Emperors and Kings

Abstract Octavian rose to power in Rome after the murder of Julius Caesar and was awarded the title Augustus in 27 bce, after which he ruled the empire for forty years. The peoples of southern Britain were ruled by numerous war-leaders, and some of these friendly kings developed considerable power as a result of alliances they made with Augustus. This enabled Augustus to keep peace in southern Britain, although he considered invading on several occasions. During his reign, two kingdoms developed and subsumed several individual peoples as the result of the influence of their leaders. These kings received gifts from Augustus, which helped them to build their networks of power. Tiberius succeeded Augustus as emperor of Rome and followed the same diplomatic policy with regard to Britain. The most prominent friendly king in southern Britain at this time was Cunobelin (Shakespeare’s Cymbeline), who ruled at the oppidum of Camulodunum. When Caligula succeeded Tiberius in 37 ce he decided to invade Germany and Britain, although he failed to follow through with his plans, and he was quickly disgraced and murdered in 41.