History of the Kings of Britain #5 - The Coming of the Romans by Geoffrey of Monmouth

The fifth reading from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ‘History of the Kings of Britain’ moves from the time of Belinus to Cassivelaunus and his battles with Julius Caesar, who despite sharing ancestry with the Britons was determined to subject them to tribute. The famous battle where Caesar lost his sword in the shield of Nennius is recounted and also the cunning ploy by Cassivelaunus to sink metal spikes into the river bed of the Thames in order to scupper the ships of the Roman legions.

At a later date the sword in the shield would be removed from the grave where it at first lay, to be held as a trophy by the British royal family. It also features on the heraldry of the City of London and the spikes which were embedded in the river could still be seen there until fairly recently.

There are slightly differing histories to this one, which paint Androgeus in a much darker light, calling him one of the blackest traitors of all Britain, but this one does at least explain the reasoning behind him selling out his kinsmen to Rome. He did move to Rome after this and some of the consuls who would later go on to marry British princesses may have been descended from him, according to Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett.

Narrated by Sven