Invicta | Units of History - War Chariots of Britannia DOCUMENTARY @InvictaHistory | Uploaded October 2022 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
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In this Units of History Documentary we turn to the isles of Britannia and their War Chariots. To the Romans, these represented an exotic and ancient way of fighting which dated back to the Bronze Age and stories of the Trojan War. In this video we seek to shed light on their history.

The documentary begins with a discussion of the origins of the War Chariots of Brittania. This had its roots in the spread of chariots across the celtic world. Yet while this trend would die out in the mainland around the 3rd century BC, it would live on in the relative isolation of the British Isles. Thus it was that when Julius Caesar first launched an expedition onto the island he would be surprised to find hundreds of these war chariots bearing down upon him.

Based on the records of he and other historians, we are able to present a reconstruction of the equipment, training, and tactics of these war chariots. Even though the Romans saw them as relics of the past, they nonetheless feared and admired them for their ability to mix the mobility of cavalry with the staying power of infantry.

We then go on to cover the service history of these War Chariots of Britannia. This would begin with Julius Caesars invasion of Britain where they fought in both pitched and guerilla style battles. The largest of these encounters was the the Battle of the River Medway which lasted two days. Next the war chariots would be encountered during Claudius invasion of Britain and in the ensuing Boudicca's Rebellion. They helped run down the ninth legion and likely featured in the Battle of Watling street. The last major instance of war chariots taking the field would be in the Roman Invasion of Scotland where they were deployed en-masse at the Battle of Mons Graupius.

What Units of History should we cover next? You can learn more about the forces of other civilizations here :

THE AFRICANS
Nubian Archers : youtu.be/qvO3_kYRRw8
The Carthaginian Navy : youtu.be/BlrRAy2RlqM
The Sacred Band of Carthage : youtu.be/oX3y1GYcCEY
Carthaginian War Elephants : youtu.be/hDSRHGFCWEo
The Numidian Cavalry : youtu.be/3tv7EbkrX38

THE NEAR EAST
The 10,000 Immortals : youtu.be/Rg1WpzDfyNM
Sassanid Horse Archers: youtu.be/StYxs7JHHeE

THE BYZANTINES
Byzantine Flamethrowers and Grenadiers : youtu.be/Q40yMWRYt7U
The Varangian Guard : youtu.be/0H2Gs87dTfU

THE HELLENISTIC WORLD
Macedonian Silver Shields : youtu.be/csw9uSRjUz8
Macedonian Companion Cavalry : youtu.be/bbLnrGGqyWY
The Spartan Skiritai : youtu.be/MSsUYZBd414
The Spartan Royal Guard : youtu.be/pSIh_mTEy_o
The Sacred Band of Thebes : youtu.be/xWsZwlN1j3c
Mycenaean Chariots : youtu.be/-TyVh8PlnS4
Balearic Slingers : youtu.be/3uDtrwNY0Zk

THE ROMANS
Roman Cataphracts : youtu.be/NPdxGwyfy_Q
Roman Army Spies : youtu.be/xpPY5yU9w7I
Roman Army Scouts : youtu.be/EQIT0vP5pBg

THE NORTHMEN
The Jomsvikings Mercenaries : youtu.be/ry_J2IPAZoE
Viking Berserkers : youtu.be/lVbjaoFDiFk
Early Germanic Warriors : youtu.be/DK1c4Bz01MU

THE EASTERN EUROPEANS
The Druzhina : youtu.be/6Yp5-0mX6PI

Credits:
Research = Eric TenWolde
Script = Eric TenWolde
Narration = Guy Michaels
Art = Penta Limited

Sources and Suggested Reading:
Wilcox, Peter, “Men-at-Arms 158: Rome’s Enemies (2) Gallic and British Celts”, Osprey Publishing, 1985
Cunliffe, Barry, “The Ancient Celts: Second Edition”, Oxford University Press, 2018
Edit. Penrose, Jane, “Rome And Her Enemies”, Osprey Publishing, 2005
Fields, Nic, “Campaign 353: Britannia AD 43”, Osprey Publishing, 2020
Fields, Nic, “Campaign 233: Boudicca’s Rebellion AD 60-61”, Osprey Publishing 2011
Campbell, Duncan B., “Campaign 224: Mons Graupius AD 83”, Osprey Publishing, 2010

#history
#documentary
#army