 Well over a thousand miles from the Warumph of Rome, in the wild northern reaches of Roman influence, an epic battle was fought in the northeast of the land we call Scotland today, known as Caledonia to the Romans. The battle of Mons Gropius, fought in either 83 or 84 AD, was a crucial battle in the Roman invasion of Caledonia that resulted in a great victory for the Romans. Yet Caledonia was a land that the Romans could not fully conquer, partly due to the ferocity of the native people, namely the Caledonians. The Roman historian Tacitus describes the inhabitants of Caledonia as having red gold hair and massive limbs that proclaim German origins. I guess it must be a Caledonian after all. Although we do not have too many individual descriptions of Caledonians, Tacitus does describe one specific leader of the Caledonians, a man called Calgacus. He is in fact the first Caledonian to be recorded into history and he is described as the chieftain of the Caledonian Confederacy, a series of tribes that unified under the Caledonian banner to fight the Romans in the Battle of Mons Gropius. Tacitus describes Calgacus as the outstanding leader of the Caledonians due to his valor and nobility. His name can be interpreted as meaning possessing a blade, although other sources see his name as closer translated as the swordsman. At the Battle of Mons Gropius, the Caledonians managed to raise a massive army of around 30,000 men that were fighting against a highly organized Roman force of approximately or just over half the size. Prior to the battle, the Caledonians were essentially trying to avoid fighting the Romans in a pitch battle setting. Instead opting for more guerrilla warfare tactics, they were proving quite effective up until that point. The only reason why the Caledonians were brought to the battlefield was because the Romans went after the main grain denies of the Caledonians. It left the Caledonians with essentially two choices, either fight or starve. The Romans were led by Gaius Julius Agricola, who ruled as the council and governor of Britannia, beginning in 77 AD. Importantly to note, Agricola was actually Tacitus's father-in-law, so the account of Tacitus most likely contains bias, although he is a fascinating primary source regardless. Despite their inferior numbers, the Romans won a decisive victory on the day, with around 10,000 Caledonians said to have been slaughtered on this bloody occasion, although this may be an exaggeration and the numbers at the losses from the Caledonian side may not have been as high. Before the Battle of Mons Gropius, however, Calgacus is said to have given an epic, poetic and inspiring speech to rally his troops. It's a speech that deserves to be recited in full. As Tacitus describes, Calgacus gave the following speech. Whenever I consider the causes of the war an desperate position, I have great confidence that today, the day on which you are of one mind, will mark the beginning of freedom for the whole of Britain. For all of you have united together and you have not tasted servitudes. There is no land beyond us and even the sea is no safe refuge when we are threatened by the Roman fleet. The battle and the arms, which brave men honour, are the safest recourse even for Calvars. Battles have been fought against the Romans before, with varying success. For all forces with the Britons hope and their reserve, for we, the noblest in all of Britain, who dwell in our innermost sanctuary, and do not look across at any subject shores, had been keeping even their eyes free from the defilement of tyranny. We are the last people on earth and the last to be free. Our very remoteness in a land known only to rumour has protected us till this day. Today the furthest bounds of Britain lie open and everything unknown is giving an inflated worth. But now there is no people beyond us and nothing but tides and rocks and more deadly than these the Romans. It is no use trying to escape their arrogance by submission or good behaviour. They have pillaged the world. When the land has nothing left for men who ravage everything, they scour the sea. If an enemy is rich they are greedy. If he is poor they crave glory. Neither east nor west can say their appetite. They are the only people on earth to covet wealth and poverty with equal craving. They plunder, they butcher, they ravish and call it by the lying name of empire. They make a desert and call it peace. Nature has willed it that each man should love best his children and his own kin. These are now being torn away by conscription to be slaves in another land. Wives and sisters, even if they escape being raped by Romans as enemies, are seduced by men posing as friends and guests. Goods and possessions are consumed by taxation. The fields in their harvest by the grain requisition. Men's varied bodies and hands by building roads through forests and marshes, under the lash and subject to insults. Those born to be slaves are sold once and for all and what is more are fed by their masters. Britain pays for its own enslavement every day, feeds its masters every day. In a private household the latest newcomer amongst the slaves is the object of derision even to his fellow slaves. So too in the slave household to which the whole world has long belonged. We are the new ones, the cheap ones, who are picked out to be destroyed. For we have neither fertile lands nor mines nor harbours in which we might be kept to work. Besides courage and an untamed spirit in its subjects are not welcome to the imperial power. Even their remoteness and their very seclusion, while they have kept us safer, have also made us more suspect. Abandoned then, any hope of mercy take courage at last, whether it is life or glory which you hold most dear. The brigantes, with a woman as their leader, set a cologne on flames and stormed a fortress. If their success had not made them careless, they could have thrown off the yoke. We who are still unimpaired and unconquered will be going to war to defend their freedom, not to regain it after second thoughts. Let us show straight away, in this first encounter, what manner of men Caledonia has kept him reserved. Or do you believe that the Romans bravery and war matches their license in peace? It is by our quarrels and disunion that they have gained fame. They have exploited the faults of their enemies to bring glory for their own army. That army has been put together from peoples that are very different from one another. Success kept it together, but it will fall apart in defeat. Or can you really suppose the Gauls and Germans and, it is shameful to mention them, many Britons too are bound by loyalty and goodwill. They may be lending their lifeblood to a foreign tyranny, but they have been enemies for longer than they have been slaves. Terror and intimidation are no strong bonds of affection. When you break these bonds, fear will end and hatred begin. Everything that can inspire to victory is on our side. The Romans have no wives there to fire them, no parents to taunt them if they flee. Most of them have no home country or an alien one. There are few in number, scaled and bewildered, staring round at the sky itself and the sea in the forest, all strange to them. They are in a way like men imprisoned and chained, and the gods have delivered them into our hands. Do not let their outward show alarm you. It means nothing. The gleam of gold and silver that can neither shield them nor wound us. Even in the enemy lines we shall find forces of our own. The Britons will recognise their cause as their own. The Gauls will remember their lost liberty. The rest of the Germans will desert them exactly as the Ysipi have just done. There is nothing beyond them to fear, just empty forts, calling no eye of old men, towns sick and disunited between unwilling subjects and unjust rulers. Here is your general, here is your army. On the other side, taxes, mines and other punishments imposed on slaves. Whether we endure these forever or take quick vengeance will be decided on this field. On then into battle and as you go, think both of your ancestors and your descendants. This speech led to roars, cries and singing amongst the ranks of the Caledonians, inspired by their leader, but ultimately they were defeated on the battlefield. The fate of Calgacus is actually unknown. Although he was not listed as one of the hostages taken by the Romans, he may have been slain on the battlefield. And it is important to note as well, there is some debate whether this event actually took place and whether all the details are 100% accurate, as a Tacitus is essentially the only source for this. Although there is probably lots of bias contained within his writings, there probably is equal amounts of truth given the fact he is a primary source after all. Although the Romans tried to consolidate their position within Caledonia in the decades after, they never managed to acquire a firm grip on that land, on the territory of Caledonia. To find out more about the Romans in Scotland and the particular Antoninians Wall, please click here. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell. If you like to support this work, through Patreon buymeacoffee.com or picking up merch including this t-shirt, all the links will be in the description below. Thanks again for watching and I'll see you next time.