Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

Britain never left the Roman commonwealth, still part of the Western Empire until 476 when it fell to the Heruli.

Wow! Did Britain fall to the Heruli or the Western Empire?

Hello, Robert

Duh! :mrgreen: I should have said what I meant instead of what I said. We can picture Ordovacer and his boys attacking Britain in furry costumes. Opps! :oops: I meant that the Heruli were wearing furs, not Britain. :roll: (check out the movie The Last Legion for the latest in Heruli furs in Southern Italy. The film calls them "Goths.")

I find it odd that Emperor Anthemius (spl?) enlisted the aid of Riothamus in 469-470 (or thereabouts). Why did the Western Empire call upon the services of Britain if it had severed ties with the isle? Bury believed that Britain was still part of the Empire in the 420s; and in the past few decades, a number of criticisms have been launched at the famous "Honorius letter" of 410. Perhaps there's no difinitive solution, but questions remain unanswered.

Directly related to the subject at hand, tradition claims the Bretons had an excellent cavalry at this point in time (470). I would think that a cavalry was not exclusive to Armorica, but also riding upon the isle itself. And as you once pointed out, Riothamus was a British general and not exclusive to Armorica. The Riothamus affair also gives an indication that Britain had manpower to spare at this point in the 5th century. This directly opposes the "hysterical" picture presented by Gildas and Nennius, of Britains hiding in the pucker-brush, or cringing while Saxons yanked them from the Wall with grappling hooks. hock:

Keep up the good work.