#cananefates

Cananefates

It has been over a year since I have written a post on the Cananefates tribe. I have rewritten the post to include more information since it was quite a short post. This tribe is personally one of my favourites because I currently live in former Cananefates territory and so have my ancestors for about a 1000 years, at least as far as my family tree goes back.

The Cananefates were a Germanic tribe located in modern day Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands in the Rhine delta. Their neighbours to the east were the Batavi, to the south the Frisiavones and to the north the Frisii. They obviously had no neighbours to the west because they lived on the coasts of the north sea.

The name of this tribe is a bit strange and the origins of the Cananefates people is also not fully clear. There are two possible theories: one theory suggests that the Cananefates are actually a small splinter group of the Batavi, the other theory suggests that both the Batavi and Cananefates broke off the Chatti after an internal conflict. The only thing that is sure is that the Batavi and Cananefates were related to each other. Another completely different theory suggests that the Cananefates were perhaps Celtic in origin but adopted the Germanic culture or the other way around.

Several reasons to support the last theory is the name of the tribe. The word Cananefates means 'master of leeks', the first half of the name is Celtic and the latter Germanic.  The meaning is quite curious because it isn't really that much of a heroic name compared to most other Germanic tribes. It does however suggest that they were very skilled at farming.

The first Roman who recorded the existence of this tribe was Julius Caesar in his work 'De Bello Gallico'. He describes how the Batavi and Cananefates live on an island in the Rhine delta. Another Roman who gave a more detailed description of the Cananefates was Tacitus. He described the Cananefates as a tribe smaller than the Batavi but they equalled the Batavi in their skills of war. Just like the Batavi, the Cananefates supplied the Roman army with auxiliary units and some even served as imperial bodyguards.

Despite being only a small tribe, the Cananefates have accomplished fairly great things, one example is the story of Gannascus, the Cananefaat who terrorized coastal settlements with raids, he's considered to be one of the earliest proto-vikings. I have written a seperate article about his life for those who are interested. Another unknown Cananefates auxiliary officer was present at Caligula's infamous attack on the sea. An event that the Cananefates would never forget.

The most famous Cananefaat was Brinno, a chief of the tribe. The Cananefates and Batavi were not only related to each other but they were close allies as well. When the Batavi revolted in 69AD, Brinno called upon his tribe to join the revolt against the Romans. Tacitus has described Brinno in his work 'the annals' as following:

"Among the Cananefates was a foolish desperado called Brinno. He came from a very distinguished family. His father had taken part in many marauding exploits. The mere fact that his son was the heir of a rebel family secured him votes. He was placed upon a shield in the tribal fashion and carried on the swaying shoulders of his bearers to symbolize his election as leader.

Immediately calling upon the Frisians, a tribe beyond the Rhine, he swooped down on two Roman auxiliary units in the nearby quarters and simultaneously overran them from the North Sea. The garrison had not expected the attack, nor indeed would it have been strong enough to hold out if it had. So the posts were captured and sacked." - Tacitus, the annals

If you want to know more about Brinno, I have written a post about him as well.

Besides all their military accomplishments, their most unique trait was farming. The tribe's name rightfully means 'master of leeks' because the Cananefates had the most ingenious farming system of all the Germanic people and perhaps of all Western Europe. In Vlaardingen, Netherlands, certain valves were found dating back to 100AD. These valves were used to direct water to a specific direction. They built dams and used these valves to direct water away from the crops during high tides and heavy rains. This is the oldest sluice system of Western Europe.

The Cananefates were perhaps also the Germanic tribe with the most Roman influences. When the Romans encountered this tribe, the Cananefates were still living in tiny hamlets consisting of a few farms. By 130AD the Cananefates had a capital city, Forum Hadriani, with a typical Roman layout and streets made of brick. Their temples looked exactly the same as classic Roman temples, although they were smaller.

Unfortunately nothing much more is known about this tribe after 170AD. We know that the Cananefates continued raiding coastal settlements to the great annoyance of the Romans. Together with the Chauci and Frisii, they truly terrorized towns across Gaul and Britannia causing the Romans to drastically improve their defences.

Eventually the Cananefates were absorbed by the Franks around 350AD, it is also very much so possible that the Cananefates were one of the tribes who were responsible for the formation of the Frankish confederation.

The Cananefates supplied Rome with soldiers, some records of these soldiers and their units have survived. We know per example that the Cananefates and Batavi always had a combined force of about 5000-6500 men serving in the Roman army and that the Cananefates supplied Rome with 24 new recruits each year, the Batavi 240 new recruits. We also know that there was one Cananefates auxiliary cavalry unit and that this unit was also involved in the Frisii uprising. They suffered heavy losses at the battle of Baduhenna grove.

Initially the Cananefates auxiliary were deployed close to their homelands, such as during the Frisii revolt. But the Romans lost their trust in the Cananefates after the Batavi revolt so after 69AD, the Cananefates were deployed far away from their homeland in modern day countries like Romania, Hungary and Algeria.

Another interesting little fact is that the Roman influence did not only extent into Cananefates architecture, religion and military. Quite some family members of Cananefates, and also Batavi, auxiliary troops were literate. Even in the lower classes, many women, whose husbands were serving in the Roman army, were able to write so that they could communicate with them.

Barend Wijnveld  (1820–1902) - Anno 70. Brinio was  as leader of the Canaefates  raised on the shield - 1897

The Cananefates, or Canninefates, Caninefates, or Canenefatae, meaning "leek masters", were a Germanic tribe, which lived in the Rhine delta, in western Batavia (later Betuwe), in the Roman province of Germania Inferior (now in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland), before and during the Roman conquest. Apparently the name had its origins in the fact that the Cananefates lived on sandy soils that were considered excellent for growing Alliums such as leeks and onions. At the beginning of the Batavian rebellion under Gaius Julius Civilis in the year 69, the Batavians sent envoys to the Canninefates to urge a common policy. "This is a tribe," says Tacitus (Histories Book iv ) "which inhabits part of the island, and closely resembles the Batavians in their origin, their language, and their courageous character, but is inferior in numbers." This would imply a similar descent as the Batavians from the Chatti. In the failed uprising that followed, the Canninefates were led by their chieftain Brinno, the son of a chief who had faced down Caligula. The capital of the civitas of the Cananefates was Forum Hadriani, modern Voorburg. In modern times, the region Kennemerland is said to derive from the name of the Cananefates.

Brinno was leader of the Canninefates when they joined in the Batavian rebellion at the mouth of the Rhine in AD69. According to Tacitus he was: ...a man of a certain stolid bravery and of distinguished birth. His father, after venturing on many acts of hostility, had scorned with impunity the ridiculous expedition of Caligula. His very name, the name of a family of rebels, made him popular. Raised aloft on a shield after the national fashion, and balanced on the shoulders of the bearers, he was chosen general".

A Cananefates Sacred Site

The Germanic Cananefates people lived in what is now the province of Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands. In 1994 archeologists made a stunning discovery in the political capital of the Netherlands, Den Haag/the Hague. Near the corner of the Lozerlaan and the Erusmusweg, there once stood a small Cananefates settlement. Such a find is already unique in itself but the most fascinating part is the discovery of a sacred site right next to the settlement.

A small area, about 10 by 10 meters, had been discovered by archeologists and identified as a place of worship/sacrifice. Interestingly all four corners of this site are directed to one of the four wind directions. Sadly no parts of the construction that once stood here has survived so we don't actually know how it would have looked like. Since the Cananefates were strongly influenced by Roman culture, it is likely that their places of worship were similar in style to that of Roman temples.

Even though no parts of the structure itself has survived, several parts of offerings to the Gods have. The most unique is a small bronze jug, it is unknown what was inside this jug when it was offered to the Gods. Other parts of offerings have been found as well like the handles of other jugs and locally made pottery.

No other Germanic sacred site has yet been discovered in this region, Den Haag, so it is a spectacular find which gives us a little glimpse into the religious lives of the Cananefates. A tribe, which in my opinion, definitely deserves more attention, and not just because my family has lived in former Cananefates territory for over 1500 years.

This tribe played a role in several great Germanic/Roman conflicts like the Batavii uprising and the Frisii uprising. They were described by the Romans as a small yet powerful tribe and two Cananefates tribesmen have even travelled to Rome and met the emperor which resulted in an amusing scene for the Romans who witnessed the event, I have written a post about it if any are interested.

One last thing I want to mention about this archeological site is the settlement next to the sacred place. The bronze jug was already a unique find but archeologists have also discovered the grave of a baby near the settlement. It is rare for the remains of a baby to survive for this long since the bones of a baby decompose much more quickly than that of an adult human. The cause of death is unclear but it likely died during birth.

It's almost surreal to think that people once worshiped the Gods in this place which is now part of a big city, the second largest city of the Netherlands.

Germanic Sea Raiders

Yes this post is about sea raiders, no this post isn't about vikings. The Germanic coastal tribes are in fact the earliest recorded sea raiders around the North Sea. Several accounts written by Romans, describe how Germanic warriors were a plague along the coasts of North Western europe, especially the coasts of Britannia and Gaul. The main target of these sea raiders? coastal Roman settlements.

Here is a small account described by Tacitus, the following event took place in 83AD in modern day Scotland:

"The same summer a Usipian cohort, which had been levied in Germania and transported into Britain, ventured on a great and memorable exploit. Having killed a centurion and some soldiers, who, to impart military discipline, had been incorporated with their ranks and were employed at once to instruct and command them, they embarked on board three swift galleys with pilots pressed into their service.

Under the direction of one of them ,for two of the three they suspected and consequently put to death, they sailed past the coast in the strangest way before any rumour about them was in circulation. After a while, dispersing in search of water and provisions, they encountered many of the Britons, who sought to defend their property. Often victorious though now and then beaten, they were at last reduced to such an extremity of want as to be compelled to eat, at first, the feeblest of their number, and then victims selected by lot.

Having sailed round Britain and lost their vessels from not knowing how to manage them, they were looked upon as pirates and were intercepted, first by the Suebi and then by the Frisii. Some who were sold as slaves in the way of trade, and were brought through the process of barter as far as our side of the Rhine, gained notoriety by the disclosure of this extraordinary adventure." - Tacitus, Agricola

Here it seems that a group of disgruntled Germanic auxiliary troops hijacked three galleys and went on a small tour of plunder before stranding on the coasts of the Frisii, modern day the Netherlands. But this is not the only account of piracy conducted by the Germanic people. One Germanic tribe in particular was quite infamous for raiding coastal settlements.

The Chauci tribe, who just like the Frisii lived on small terps right along the coast, mastered the concept of piracy. They were the neighbours of the Frisii, located to the east of them in modern day North-Western Germany. Just like the Frisii, it was for the Chauci absolutely essential that they knew how to sail/row, their landscape was one of water with virtually no trees or suitable ground for crops. Also unlike the Frisii, Batavi and Cananefates, their location was quite isolated, beyond the reach of the Romans.

The Chauci truly terrorised the coasts of Western Europe. Archeological research leads to the theory that raiding was pretty much essential for the development of the Chauci tribe and that they actually organized these raids quite carefully. The first wave of Chauci sea raids occured during the first century AD. Especially between 41-47AD, the Chauci plagued the coasts of Gallia Belgica, leading to much Roman frustration.

The second Chauci wave of raids is even more interesting. This time the Chauci raiders were led by a Cananefates man called Ganascus, the Cananefates were a Germanic tribe located in modern day Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands. Ganascus served as an auxiliary soldier in the Roman army but he deserted. This is the reason why the second wave was so succesful for the Chauci. Ganascus, as ex-Roman soldier, held a lot of knowledge about the structure of the Roman army, their defences, interesting targets and their strength.

The Chauci, under Ganascus, even managed to set a Roman fort on fire, Praetorium Agrippinae, which was located in modern day Valkenburg, the Netherlands. Their luck didn't last and eventually Ganascus was captured and executed.

Besides the Chauci, Usipeti and Cananefates, there was another tribe who took their ships to the sea and rivers to terrorize Roman forts/settlements along the borders of Germania, the Batavi. In 69AD the Batavi people revolted against the Romans, together with the support of neighbouring tribes like the Cananefates and the Frisii, the Batavi raided forts along the river Rhine and managed to capture an entire Roman fleet. The Batavi were even daring enough to engage in an open sea battle with the Romans near the mouth of the river Rhine.

After the Batavi revolt, a short time of relative peace returned to the rivers and coasts of Western Europe but the Chauci raids started to intensify again in 170AD. This time the Chauci raids were larger and more violent than ever. The Roman governor of Gallia Belgica was even forced to recruit more auxiliary troops in order to deal with these raiding Chauci pirates. The Chauci continued to raid the coasts for a few decades, their trail of destruction is still visible for archeologists until this very day.

Two villas in Armorica, modern day Bretagne, were destroyed. Several hidden coin treasures were found as well in Bretagne which shows that the Romans feared these Chauci raiders and tried to hide their valuables underneath the ground. Also modern day England wasn't spared. Several Roman settlements in modern day Essex were destroyed by the Chauci. The Romans desperately tried to defend themselves against these agressive sea raiders by building even more forts and by intensifying their patrols on the sea.

A small geographical change in the coastline of the North sea, from modern day Denmark to Flanders around 230AD, caused the sealevel to rise between 0,9-2,4 meters. This was of course a disaster for the coastal people who by then were part of the Saxon and/or Frankish confederation. Also the Romans were concerned about the rising waters and they began to pull back from the Rhine until around the location of the modern day city of Nijmegen. Together with the political struggles inside the Roman empire, this left the borders severely weakened and the Frankish saw their chance.

Yes even the Franks were known to have conducted sea raids and some of these Frankish sea raids didn't even occur in Western Europe. Around the year 260AD and the year 278AD, the Franks undertook two major sea raids along the coasts of modern day Spain and Morocco. They raided and terrorized settlements for about a decade before they were defeated by the Romans.

Ironically enough, a few captured Frankish pirates were send to the black sea to defeat raiding Goths. You can of course expect this to happen but the Franks stole a Roman galley and turned to piracy again. This was an incredibly dumb idea by the Roman emperor who gave this order, emperor Probus. Now the Franks were raiding settlements along the coasts of Greece, Libia, Sicilia and even Tunesia, until the Romans finally managed to beat them.

The Franks also raided the coasts of modern day England like the Saxons did. Archeological research shows that the Romans suddenly intensified the construction of forts between 250-280AD in Britannia. Eutropius, a Roman historian, described how the Saxons raided along the waters of Gallia Belgica, Armorica and Britannia. These raids eventually resulted in the invasion of Britannia by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians.

The last Germanic folk, who sometimes made themselves guilty of piracy, were the Frisians. The Frisians flourished after the fall of the Roman empire. They were incredible traders and they were responsible for the creation of a huge trade netwerk and the growth of several trade settlements, which grew into modern day cities like: Dorestad, Medemblik, Ipswich, Norwich, Schleswig, Quentovic, Southampton and London.

Just like the earlier Chauci and Frisii, the Frisians lived, and still live, on terps. They were and still are surrounded by water so their ships were absolutely essential for their survival. They weren't agressive raiders like the Chauci but decided to focus more on trade instead. This rich trade network turned Frisia into a powerful kingdom and trade continued to grow even after their forceful conversion to Christianity. Unfortunately this all changed when the most famous Germanic people started to raid, the so called vikings.

Castellum Albaniana

Albaniana was a Roman settlement in Germania Inferior, modern day Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. The settlement was founded around 40AD by the infamous Roman emperor, Caligula. The same emperor who visited the area and declared war on the sea. The fort was situated on the border of Germania and was the location of a conflict during the Batavi revolt.

It wasn't a very big settlement, it was 80 by 120 meters in size and protected by palisades on top of an wall made from dirt surrounded by a ditch with wooden guard towers. The fort was in use between 40AD and 270AD. There was also a civilian settlement close to Albaniana populated by both Romans and Germanics.

The Cananefates leader Brinno, about whom I have written a post recently, destroyed the settlement during the Batavi revolt, 69-70AD, together with the help of the Frisii. The fort had a good defensive position close near the Rhine so it is not surprising that the Romans rebuilt the fort as soon as the Batavi revolt ended.  

The settlement remained in use until 270AD, when the Germanics put so much pressure on the Roman empire, and conflicts within the empire, prevented the Romans from guarding their borders. They abandoned Albaniana until it was discovered again by modern day archeologists. The site is quite rich in finds because the wet soil preserved certain artifacts.

Remains of the fort, the nearby civilian settlement and burial fields were discovered in 2001 during a large archeological research because of construction work. Barracks of the soldiers were found, with the wooden floors still intact. Personal objects of soldiers were also found like mirrors, writing gear, name tags and coins.

An inscription was also found which honours emperor Septimius Severus, who gave the order to restore the fort around 200AD, the inscription was part of a newly built gate. It is not strange why the theme park of Archeon is located in Alphen aan den Rijn. Inside, you can find a replica of a Roman settlement with reenactors, I've visited the park since I was a little kid and I recommend anyone to visit it when nearby, and when it opens again.

Forum Hadriani

Forum Hadriani was originally a settlement founded by the Germanic tribe the Cananefates who lived in modern day Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands. The settlement also had a different name, Municipium Aelium Cananefatium. The Cananefates built this settlement near Corbulo's channel, Fossa Corbulonis, which was constructed around 50AD by the Roman general Corbulo. The Cananefates were allied with the Romans so the location was ideal for trade.

Roman emperor Hadrianus, after whom the wall of Hadrianus is named, visited this Cananefates settlement in 121AD. This visit was part of his tour along the most northern borders of the Roman empire. Hadriani renamed the settlement to Forum Hadriani and it was rebuilt according to Roman design. The settlement was also given city rights. Forum Hadriani became the most Northern city of the Roman empire on European mainland and is the second oldest city of the Netherlands.

Even though the Cananefates settlement became a Roman city, the citizens were still Cananefates tribesmen, they continued to have their own Germanic identity until the tribe was absorbed by the Franks around the 5th century. Judging by the size of the settlement, 300 by 400 meters, an estimated amount of 1000 people would have lived here.

It wasn't very easy to live in this city because it was continuously plagued by Chauci, Frisii and Saxon raiders. The Romans pretty much abandoned this city around 274AD, after the fall of the Gallic empire which split from the Roman empire in 260AD. I have written about this event before in case you are interested.

The Cananefates eventually abandoned this city as well and it remained a deserted place until the early medieval ages. During the early medieval ages, the city was pretty much dismantled and its stones were used to build new homes. Nowadays nothing is left of this city above ground, there are however still lots of remains underground.

It is interesting how the Cananefates still managed to remain their Germanic identity even though they were fully absorbed by the Roman empire. This ancient city is now located in the modern day Dutch city of Voorburg.

Brinno

Brinno was the leader of the Cananefates tribe during the Batavi revolt which started in 69AD. Not much is known about his childhood or his family but we do know that Brinno came from an elite Germanic family and has worked together with the Romans for years before the revolt broke out.

We also barely know anything about his father. The only thing we know about his father is that he mocked the Romans, he made fun of Caligula's infamous expedition against Poseidon which took place near modern day Leiden, the Netherlands, which was inside the territory of the Cananefates. Brinno's father also seemed to have been a marauder, harassing the Romans.

The year 69AD was an incredibly chaotic year for Rome. Numerous civil disorders and four emperors led Rome to pull back most of its border defences, leaving the border of Germania quite lightly defended. The Batavi took advantage of this situation and started a revolt against the Romans. The Batavi leader, Julius Civilis, spurred on neighbouring tribes to join him. The Chauci, Frisii and the Cananefates answered his call. It is likely that Brinno had been chosen as a leader because of this conflict.

Brinno was fairly succesfull during the revolt. He surprised the Romans by attacking two Roman auxiliary units stationed near Praetorium Agrippinae (modern day Valkenburg). Hordeonius Flaccus, Roman commander of the military troops in Germania Inferior, sent quite some of his troops to Oppidum Batavorum (modern day Nijmegen) to deal with the rebelling Batavi. Flaccus was completely surprised when the Cananefates started to rebel as well.

Brinno continued to gain victories, he and his allies managed to destroy several Roman fortifications like Fectio (modern day Vechten), Albaniana (modern day Alphen aan de Rijn), Traiectum (modern day Utrecht) and Matilo (modern day Leiden). Unfortunately that is all what we know about this great warrior. It is unknown what happened to Brinno later in his life. We do not know how he died, where he died and if he has even seen the end of the revolt. All that we have is a short description about him written by Tacitus in his annals.

"Among the Cananefates was a foolish desperado called Brinno. He came from a very distinguished family. His father had taken part in many marauding exploits. The mere fact that his son was the heir of a rebel family secured him votes. He was placed upon a shield in the tribal fashion and carried on the swaying shoulders of his bearers to symbolize his election as leader.

Immediately calling upon the Frisians, a tribe beyond the Rhine, he swooped down on two Roman auxiliary units in the nearby quarters and simultaneously overran them from the North Sea. The garrison had not expected the attack, nor indeed would it have been strong enough to hold out if it had. So the posts were captured and sacked."

Brinno was a strong leader who gained the respect from his tribe and that those of nearby tribes because of his family's reputation. Sadly he seems to have been nearly forgotten in history. Most people know about famous viking characters like Rollo, Ragnar and Erik the red, most also might know about the famous Frisian king Radboud but barely anyone has heard about Brinno, he is also quite unknown amongst my fellow Dutch people. That is a shame because Brinno could be seen as a very early Dutch freedom fighter.

Cananefates

The Cananefates were a Germanic tribe with Celtic influences who lived in modern day Netherlands in the Rhine delta to the west of the Batavi. Their name means, master of leeks. A clue to what kind of food they ate.

They were described by Tacitus smaller in population than the Batavi but they were related to them. Not only were they related to the Batavians, they also joined them during the Batavian revolt in 69AD. They also provided the Roman army with units like many tribes did because of treaties. One cavalry unit of Cananefates fought with the Romans against the Frisians at the battle of Baduhenna forest. This did not end well for the Cananefates.

One Cananefates chief was involved in the infamous campaign of Caligula against the God Neptune and another Cananefates officer in the Roman army, named Gannascus, deserted the Roman army and joined with the Chauci sea raiding parties in 46AD. With his knowledge of the Roman army and society, it made raiding a lot easier. Eventually Gannascus was killed by negotiators sent by the Roman governor Corbulo. This almost sparked a war between the Romans and the Chauki, the Romans quickly retreated behind the Rhine river and a war was averted.

The Cananefates were excellent farmers. In Vlaardingen, Netherlands, certain valves were found dating back to 100AD. These valves were used to direct water to a specific direction. They built dams and used these valves to direct water away from the crops during high tides and heavy rains. This is the oldest sluice system of Western Europe. It shows that they were an ingenious people

I mentioned earlier that they are a Germanic tribe with Celtic influences. Some historians are still not sure whether they were Celtic or Germanic. Tacitus however wrote that they spoke the same language as the Batavi but the first part of the tribe's name is Celtic. Maybe they were Celtic in origin and when they settled in the Rhine area, they adopted the Germanic culture and eventually became Germanic.