Brennius

• Brennius was the legendary king of the Gauls as related in the story by Geoffrey of Monmouth in ‘Historia Regum Britanniae’ (History of the Kings of Britain).
• In this story Brennius appears to be the same person as Brennus in ‘History’, Book V, chapters 47-49 by Livy, which is added below.

Brennius battles Belinus to become King of the Britons

• Geoffrey of Monmouth recounted that Brennius and his brother Belinus were the sons of Dunvallo Molmutius, the King of the Britons.
• Belinus and Brennius fought each other to become king of the Britons until eventually Belinus won and Brennius was forced to leave Britain.
• He went to Gaul and was made king of the Allobriges, whereupon he created an alliance with the other Gallic kings and invaded Britain. But Belinus and Brennius were persuaded not to fight by their mother. Instead they invaded Gaul.

Conqueror of Gaul

• They made all the Gallic kings join their alliance and the huge army then moved to Italy and besieged Rome.

Conqueror of Rome

• Brennius and Belinus then invaded Italy and were confronted by the two Consuls of Rome and the Republican Army which they defeated.
• The Consuls offered them Tribute to leave in peace, which Belinus and Brennius accepted and took their armies to Germany instead.
• The Consuls broke their Treaty and Brennius returned to confront the Roman army but found himself in difficulty. Belinus then also returned to Rome with his army and together they defeated the Roman army.
• Brennius became Ruler of Rome until he died.

The Story as told by Livy in the ‘History’, Book V, chapters 47-49.

• Battle of the Allia
  • The Battle between the Gauls and the Romans in 390 BCE is referred to as the Battle of the Allia.
  • The Gallic Army entered Rome but was unable to capture the citadel on the Capitoline hill. When the Gauls attempted to scale a secret footpath in the middle of the night, the defending Romans were alerted by the Geese on the Capitoline Hill.
  • At the subsequent Peace Treaty, the Romans agreed to give a certain weight of Tribute, but then accused the Gauls of cheating.
  • At this point Brennius cried Vae Victis, ‘Woe to the Vanquished’, and threw his sword on to the scales tipping the balance in favour of the Gauls
  • The retired Roman General, Camillus, interceded and stopped the exchange declaring the Romans would prefer to fight rather than to pay.
  • The two sides drew up for battle and this time the Romans defeated the Gauls and Rome was saved.

Sources

• Geoffrey of Monmouth
  • ‘Historia Regum Britanniae’ (History of the Kings of Britain).
• Livy
  • ‘History’, Book V, chapters 47-49.