, who had become the main war leader of the Britons, fled west as opposition to the Romans collapsed. He was welcomed by the Silures in South-East Wales.

Aulius Plautius was appointed the first Roman governor of Briton. Over the next 4 years he set about consolidating the Roman position and effectively created a new province in the South-East.

Many of the tribes seem to have accepted the situation quite quickly. Their leaders became "client kings", manging their areas with the Romans and gradually adopting Roman ways.

A road was built. Raised up with ditches on either side. it was known as the Fosse Way and ran from Exeter in the south to Lincoln in the North-East. Effectively it marked the frontier.

To the South and East the Roman writ held. To the North and West it was another matter.

The Silurian War

In AD47 Plautius term of office came to an end. He was replaced as governor by Publius Ostorius Scapula. Caratacus and the Silures saw an opportunity to test the new man and attacked.

Although it was nearly winter, Ostorius wasted no time in responding. Moving the XX Valeria Legion from Colchester, he established a new fortress at Kingsholm, near Gloucester. Using that as a base, his forces moved west into Wales to bring Caratacus and the Silures to battle.

However the Silures were not going to play the game in the way Ostorius wanted. The terrain was difficult, but the Silures knew it well and Caratacus was a very able commander. They avoided meeting Ostorius in a direct battle. Instead they used guerrilla tactics.

They harried the Romans. Small war bands attacking then withdrawing quickly; then another attack. In a different place. The Romans never knew when the next attack would come, or where it would come from. The hard rock of the Welsh mountains made it difficult to make the fortified marching camps they were used to. So even at night they were not safe. They could not rest.

The Silures had no towns or cities. There was little that the Romans could attack and hold. They were used to living off the land and could easily melt away. The rugged country also made the Romans tight combat formations difficult to use. Roman soldiers, used to fighting as part of a close knit unit, found themselves locked in single combat. And the Silures were very good at single combat!

Caratacus

Roman accounts show Caratacus, or Caradog, as being the only significant war leader. For 3 years he was a thorn in the side of the Romans. Then, in AD51, he decided to bring them to battle.

The site of the battle is not clear. Different historians suggest different locations and none are conclusive. We do know that Caratacus had linked with the Ordivices to the north. The battle took place in, or near, their territory; near two rivers, one of which was probably the Severn. This would place it in the area of the Welsh Borders and the East Midlands.

The battle was his downfall.

Tactically Caratacus was clever. He used natural features; a forest to prevent the Romans attacking from the rear, a river and hills to protect his flanks. The Romans could only attack from one direction. Unfortunately that was all they needed.

The defeat was massive! Caratacus' wife and children were captured and Caratacus himself fled. He went to the Brigantes, a tribe in the North of England who had previously allied with him against the Romans, hoping to continue the fight. However their Queen, Cartimandua, had agreed a treaty with the Romans and handed him over to them.

Caratacus and his family were taken to Rome. The Emperor Claudius displayed them in a triumphial procession through the city, as was the custom. It was also the custom to publicly execute them.

However, Caratacus was allowed to address the Senate. He made a defiant and proud speech.

"Why", he asked, "when you have all this wealth and splendour, do you still crave our wooden huts and villages?"

"I had horse, men, arms and wealth. Are you surprised that I am sorry to lose them? If you want to rule the world, does it follow that everyone else welcomes enslavement? If I had surrendered without a blow before being brought before you, neither my downfall nor your victory would have become famous." (Text taken from an account by Tacitus.)

The Romans were impressed. Caratacus was, after all, expressing values they held dear. Claudius spared his life and Caratacus and his family were allowed to live in Rome in comfort. He is reported to have died in AD 54.

A Succession of Governors

Losing Caratacus doesn't seem to have affected the Silures at all. They continued to harry the Romans using highly successful guerilla tactics.

Ostorius, the Roman governor, built a number of forts. The Silures surounded a large group of Romans and cut them off. They were rescued, but only after suffering heavy losses.

A Roman foraging party was attacked and fled. The Silures then routed the cavalry that had been sent to rescue them!

Two cohorts of auxiliary troops were lured into a trap and captured. The prisoners and booty were distributed anong the other tribes to establish the Silures victories.

To quote Tacitus. "Battle followed battle." and "The Silures were exceptionally stubborn!"

Then Ostorius died. Roman accounts are clear that it was the strain of continual conflict that killed him. The Silures celebrated.
 
Aulus Didius Gallus was appointed the new governor. However it seems that one of the generals in Briton wanted the glory of a victory for himself. Before Didius arrived in Briton, General Manlius Valens committed a whole legion against the Silures.

The Silures defeated the legion.

This was a disaster for the Romans, and a huge triumph for the Silures. The Silures were free to roam as they pleased. The new governor was fully occupied with maintaining order and seems to have been limited to containing the Silures.

Didius was followed, in AD57, by Quintus Veranius. He initiated a series of attacks on the Silures before he, too, died in post.

The next governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, was a general with a reputation for brutality. However, instead of moving against the Silures, he attacked the centre of the Celtic Druid culture on the island of Anglesey in North Wales. This was a soft target and the druids were slaughtered.

The revolts of the Iceni in East Anglia, under Queen Boudica, then took Suetonius full attention. Following this revolt, Seutonius was recalled to Rome, possibly due to his excessively harsh policies.

The next two governors, Petronius Turpilianus and Trebellius Maximus, took a more conciliatory approach with the Celtic tribes in England. They concentrated on rebuilding and co-operationin the province. The Silures, again, were merely contained.

The Final Chapter

In AD 73 Sextus Julius Frontinus was appointed governor of the British province. He turned his attention to subduing the Silures. There are few details of his campaign. We do know the struggle was hard. Roman accounts of the time describe the Silures as "a powerful and warlike nation".

By AD75 they had began work on a new legionary fortress at Isca (Caerleon, just north of Newport). This became the permanent base of the II Augustan Legion. In North Wales, another fortress was built at Chester. XX Valeria Legion was also based in South Wales.

Three legions were now focusing their attention on the western tribes.

Roads and more fortresses were built. They kept to coastal plains, avoiding the dangerous mountains. Now the Romans could move quickly through the country. They could defend themselves out in the open and were properly protected when they rested.

In this, more secure, environment trade links started started to develop. The country began to become more peaceful. It may be that, after 30 years, even the fierce Silures were becoming tired of constant warfare. And co-operation with Rome did have its advantages.

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