 During the Roman conquest of Britannia, modern-day Wales provided fertile ground for Celtic resistance to the advancing Roman legions. In a previous video, I have documented how the Saluris tribe of ancient Wales fought fiercely against the Imperial Eagle, yet they were not alone, as two other major groups resisted Roman rule on the battlegrounds of modern-day Wales. The first group that we are going to look at are the Druids, the mysterious and fascinating Celtic priesthood that held considerable power in ancient times. During the Golden Age of Celtic Civilisation, the Druids played a religious, legal, ritualistic and educational role. They were also philosophers and were said to have had ancient knowledge about the natural world as well as the gods, for one to have become a Druid. It was not uncommon to spend 20 years in training, with Julius Caesar writing in his time that the Druids were often educated in Britannia. The Druids enjoyed many advantages in Celtic societies, including being exempt from military service and not paying taxes like other citizens did. Furthermore, the Druids tightly guarded the secrets of their order, preferring to speak and memorise their knowledge rather than to write it down. This practice in part explains why very little written documents exist from ancient Celtic societies, which is frustrating from the perspective of studying history. This has meant that a lot of the primary societies from the Golden Age of the Celts were written by Roman or Greek sources, which are hardly impartial sources, particularly given that Caesar, one of the chief sources for the Celts, wrote about the Celts as he was bloodily conquering the home of Celtic civilisation, known as Gaul. On occasions when the Druids did have to write, they apparently used the Greek alphabet. When the Roman Empire invaded Britannia, Anglesey on the northwest corner of modern-day Wales was a Celtic stronghold and a major home of Druidism in Britannia. Furthermore, Anglesey became a major destination for British migrants who were fleeing from other parts of Britannia due to the Roman invasion, as the Roman historian Tacitus wrote about Anglesey, which the Romans referred to as the island of Monet. It had a powerful population and was a refuge for fugitives. Given this, it was a core target for the Romans, who went on to invade Anglesey twice, during the first Roman invasion of Anglesey in 60 AD, which was led by the Roman general Gaius Seutonius Paulinus. The Romans were met and initially startled, even scared, by the enigmatic Druids, as Tacitus wrote about the exchange. On the shore stood the opposing army with its denser ray of armed warriors, while between the ranks dashed women, in black attire like the Furies, with hair dishevelled waving brands, all around the Druids lifting up their hands to heaven, and pouring forth dreadful implications, scared their soldiers by the unfamiliar sight, so that, as if their limbs were paralysed, they stood motionless and exposed to wounds, then urged by their general's appeals and mutual encouragement not to quail before a trope of frenzied women. They bore the standards onwards, smote down all resistance, and wrapped the foe in the flames of his own brands. A force was next set over the Concorde, and their groves, devoted to inhumane superstitions, were destroyed. This initial invasion was halted, however, when Boudicca rebelled on the east coast of Britannia, forcing the Roman troops in Anglesey to march straight for Lindenium to head off Boudicca, almost two decades later in 77 A.D. The second Roman invasion of Anglesey took place under the Roman governor of Britannia, Gainus Julius Agricola. The Romans were successful in this campaign, and Anglesey was brought under Roman control. The other major ancient Welsh group, the resisted Roman rule that we are going to focus on, was the northern Welsh tribe known as the Ordovishies, who were active since early on in the Roman invasion of Wales. The Romans had initially invaded Wales for a few reasons. Firstly, Wales was home to mineral deposits, including gold, copper and lead. Secondly, Rome was responding to raids against their allies in other parts of Britannia. An early Roman campaign in Wales came around 48 A.D., after a Roman ally in England was attacked by the Celtic tribe of the D'Singley, who inhabited northeast Wales. In response, the Romans attacked the tribe, although we know little of the precise details of this campaign. In the initial period, when Rome invaded Wales, Caracticus, also known as Caradoc, served as a major leader of the rebellion, utilising guerrilla warfare tactics. When the Roman Empire first invaded the lands of modern England, Caracticus, who was the king of the Trinivantes tribe around Essex and the greater London area today, initially fled west to the territory of the Solorys to stir up resistance after defeat in battle. From around 48 A.D., the Solorys fiercely resisted Roman conquest. After a few years, however, Caracticus moved north to link up with the Ordovishis tribe. He served as a warlord of the Ordovishis for a period and fought the Romans for years. Even decades after Caracticus was captured and sent to Rome in 51 A.D., the Ordovishis continued to rebel. As late as 70 A.D., the Ordovishis once again rose up and revolt against Roman rule, destroying nearly the whole of a squadron of Allied cavalry quartered in their territory. This provoked a strong Roman response, led by Agricola. As the Roman historian Tacitus wrote, he collected a force of veterans and a small body of exiliaries, then as the Ordovishis would not venture the descent into the plain, he put himself in front of the ranks to inspire all with the same courage against a common danger, and led his troops up a hill. The tribe was all but exterminated. It seems that the Ordovishis at least suffered heavy defeats against Rome, but they may not have been fully conquered. A mosaic map in the Forum in Rome that shows the territory of the Roman Empire does not include the Northwest Tribal lands of the Ordovishis, indicating that they may not have been fully conquered by the Roman Empire. In general, however, Rome went on to control at least the majority of Wales until around 383 AD, yet they had to overcome fierce and persistent resistance in order to do so. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe and hit the bell to turn on notifications. 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