Gaul In 57 BC, they were part of a
Belgic military alliance in response to
Julius Caesar's conquests elsewhere in Gaul, contributing 15,000 men. Caesar took this build-up as a threat and marched against it, but the Belgae had the advantage of position and the result was a stand-off. When no battle was forthcoming, the Belgic alliance broke up, determining to gather to defend whichever tribe Caesar attacked. Caesar subsequently marched against several tribes and achieved their submission. The Atrebates then joined with the
Nervii and
Viromandui and attacked Caesar at the
battle of the Sabis, but were there defeated. After thus conquering the Atrebates, Caesar appointed one of their countrymen,
Commius, as their king. Commius was involved in Caesar's two expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC and negotiated the surrender of
Cassivellaunus. In return for his loyalty, he was also given authority over the
Morini. However, he later turned against the Romans and joined in the revolt led by
Vercingetorix in 52 BC. After Vercingetorix's defeat at the
Siege of Alesia, Commius had further confrontations with the Romans, negotiated a truce with
Mark Antony, and ended up fleeing to Britain with a group of followers. However, he appears to have retained some influence in Gaul: coins of post-conquest date have been found stamped with his name, paired with either
Garmanos or
Carsicios, who may have been his sons or regents.
Britain Commius soon established himself as king of the British Atrebates, a kingdom he may have founded. Their territory comprised modern
Hampshire,
West Sussex and
Berkshire, centred on the capital
Calleva Atrebatum (modern
Silchester). They were bordered to the north by the
Dobunni and
Catuvellauni; to the east by the
Regni; and to the south by the
Belgae. The settlement of the Atrebates in Britain was not a mass population movement. Archaeologist
Barry Cunliffe argues that they "seem to have comprised a series of indigenous tribes, possibly with some intrusive Belgic element, given initial coherence by Commius". It is possible that the name "Atrebates", as with many "tribal" names in this period, referred only to the ruling house or dynasty and not to an ethnic group; Commius and his followers, after arriving in Britain, may have established a power-base and gradually expanded their sphere of influence, creating what was in effect a proto-
state. However, during Caesar's first expedition to Britain in 55 BC, after the Roman cavalry had been unable to cross the Channel, Commius was able to provide a small group of horsemen from his people, suggesting that he may have already had kin in Britain at that time. After this time, the Atrebates were recognized as a
client kingdom of Rome. Coins stamped with Commius's name were issued from Calleva from ca. 30 BC to 20 BC. Some coins are stamped "COM COMMIOS": interpreting this as "Commius son of Commius", and considering the length of his apparent
floruit, some have concluded that there were two kings, father and son, of the same name. Three later kings of the British Atrebates name themselves on their coins as sons of Commius:
Tincomarus,
Eppillus and
Verica. Tincomarus seems to have ruled jointly with his father from about 25 BC until Commius's death in about 20 BC. After that, Tincomarus ruled the northern part of the kingdom from Calleva, while Eppillus ruled the southern half from Noviomagus (
Chichester). Numismatic and other archeological evidence suggests that Tincomarus took a more pro-Roman stance than his father, and John Creighton argues from the imagery on his coins that he was brought up as an
obses (diplomatic hostage) in
Rome under
Augustus. of
Tincomarus, king of the Atrebates. Augustus's
Res Gestae mentions two British kings presenting themselves to him as supplicants, probably ca. 7 AD. The passage is damaged, but one is probably Tincomarus (the other is
Dubnovellaunus, of either the
Trinovantes or the
Cantiaci). It appears Tincomarus was ousted by his brother, and from this point Eppillus's coins are marked "
Rex", indicating that he was recognised as king by Rome. In about 15, Eppillus was succeeded by Verica (at about the same time, a king by the name of Eppillus appears as ruler of the Cantiaci in
Kent). But Verica's kingdom was being pressed by the expansion of the
Catuvellauni under
Cunobelinus. Calleva fell to Cunobelinus's brother
Epaticcus by about 25. Verica regained some territory following Epaticcus's death in about 35, but Cunobelinus's son
Caratacus took over the campaign and by the early 40s the Atrebates were conquered. Verica fled to Rome, giving the new emperor
Claudius a pretext for the
Roman conquest of Britain. After the Roman conquest, part of the Atrebates' lands were organized into the pro-Roman kingdom of the
Regni under
Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus, who may have been Verica's son. The tribal territory was later organised as the
civitates (administrative districts within a Roman province) of the Atrebates, Regni and possibly the Belgae. ==List of kings of the Atrebates==