Rosemary Sutcliff's Roman Britain
Historical Fiction Trilogy - The Eagle of the Nnth - The Lantern Bearers - The Silver Branch
More than a hundred years went by, after the time of this story, before Rome fell; before the last of the Legions was withdrawn from Britain and Rutupiae Light went out and the Dark Ages had begun. But already the great days were over, Rome was harassed by the barbarians all along her frontiers, while at home generals fought to become Emperors and rival Emperors struggled among themselves for power.
Introduction to The Silver Branch
Drama Personality Inventory
Do you prefer?| A. Romeo and Juliet | B. Henry IV? |
| A. Love Story | B. ET? |
| A. Titanic | B. Time Bandits? |
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If you're like me, and have suffered through Romeo and Juliet or Love Story, knowing full well that there's no chance of a happy ending, and you've read about Boudicca's fated rebellion wishing that some earth-shattering new historical data had been revealed to prove Boudicca didn't go gentle into that good night, there are happy endings aplenty for you in Rosemary Sutcliff's Roman Britain trilogy.
It was easy to cheer on Boudicca as she rode against the Romans. Although I knew her gestures would be futile (ultimately), I savored her victory against the Ninth Hispana. They were, after all, Roman interlopers, military personnel sent to tame the savages.
That was A.D. 60. By 60 years into the future, the straggling remnants of the legion could have been rebuilt into a worthy Roman fighting force. Such, at least, is the premise of Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth.
During those decades, the legion didn't just fight. The men established homes and raised families, so that by the time the Ninth was lost again, there were Romans who had never even seen the homeland. These Romano-British were tied to their land of birth.
The Eagle of the Ninth is the first in the series, its characters the ancestors of those in its sequel, The Silver Branch. The final volume, The Lantern Bearers, takes place during Vortigern's rule, in the late fifth century, in approximately the same area between Aquae Sulis (modern Bath) and Rutupiae (modern Richborough). That, a dolphin signet ring, and the fact that the protagonist's name is Aquila are the clearest ties to the earlier volumes.
The Eagle of the Ninth
Marcus Flavius Aquila was raised in Rome while his father and uncle fought in Britain. The Uncle settled down there after his years of soldiering, but Marcus' father, who fought with the Ninth Hispana, disappeared. Marcus, dissatisfied with his life in Rome, wants to follow after his father and uncle, and gets his wish as an auxiliary cohort.Battle breaks out between the Romans and the Celtic tribesmen in which Marcus is wounded. As a result, he is lame and unfit for military service. A young man, grievously disappointed, he sets out for his uncle's home where he is welcomed and allowed to heal.
Just before Marcus is completely healed and ready to take on a desk job, an opportunity arises to discover what happened to the lost standard of the Ninth Hispana, a golden eagle.
The rest of the story tells of his adventures through Britain accompanied by a tribesman-turned gladiator-turned slave-turned freedman.
In the end he is awarded a clandestine pension that allows him to set up housekeeping in Britain without continuing to depend on his uncle's generosity.
The Silver Branch
My favorite, The Silver Branch, tells the story of Marcus' descendants, Marcelus Flavius Aquila and Tiberius Lucius Justinianus. While there is more fighting in this volume (and even more in the third), there are also elements of comic relief: not quite Falstaff, but a little person wears a tail, calls himself a hound and sleeps curled up beside his masters. It is he who carries the hollow branch to which are affixed silver bells.The Silver Branch concerns the particularly precarious position of Roman emperors stationed in Britain -- a theme carried on in the final volume. The two lead characters (cousins), demonstrate tremendous loyalty and heroism, although not as they had originally intended, in the regular army.
Of greater importance to the trilogy, these descendants of Marcus discover the hidden eagle and uncover its mystery. Self sacrifice and heroism continue to characterize the leading characters.
The Lantern Bearers
In the final volume, the protagonist is not nearly so likeable. In the beginning he shows himself a traitor and throughout the story there is a remorseless display of self-loathing/pity. It is the resolution of his emotional difficulties that forms the underlying theme of The Lantern Bearers.As far as plot goes, the Romans abandon Britain at the beginning of the story, leaving Aquila, the deserter, behind. He lights the lantern at Rutupiae the night the fleet departs thereby starting a legend.
The Romans leave because they know they are doomed and sure enough, the family for and with which Aquila stays behind, is attacked and slaughtered. Aquila escapes because it is assumed he is killed by bears, while his sister, Flavia, is taken off by the Saxon horde.
Resolved to find his sister again, Aquila endures the yoke of thralldom. When he does find her again, things are not as Aquila had imagined in his nightly dreams. Thwarted in his efforts to free his sister, he is thwarted again in his efforts to seek vengenace on the man he feels betrayed the Romans.
Helped three times by a spiritual advisor, Aquila, a man as unromantic as your Guide, ultimately finds support and comfort in the family he has created.
I suppose I should mention that this series isn't supposed to be for adults -- don't ask me why. It's considered young adult historical fiction and has, according to the reviews at the Amazon site, been foisted upon unwilling school children. Instead of forcing it upon children and missing it yourself, perhaps you could read it aloud with them this summer.
They are definitely books worth re-reading.
The Eagle of the Ninth
The Silver Branch
The Lantern Bearers
