Celtic Britons

This article is about the ancient ethnic groups of Great Britain. For Briton, see Celtic Britons (disambiguation).

File:01-Britania-10DC.png

Britain around 10 BCE showing the Brythonic tribes in green.

Historically, the Britons (sometimes Brythons or British) were the P-Celtic speaking indigenous peoples inhabiting the island of Great Britain south of the river Forth. They were speakers of the Brythonic languages (also called P-Celtic) and shared common cultural traditions; the surviving P-Celtic languages are Welsh, Cornish and Breton. In terms of language and culture, much of north-western Europe was mainly Celtic during this period. The inhabitants of Ireland, the Isle of Man and Dál Riata were Gaels or Gaelic Celts who spoke Goidelic languages.

A number of scholars argue that the unknown Pictish language was Brythonic, but in Sub-Roman Britain the Picts were distinguished as a separate group, as were the Gaels of Dál Riata. Therefore, the term "Briton" traditionally refers to the inhabitants of ancient Britain excluding the Picts, because many Pictish cultural traits (for example their sculpture, pottery and monuments) differ from those of the Britons and because ancient writers clearly distinguish the two peoples.

Etymology

Main article: Britain (name)

Further information: Priteni and Brittia

The earliest known reference to the inhabitants of Britain seems to come from records of the voyage of Pytheas, a Greek geographer who made a voyage of exploration around the British Isles between 330 and 320 BC. Although none of his own writings remain, writers during the time of the Roman Empire made much reference to them. Pytheas called the islands collectively as αι Βρεττανιαι, which has been translated as the Brittanic Isles, and the peoples of these islands of Prettanike were called the Πρεττανοι, Priteni, Pritani or Pretani. The group included Ireland which was referred to as Ierne (Insula sacra, the sacred island, as the Greeks interpreted it) "inhabited by the race of Hiberni" (gens hiernorum), and Britain as insula Albionum, "island of the Albions". The term Pritani may have reached Pytheas from the Gauls, who possibly used it as their term for the inhabitants of the islands.

The Latin name in the early Roman Empire period was Britanni or Brittanni, following the Roman conquest in 43 CE.

In current usage, Briton also refers to the modern - mainly English-speaking - inhabitants of the United Kingdom, the British people, that is, as a collective term for the English, Scottish, Welsh and the Irish people from Northern Ireland. Welsh Brython was introduced into English usage by John Rhys in 1884 as a term unambiguously referring to the P-Celtic speakers of Great Britain, as complementing Goidel; hence the adjective Brythonic referring to the group of languages. Brittonic is a more recent coinage (first attested 1923 according to OED) intended to refer to the ancient Britons specifically.

Language

Main article: Brythonic languages

The Britons were speakers of the Brythonic (or Brittonic) languages. Brythonic languages are believed to have been spoken on the entire island of Britain as far north as the Clyde-Forth. Beyond this was the territory of the Picts, whose language remains unknown. According to early mediaeval historical tradition, the post-Roman Celtic-speakers of Armorica were migrants from Britain, resulting in the Breton language, a language similar to Welsh which survives there to this day. Thus the area today is called Brittany ("Bretagne" - i.e. Britannia).

The Brythonic languages developed from Proto-Celtic, after it was introduced to the British Isles from the continent. The first form of the Brythonic languages is believed to be British. After the Roman conquest of Britain, the British language adopted some words from Latin; hence it is sometimes termed Romano-British in this period.

Some linguistics have invented the terms Western and Southwestern Brythonic to classify how the British language subsequently developed. The Eastern dialect was largely replaced by the invading Anglo-Saxons and their language. The Western and Southwestern developed into Cumbric, Welsh, Cornish and Breton. While Welsh, Cornish and Breton survive today, Cumbric became extinct in the 12th century.

Territory

Britain & Ireland circa 450 CE.
Red: areas settled by Brythons.
Green: areas settled by Gaels.
Blue: areas settled by Picts.

Brythonic migration following the Anglo-Saxon invasion.

Main articles: British Iron Age, Roman Britain, and Sub-Roman Britain

Throughout their existence, the territory inhabited by the Britons was composed of numerous ever-changing areas controlled by tribes. The extent of their territory before and during the Roman period is unclear, but is generally believed to include the whole of the island of Great Britain, as far north as the Clyde-Forth isthmus. The territory north of this was largely inhabited by the Picts, although a portion of it was eventually absorbed into the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. The Isle of Man was originally inhabited by Britons also, but eventually it became Gaelic territory. Meanwhile, Ireland is generally believed to have been entirely Gaelic throughout this period.

In 43CE the Roman Empire invaded Britain. The Brythonic tribes continually opposed the Roman legions, but by 84CE the Romans had conquered as far north as the Clyde-Forth isthmus, where they built the Antonine Wall. However, after just twenty years they retreated south to Hadrian's Wall. Although the native Britons mostly kept their land, they were subject to the Roman governors. The Roman Empire retained control of "Britannia" until its departure about 400CE.

Around the time of the Roman departure, the Germanic Anglo-Saxons began migrations to the eastern coast of Britain, where they set up kingdoms. Eventually, Brythonic language and culture in these areas was largely replaced by those of the Anglo-Saxons. At the same time, some Brythonic tribes migrated across the channel to what is now called Brittany. There they set up their own small kingdoms and the Brythonic Breton language developed. They also retained control of areas of Western Britain like Cornwall and Northwest England, where Kingdoms such as Dumnonia and Rheged were established. By the end of the 1st millennium CE, the Anglo-Saxons had conquered most of the Brythonic territory in Britain, and the language and culture of the native Britons had largely been extinguished, remaining only in the Southwestern Peninsula and Pennine areas of England and Wales.

Mythology and religion

Main articles: Celtic polytheism, Welsh mythology, Breton mythology, and Matter of Britain

Famous Britons

Main articles: King of the Britons and List of legendary kings of Britain

• Arthur – Romano-British war leader of debatable historicity.
• Boudica – Queen of the Iceni, who led the rebellion against Roman occupation in 60 AD.
• Caratacus – a leader of the defence against the Roman conquest of Britain.
• Cartimandua – Queen of the Brigantes during and after the Roman invasion.
• Cassivellaunus – led the defence against Julius Caesar's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC.
• Mailoc - Bishop of Britonia (Galicia) in the 6th century AD
• Commius – historical King of the Belgic nation of the Atrebates, initially in Gaul, then in Britannia, during the 1st century BC.
• Cunedda – post-Roman King and progenitor of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
• Cunobelinus – historical King of southern Britain between the first and second Roman invasions. The basis for Shakespeare's Cymbeline.
• Cogidubnus - a British client-king, later made a citizen of Rome and awarded Fishbourne Roman Palace.
• Pelagius – an influential Christian monk and theologian, whose thought was branded heresy later in life.
• Prasutagus – husband of Boudica.
• Togodumnus – a leader of the defence against the Roman conquest of Britain.
• Urien – King of Rheged (modern Lancashire and Cumbria).
• Vortigern – warlord and King in the 5th century AD. Best known for inviting the Jutes to Kent.

See also

• Albion
• Anglo-Saxons
• Armorica
• British
• Alternative words for British
• British Isles
• British Isles (terminology)
• Caledonia
• Celtic nations

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• Cornish people
• Coritani
• Cornovii
• Devon
• Dumnonia
• Dumbarton
• English people
• Gododdin
• Hibernia

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• History of the British Isles
• Irish people
• King of the Britons
• List of Celtic tribes
• List of legendary kings of Britain
• Picts
• Roman Britain
• Scottish people
• Welsh people

External links

• The History Files: The Island of Britain AD 450-600 (Map of British territories)
• The History Files: Main Index
• BBC - History - Native Tribes of Britain
• DNA from ethnic Britons found in Ireland