Cunobelinus (?-A.D. 43?), also called Cunobelin, was a king of the Catuvellauni, who were the most powerful tribe of southern Britain during the period before the Roman invasion in A.D. 43. Cunobelinus became king about A.D. 10. He set up a new capital at Camulodunum (now Colchester), minted his own coinage, and encouraged the entry of Roman traders into Britain. His sons Caratacus and Togodumnus led the resistance of the Catuvellauni when Roman Emperor Claudius invaded Britain.
Cunobelinus is sometimes called Cymbeline, after the king in William Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. Shakespeare’s fictional king rules Britain during Roman times, but otherwise has little in common with Cunobelinus.
