Vellocatus was a first-century king of the

Brigantes The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geogr ...

tribe of northern

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. He was originally armour-bearer to

Venutius Venutius was a 1st-century king of the Brigantes in northern Britain at the time of the Roman conquest. Some have suggested he may have belonged to the Carvetii, a tribe that probably formed part of the Brigantes confederation. History first b ...

, husband of

Cartimandua Cartimandua or Cartismandua (reigned ) was a 1st-century queen of the Brigantes, a Celtic people living in what is now northern England. She came to power around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, and formed a large tribal agglomeration ...

, the queen of the Brigantes and an ally of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Some time after 51 AD Cartimandua split with Venutius, divorcing him and marrying Vellocatus and elevating him to kingship. Vellocatus appears to have been a member of the servant class, rather than a noble. According to Roman historian Tacitus "the royal house was immediately shaken by this disgraceful act", as many aristocrats would not accept a former servant as their king.Webster, Graham, ''Rome against Caratacus: The Roman Campaigns in Britain AD 48-58'', Batsford, London, 1993, p.90. The former king Venutius was able to gather followers, becoming an important figure in the resistance to Roman occupation. Venutius staged two revolts against Cartimandua, first in the mid-50s, which was defeated by the Romans, and again in 69, this time successfully. Cartimandua was rescued by the Romans as Venutius seized power. Vellocatus's fate is not recorded.

Sources

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

, '' Histories'
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External links

Brigantes Nation
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Roman-Britain.org
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Romans in Britain
Briton rulers Celtic warriors 1st-century monarchs in Europe {{AncientRome-bio-stub