Battlefields›Battle of the River Medway
Roman Period

Battle of the River Medway

43
Kent, England
Also known as: Medway Crossing 43 AD · Battle of Medway
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Kent, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Caratacus and Togodumnus / Catuvellauni
Forces
c.40,000 Britons
VS
Victor
Rome (Aulus Plautius)
Forces
c.40,000 Romans (4 legions)
Outcome
Two-day battle; Roman Batavian auxiliaries swam river; Second Legion under Vespasian flanked British position
The Battle

History & Significance

The two-day battle at the Medway was the largest pitched engagement of the Claudian conquest and shattered the main British field army under the Catuvellaunian princes.

Casualties & Losses

Heavy on both sides; Togodumnus reportedly mortally wounded

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of the River Medway

Former guardhouse
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Chatham Dockyard, the Dockyard wall
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Chatham Dockyard, Chain Cable shed
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Chatham Dockyard, the Painters' Shop and adjacent store
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Chatham Dockyard, Storehouse No 3
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
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Caesar Second Invasion — Kent Resistance 54 BC
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