Trahern
Encyclopedia
Trahern
Trahern ( is a legendary King of the Britons in Geoffrey of Monmouth
's fictional Historia Regum Britanniae
.
According to Geoffrey, Trahern was king of the Britons and Roman
senator. He was the brother of the late King Coel
and was sent by Emperor Constantine I
to restore Britain
to Roman rule
during the usurpation of Octavius
(Eudaf).
When Octavius took control of Britain from Rome, Constantine sent three Roman legion
s to Britain under the command of Trahern. He landed at 'Kaerperis' and captured it forcing Octavius to conscript all the island into the army to combat the Roman legions. Octavius met Trahern in a field outside Winchester where they fought and Octavius won.
Trahern fled to Alba
ny and pillaged the land. That caused Octavius to react again, where he met Trahern in Westmorland
, but Octavius was defeated this time. Octavius fled Britain and Trahern took on the crown himself. A few years later, supporters of Octavius, who was in exile in Norway
, attacked Trahern in a forest. They killed him and Octavius immediately returned and was recrowned king.
Trahern ( is a legendary King of the Britons in Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
's fictional Historia Regum Britanniae
Historia Regum Britanniae
The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
.
According to Geoffrey, Trahern was king of the Britons and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
senator. He was the brother of the late King Coel
Old King Cole
"Old King Cole" is an English nursery rhyme. The historical identity of King Cole has been much debated and several candidates have been advanced as possibilities...
and was sent by Emperor Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
to restore Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
to Roman rule
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
during the usurpation of Octavius
Octavius
Octavius or Eudaf Hen is a figure of Welsh tradition. He is remembered as a King of the Britons and the father of Elen Luyddog and Conan Meriadoc in sources such as the Welsh prose tale The Dream of Macsen and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae...
(Eudaf).
When Octavius took control of Britain from Rome, Constantine sent three Roman legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
s to Britain under the command of Trahern. He landed at 'Kaerperis' and captured it forcing Octavius to conscript all the island into the army to combat the Roman legions. Octavius met Trahern in a field outside Winchester where they fought and Octavius won.
Trahern fled to Alba
Alba
Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is cognate to Alba in Irish and Nalbin in Manx, the two other Goidelic Insular Celtic languages, as well as similar words in the Brythonic Insular Celtic languages of Cornish and Welsh also meaning Scotland.- Etymology :The term first appears in...
ny and pillaged the land. That caused Octavius to react again, where he met Trahern in Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
, but Octavius was defeated this time. Octavius fled Britain and Trahern took on the crown himself. A few years later, supporters of Octavius, who was in exile in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, attacked Trahern in a forest. They killed him and Octavius immediately returned and was recrowned king.