by Derek Birks
PLACES:
Caracotinum
Caracotinum, on the north bank of the broad River Seine estuary, is modern day Harfleur in Normandy. It was a port for many centuries during antiquity and, though it is not listed as one of the forts of the so-called ‘Saxon Shore’, I think it is a possible candidate to be Grannona - a port not yet firmly identified. I am suggesting that it was as good a place as any for a concentration of any remaining Roman forces by the mid-5th century, when Roman control of the region – especially north-western Gaul – was tenuous.
The Franks had steadily been assimilated into several areas further north of the Seine in the years around 450 – along with other tribes - and it is highly likely that, if there was a residual Roman garrison in the area, they must have been hard pressed to maintain any sort of control, especially after the threat from the Huns had been neutralised in 451 AD.
Britannia
By 454 AD Britannia was no longer a part of the Roman Empire. Whilst the date 410 AD is frequently – indeed almost mechanically – cited as the date imperial control was withdrawn, it must have been a little more fluid than that. Even as late as around 446 AD, it appears that a British request was sent to seek help from Rome against several opponents. Aetius refused because Rome was already hard-pressed by then and simply did not have the resources to commit to Britain; but presumably the desperate Britons must have thought there was a chance of reclaiming their status as part of the empire.
By then, Britain was not the only part of the empire where Rome had lost control: most of Spain, modern day Brittany and much of North Africa, for example, were already ruled by others. The difference with Britannia, of course, is that its isolation was emphasised by the fact that it was an island. Thus, for many of those with Ambrosius in my story, the thought of going to Britannia seemed a very extreme solution to their problems!
Towns in Late Antiquity
The route, by which my Ambrosius journeys to Caracotinum, is a genuine one. The roads he uses, as well as the towns through which he passes: Leucerae, Centum Prata, Vesontio, etc, did exist - though evidence about their state in 454 is naturally almost completely non-existent. Some are known to have fallen under the control of others, such as the Burgundians, but most would still have been under nominal Roman control.
Towns had been shrinking for decades – perhaps centuries – by 454 AD. Some common features were: the subdivision of large buildings, the reduction in size of fortifications due to lack of manpower and the cultivation within town walls of some of their food since the traditional trade and supply routes across the empire had already become unreliable.
The landscape of the fifth century, against which this story is set, was a changing one – and change can often be painful!
About the Autho
r
Derek was born in Hampshire in England but spent his teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand, where he still has strong family ties.
For many years he taught history in a secondary school in Berkshire but took early retirement several years ago to concentrate on his writing. Apart from writing, he spends his time gardening, travelling, walking and taking part in archaeological digs.
Derek is interested in a wide range of historical themes and has written action-packed fiction set during the late medieval period.
This book, however, is set in the fifth century in the last days of the Roman Empire. It explores the origins of the shadowy historical figure of Ambrosius Aurelianus. Though Ambrosius’ later life is closely associated with Britain, Derek has placed him in his early years in the Western Roman Empire.
His debut historical novel, Feud , is set in the period of the Wars of the Roses and is the first of a series entitled Rebels & Brothers which follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family.
The Rebels and Brothers series [in order]:
Feud
A Traitor’s Fate
Kingdom of Rebels
The Last Shroud
The Craft of Kings series:
Scars From The Past
The Blood of Princes
Echoes of Treason
To find out more about my books, or to contact me, you can go to my website: www.derekbirks.com