Battle Of Guoloph
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Context
In his book Historia Brittonum, Nennius affirms that "The reign of Vortigern, and the fight between Vitalinus and Ambrosius in Guoloppum, the Battle of Guoloph, are separated by twelve years". The battle is thought to have been part of the long rivalry between rival British kings Vortigern and Ambrosius Aurelianus for control of southern Britain in the wake of the Roman withdrawal in 410.
In the 12th century A.D. (largely fictitious) pseudo-history written by Geoffrey of Monmouth – the Historia Regum Britanniae – Ambrosius Aurelianus (Emrys Wledig, the imperator) is considered the son of the emperor Constantine. Geoffrey of Monmouth states that while Ambrosius was a child, his entire family was assassinated with only him and his brother Uthyr Pendragon making their escape via a canal at the court of their cousin, Budic I of Brittany. This attack was allegedly perpetrated by Vortigern, governor of the city of Dubris, one of the most important ports in the kingdom. Vortigern had formed a pact with the powerful Jute kings, Hengist and Horsa.
Years later, Ambrosius returned to Great Britain, disembarking at Totnes (Devon), a reunion of the monarchs of all the kingdoms of the south with the purpose of forging alliances and solving collective problems. It was there that he was able to convince the Romano-British leaders of the Jute menace and of their alliance between Vortigern.