the Historia Brittonum was slightly expanded upon in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae, widely believed to be a fictional account of the rulers of Britain. There the Britons abandon Vortigern and elevate Vortimer to be king of Britain. After he has driven out the Saxons, Vortimer is poisoned by his stepmother Rowena (a Saxon) and Vortigern regains the crown. Geoffrey says that Vortimer was buried at Trinovantum (London), and mentions the link with St. Germanus, who encourages Vortimer to rebuild the churches. This account survives in Geoffrey's continuators Wace and Layamon: they both give London as his burial place; Layamon specifically mentions Belyn's Gate (Billingsgate. He also includes the detail that Vortimer offered twelve pennies reward for the head of any heathen brought to him. Both authors mention the connection with St Germanus. Writing in the eighteenth century, the Rev. Philip Morant tells us that Aldroen, king of Armorica, sent ten thousand troops to Britain under the command of Aurelius Ambrosius. He was seen as a usurper by Vortimer's followers, and a civil war broke out between the two factions, which lasted seven or eight years. Peace was eventually brokered between the warring factions by splitting Britain between them: Aurelius ruling the western part of the island, with Vortimer and Vortigern in the east: "divided from one another by... Watling Street". Morant says that Vortimer died in 475, but does not mention poison. Notes Arthurian characters Legendary British kings People whose existence is disputed