10 Facts About Cunobeline

Cunobeline was a king in pre-Roman Britain from about AD 9 until about AD 40.

Cunobeline is mentioned in passing by the classical historians Suetonius and Dio Cassius, and many coins bearing his inscription have been found.

Cunobeline controlled a substantial portion of south-eastern Britain, including the territories of the Catuvellauni and the Trinovantes, and is called "King of the Britons" by Suetonius.

Cunobeline appears in British legend as Cynfelyn, Kymbelinus (medieval Latin) or Cymbeline, as in the play by William Shakespeare.

Cunobeline's name is a compound composed of Common Brittonic *cuno- "dog" and *belino- "strong", meaning "Strong as a Dog", or "Strong Dog".

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Cunobeline used the title and classical motifs on his coins, and his reign saw an increase in trade with the continent.

Cunobeline continued to expand his territory until his death in about 35, when Caratacus took over from him and the Atrebates recovered some of their territory.

Cunobeline abandoned it, however, in farcical circumstances by ordering his soldiers to attack the waves and gather seashells as the spoils of victory.

The names of Cunobeline and his son Adminius probably became corrupt due to a series of scribal errors in the transmission of the name from Suetonius' Life of Caligula to Orosius's Historia adversus Paganos, the latter of which was a primary source for the author of the Historia Brittonum:.

Cunobeline was very friendly with the Roman court: his country was equipped with Roman weapons, and all tributes to Rome were paid out of respect, not out of requirement.