25/11/2018
Here I present evidence, some based on my research, to show that Caernarfon was much more than another Edwardian castle, but was instead the symbol of Edward's imperial ambition, originally held by his Roman predecessors, and in particular by the Roman 'usurper' emperor Magnus Maximus.
As can be seen from the pictures here presented, there is a striking resemblance between the structures in the ancient Roman capital city of Constantinople and the towers in Caernarfon. Both types of towers are polygonal in shape and are banded in appearance due to alternating stone and tile sections used to confer structural strength. The connection with Constantinople was dual.
Firstly, Constantinople was strategically important because it provided a gateway to the Middle East for the Christian crusaders to defend the West from the 'heathen' Ottoman Empire, and because it represented the last true Western Roman capital, founded by Constantine, before the Catholic-Eastern Orthodox Schism. Constantinople had been plundered by crusaders during the fourth crusade, and it was the ambition of Charles I of Anjou (Edward's contemporary and ally), to conquer Constantinople and become Emperor backed by the Pope.
Secondly, Roman Britain, and in particular Wales, had a deep connection with a powerful Roman military figure who won the Briton's trust and support in conquering the rest of the Roman Empire. This figure is most likely identified with Magnus Maximus who, after having acquired a respectable reputation as a highly capable commander, left Britain followed by almost all the army stationed there, in order to march on Rome. Indeed, the year 383 is designated as the last presence of the Romans in Britain, and this could be justified by Maximus requiring all the resources he could get his hands on to defeat the emperor in Rome. However, it was Maximus' intention to return to Britain once he had conquered Rome, and here is where the official records mix with legend (but for a very clear reason, which I will explain later).
In order for Maximus to be able to leave Roman Britain intact during his absence, and to be able to return with his army, the British population had to be appeased. There are many ways in which he could have achieved this, one of which was by marrying a powerful British King's daughter and fathering a child by her. This is documented in various ways ('Macsen's dream', Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia, and the Pillar of Heliseg). Even if this was pure fiction, it would be difficult to explain why the Britons, especially the Welsh, decided to create legends in favour of a foreign commander from an occupying army. It rather points to the fact that Maximus had in some way won the respect of the locals so as to be included in their folklore. Furthermore, Caernarfon has a long-standing imperial legacy due to the presence of the Welsh-Roman capital known as Segontium. Very little remains of Segontium today, but It is highly probable that during Edward's time it was still mostly intact and that indeed it would have been used as a source of building material for his castle (it was customary by both Normans and early English to make use of Roman materials for the construction of their castles, see Colchester castle for example). Unfortunately, we don't know much about its appearance at its grandest point but given the size, prominence and structure (barracks, villas, wells, baths, altars, temples etc. on a promontory overlooking the Menai and flanked by two rivers), and nearby forts (for example the fort and watch tower in Holyhead), we can assume that it would have been a very impressive and complex structure overseen by several towers.
Now we come to the explanation of why Maximus' importance and legacy with Britain and especially with Wales is not attested by any official documents. Maximus was considered an usurper and once defeated, the Senate passed a decree of 'damnatio memoriae' against him. This was one of Rome's worst kind of punishment against respectable figures and their families as it brought the complete removal of their existence and actions from historical accounts, their name so dishonorable so as not to deserve to be remembered. This could provide some justification of why his 'romantic' and strategic legacy with Wales only survived in local folklore.
In any case, chronicles mention that when Edward arrived in Caernarfon he and his men unearthed the sarcophagus of a Roman emperor. I personally doubt that it would have been that of an emperor, but they did find something that was evidently important enough to choose Caernarfon as the site of such an important symbol as the castle. Furthermore, Edward brought his pregnant Queen to the castle while it was in construction so that she could deliver the prince in the ancient town. Hence, their son was born Edward of Caernarfon. Now, many say that this was done in some way to pacify the locals and make them feel part of a royal connection. But this seems a rather lazy interpretation. Edward had recently quashed the last Welsh princes and effectively conquered Wales. He and the Queen paraded wearing jewelry stolen from them. He certainly did not need to appease the Welsh at this stage. What is more likely is that he was trying to reinforce an imperial connection with the past of the town.
And finally, I will briefly mention another interesting fact about the architecture of the castle. To me, both gates immediately appear as the triumphal arches seen in Rome but also in Constantinople (e.g. the Porta Aurea, or Golden Gate). To my knowledge, no other castle has gates which resemble these types of arches. Most distinctive is the inclusion of a short and narrow arch (the ratio of height to width seems to be 3.2, double the golden ratio) inside a taller and wider arch (the ratio seems to be the golden ratio of 1.6). All these elements contribute to the theory that sees this castle as a symbol of Edward's connection to imperial Rome and to a possible ambition, never realised, of himself becoming the Emperor.
