The Brigantes were a powerful Celtic people from the island of Britain. Their territory, at the time of the Roman conquest, was located approximately in the current counties of Northumberland and Yorkshire in the northeast of England, between the rivers Humber and Tyne. Their capital seems to have been Eboracum (York), their other residences being Catterick, Aldborough and Ilkley. The Carvetii and the Parisii were among their clients. During the invasion and occupation of the island by the Romans, the Brigantes enjoyed relative autonomy, due to the bias of Queen Cartimandua, who reigned from 50 to 70. When Caratacos, at the head of the Silures and Ordovices, is defeated by the propraetor Publius Ostorius Scapula, he finds refuge with Cartimandua, who hands him over to his enemies.
When the queen separated from her husband Venutios, he took the lead of an important party of anti-Roman Brigantes who attacked the occupying troops and their allies. He is defeated by the armies of Aulus Didius Gallus. Cartimandua married his squire Vellocatos in second marriage and conferred sovereignty on him. The progress of the Romans was slowed down by the revolt of the queen of the Iceni, Boudicca, in 61. In 69, Venutios launched a new offensive and managed to seize the western part of the kingdom. It was not until the appointment of Quintus Petillius Cerialis that the Romans definitively subjugated the Brigantes between 71 and 74.
The conquest of Great Britain (excluding Scotland) was completed by Agricola in 83. The occupation lasted until 410.
Etymology
The root of the ethnonym “Briga” means “very high”, “very high” and also has the meaning of height, fortress. Used as a prefix, it has given many toponyms both in the island space, in Gaul and in the Iberian Peninsula and it is also present in the composition of the name of certain peoples. The theonyms Brigit and Brigantia derive from this same word.