Rome’s Fallen Eagle (53 page)

Cassius Dio also mentions the Britons’ careless camping at the battle of the Medway – if it was indeed at the Medway – not expecting the Romans to force a crossing without a bridge. He then goes on to say that some German auxiliaries, most likely Batavians who were renowned for this feat in full armour, swam the river and took the Britons by surprise. The rest of the battle is vague but it did last two days, and Vespasian and Sabinus distinguished themselves crossing the river and Geta gets a mention for soundly defeating the barbarians after nearly being captured. Well, I put a different spin on that and my apologies to his shade for doing so.

The Thames was much wider and therefore shallower at the time of the invasion and, we are told, the estuary was fordable close to the mouth of the Medway. Where Aulus Plautius’ legions crossed is a matter for dispute but I have placed it around Blackfriars Bridge just opposite Ludgate Hill.

We have no firm idea of how the Romans relieved their front ranks; unfortunately the ancient sources never mention it as it was probably deemed too obvious to write about. I have used one theory out of a handful.

As to what Claudius actually did when he arrived we do not know for sure. Suetonius tells us that he fought no battles; however, Cassius Dio tells us that he took command of the legions waiting near the Thames – but not which side of it. He then goes on to say that Claudius crossed the stream – not the river – and then engaged and defeated the barbarians and took Camulodunum. These conflicting views leave Claudius’ role open to all sorts of interpretations and so I felt that I had a free hand in my fiction.

It is mentioned that he brought elephants but it seems unlikely that they would have been used in battle and so I attached them to Claudius’ chariot – something not unknown in Rome.

We know from an inscription in Antioch that Publius Anicius Maximus was camp prefect of the II Augusta during the invasion and was decorated for his services.

I have kept to the same method of signalling with the cornu for the battlefield, the bucina in camp, the lituus for cavalry, and ignored the tuba because of its modern-day connotations.

We do not know what Cogidubnus’ position was before he inherited Verica’s throne; there is no evidence to suggest that he was King of Vectis but neither is there any to say he was not. Suetonius tells us that Vespasian subdued Vectis. What relation Cogidubnus was to Verica, if he was one at all, is also not known.

Vespasian’s son, Titus, was educated with Claudius’ son, who became known as Britannicus; but more of that in future volumes. The arrangement starting when and how I have portrayed it is, of course, my fiction. I am also indebted to John Grigsby for his help with the Celtic language of the time and for his particularly ingenious theory of how Rutupiae could possibly have come from Rhudd yr epis. Any mistakes in Celtic place names and character names are my own. John’s website is
www.johngrigsby.co.uk.

My thanks, as always, to my agent, Ian Drury, at Sheil Land Associates for his help and advice and his explanations of the publishing world. Thank you also to Gaia Banks and Virginia Ascione in the foreign rights department. To Sara O’Keeffe, Toby Mundy, Maddie West, Corinna Zifko and everyone at Corvus/Atlantic, a big thank you for putting so much energy behind the Vespasian series. Thank you to my copy-editor, Tamsin Shelton, for her thorough work in cleaning up the manuscript, especially with reference to my erratic use of capital letters!

And finally thank you to my editor, Richenda Todd, who has once again managed to coax out all the points that I had in my head but had neglected to share with you, dear reader.

Vespasian’s story continues in
Masters of Rome
.