From
numismatic evidence, Cunobelinus appears to have taken power around AD 9 after the death of his father
Tasciovanus, minting coins from both
Camulodunum (
Colchester, capital of the
Trinovantes) and
Verlamion (later the Roman town of
Verulamium, now modern
St Albans), capital of the
Catuvellauni. Some Verulamium coins call him the son of
Tasciovanus, a previous king of the Catuvellauni. Some of Tasciovanus' coins bear the title , a derivative of the
Brittonic root
*rīgo- meaning "king". Unlike his father's, Cunobelinus' coins name no co-rulers. and some have a palm or laurel wreath design, a motif borrowed from the Romans indicating a military victory. It is possible that, following the Roman defeat in the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in
Germania in AD 9, he was emboldened to act against the Trinovantes. Cunobelinus appears to have maintained quite good relations with the
Roman Empire. He used the title (
Latin 'king') and classical motifs on his coins, and his reign saw increased trade with the continent.
Archaeology shows an increase in luxury goods imported from the continent, including Italian wine and drinking vessels, olive oil, and
fish sauces from
Hispania, glassware, jewellery, and Gallo-Belgic tableware, which from their distribution appear to have entered Britain via the port of Camulodunum. According to
Strabo, he was probably one of the British kings who sent embassies to Augustus. Strabo reports Rome's lucrative trade with Britain: the island's exports included grain, gold, silver, iron, hides, slaves, and hunting dogs. Cunobelinus had three sons,
Adminius,
Togodumnus and
Caratacus, and a brother,
Epaticcus, known to history. Epaticcus expanded his influence into the territory of the
Atrebates in the early 20s, taking the Atrebatan capital
Calleva (
Silchester) by about 25. He continued to expand his territory until he died at about 35 when Caratacus took over from him and the Atrebates recovered some of their territories. Adminius, judging by his coins, had control of
Kent by this time. Suetonius tells us that in about 40, he was banished from Britain by his father and sought refuge with the emperor
Caligula. Caligula treated this as if the entire island had submitted to him and prepared an invasion of Britain. He abandoned it, however, in farcical circumstances by ordering his soldiers to attack the waves and gather seashells as the spoils of victory. Cunobelinus died about 40, Indeed, he was dead by 43. The
Lexden Tumulus on the outskirts of
Colchester has been suggested as his tomb (although the earlier Trinovantian king
Addedomarus is another candidate for its occupant). Caratacus completed the conquest of the Atrebates, and their king,
Verica, fled to Rome, providing the new emperor,
Claudius, with a pretext for the
conquest of Britain. Caratacus and Togodumnus led the initial resistance to the invasion.
Dio Cassius tells us that the "Bodunni", a tribe who were tributary to the Catuvellauni, changed sides and supported the Romans. This is probably a misspelling of the
Dobunni of
Gloucestershire, indicating that Cunobelinus's hegemony extended beyond the West Country. Based on epigraphic evidence, it is possible that
Sallustius Lucullus, the Roman governor of Britain in the late 1st century, was his grandson. ==Legend and literature==